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Head gasket leak?

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Old Dec 15, 2012 | 04:05 PM
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Default Head gasket leak?

I have a an 02 SS w TF215's, 11/1 compression,cam. I am losing coolant but, have no visable leaks maybe quart after 3 30 min trips. Pulled the plugs and they all look good, no glazing. I drive the car for 30 mins. and stop to let it cool down(not over heating) then get back in it to drive and I can smell antifreeze for a little bit then it goes away. I think I have a small head gasket leak. Oil looks great not milky. What I want to know is should I pull the heads n replace the head gaskets or do the leak stop products work well in this type of situation? Thanks

Last edited by Robert02; Dec 15, 2012 at 04:07 PM. Reason: spellin
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Old Dec 19, 2012 | 10:11 AM
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Nobody has ever used stop leak with success? Or another better product? Any help will be appreciated before I ****** the heads off.
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Old Dec 19, 2012 | 05:07 PM
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Are there any white plugs? If you pull the cap off the car (when cool) look for bubbles in the radiator.

And don't mess with BarsLeaks or any of that stuff. That would be for an emergency to get you home. That stuff will turn your entire coolant system into a complete mess. Heads aren't that hard to do on these cars.
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Old Dec 20, 2012 | 09:20 AM
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All the plug looked the same. Will check for bubbles. I have arp head bolts and a buddy of mine said to retorque them maybe it seal back. I doubt I would be that lucky. Thanks
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Old Dec 22, 2012 | 12:23 AM
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Do you notice any smoke from your exhaust? If it is leaking into the cylinder than a compression check should find it. It might be leaking to outside the motor. This can be a lot harder to find if it is leaking on the backside of the motor. I believe they make a dye that you can add. You might try this if you eliminate an internal leak and have no luck finding the leak. How does your overflow tank look? Still fluid in there? I've had a crack in one before that caused some excessive loss in coolant.
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Old Dec 22, 2012 | 10:27 AM
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Lost about a gal.of fluid aftery last 2 trips. Overflow can was low also. I see some steam coming out of the exhaust after a cool down, but not an excessive amount. I will do a compression check and pressure check the radiator to try to narrow down which side it is on. Only about 4000 miles on it since new heads went on. Got a fiber optic scope maye I can see the leak with it with pressure on the radiator. Thanks guys.
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Old Dec 22, 2012 | 02:31 PM
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Got bubbles in radiator even after I turn the car off. Sounds like a leaking gasket.
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Old Dec 22, 2012 | 04:21 PM
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^ There ya go.. And you can't just re-torque the heads. There's two passes and a 90* pass on them so it's not a set amount for the final... Just a stretch pass. At least your bolts are reusable. That's why I got them as well..
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Old Dec 23, 2012 | 07:55 PM
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Found it! Broke #7 piston,,,, damn,,,, upgrade! Thanks for your help. Guess that last pass at 11.45 did it.
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Old Dec 23, 2012 | 08:38 PM
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Also when I pulled the plugs this time #7 was wet.
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Old Dec 23, 2012 | 09:03 PM
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That'll do it..
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