Hi,
The problems continue…
I thought I had everything sorted after my cylinder head rebuild. Head on, ancillaries refitted, even the awkward heater bolts and cables went on without too much trouble. I was about to prepare to turn the engine over to get oil pressure when I realised I hadn’t got enough oil. Still, I could fill it with water ready for the big day, which I did today. Only to find a little puddle on the floor.
So after cleaning the floor and then further investigation, I found that water was running down the back of the block under cylinder 1 exhaust port - see image.
Is the only place this could be coming from the head gasket joint? It is not from the heater pipes which I think are the only part of the cooling system in this area. And it is above the coolant drain plug.
I don’t think my block has the plate on the back. The water was coming from the gasket joint.
I have warmed the engine up, run it for 30 minutes or so without the radiator cap on and it looks like the gasket has cooked and sealed things up. Or the hot water escaping evaporates straight away and I cannot see the evidence.
I will check it out again today and report back.
Yes could be welch plugs. Fitted all new brass plugs to my block last time it was out of the car. Carefully cleaned each opening and used sealer. Still leaked a little coolant when I filled the block. Disappeared after a couple of runs.
One welch plug in the block has had a little weep in the past but is dry now. I replaced the plugs in the head on the exhaust manifold face and checked them over the weekend. They are both dry.
Check the exhaust manifold studs. When I chased the threads (into the head) on my 3.8 Mk2 motor I must have gone into the water jacket. I suspect the material there is quite thin. Was an easy fix by removing the stud and putting some sealant in and threading the stud back in. Similar to you I had things all buttoned up to run on my test stand and found a puddle of water.
