this is a long history but I'm gonna make it short. my car had a blown headgasket like a year ago. car was sitting outside for a while. I took the heads to the machinery chop to clean them(no port work)while everything was out I told my father that it was the perfect time to install long tube headers.we have a love and hate relationship and he said that I was wasting his time. I was gonna do the job myself but he desagree saying that I would **** something up. either way I convince him to let everything to me and he agreed. We got the parts online.headers,head gasket,rtv,tread sealant,arp bolts and those header bolts that lock in place.
Anyway I went out on sunday and when I came back home my dad had everything done. I look up what to what he did and he trew away the header bolts locks saying that it just marketing hype and are garbage. Second the tread sealant wasn't even out of the package and he said there's was no need for that.the car is leaking oil like crazy from the back of the intake.
and last but not long I gave him a compy from the patern he should've follow to retorque the heads, he said that his being working on engines for years and he can toque'em down with timing instead of a torque rench.
well I am planning of taking everything out but he wont let me do it in our garage. I need proof that what he did whas rong and need to be redone.
apartt for the oil licking like and *** what else shoud I espect. coolant mixing with oil. low level collann in the radiator. please advice this noob

 

lt1 intakes are picky, tons of RTV and letting them cure for atleast a full 24 hours is the trick

 

ENGLISH CLASS

Oh yeah, take it apart and make sure it is done right.

 

I disagree with the "tons of sealant" methodology. Every intake I've sealed I use a 1/4" bead on the front and rear china walls, going up the gasket about 1" and not once have I developed a leak.

The key isn't the amount of sealant applied, it's the uniform even consistency, a spiffy-clean gasket surface, and torquing in sequence with a good torque wrench using smooth even pressure.

 

I agree with Joe here. 1/4 bead is what is called for with a nice dab at each end of the bead. Never had a problem with that, seals perfectly.

Cleanliness and a little finnesse in setting it down on the rails without smearing the silicone will go a long way.

 

I am sorry guys but my keyboard is getting all shity and I can hardly see any letters on it.

 

well it's just personal preference for me that has worked as I end up usually smearing it around the extra RTV allows some room for sloppiness lol

def agree on the 2nd paragraph

 

I use to build pure 1/4 mile race engines for several teams. At a meet, one of my engines was waved off the starting line due to a rear China Wall oil leak. I vowed for that to never happen again.

Research and some "old racers tricks" were used, among these were increasing the diameter of the RTV to 3/8". Dimples to the China Walls on the block and corresponding areas on the intake coupled with numerous re-torques of the intake bolts, etc., cured the problem and never had one leak afterwards.

To OP: Chances of being able to change his mind seems to be between slim and none. Some get set in their ways and will mightily resist change. Change scares many and many others are just intractable in their views.

You could try common sense reasoning backed up by the recommended procedures of GM's engineers shown in GM's Factory Service Manual. "Why would the engineers make such recommendations if they hadn't found it to be the best way?" "Don't you think they tested different methods and found the one that works best?" Things like that.

If you expect a reliable, strong running engine, you'll need to address those areas you mentioned. You'll probably have to become creative in how to accomplish that. Perhaps when he'll be away from home for at least one full day.

Jake

 

If it is mixing oil and coolant then it is plain as day a result from not using a thread lube or sealant on the bolts and not torqueing them down right. If you torque from the out side in then the head and the block never become one with the head gasket because like spreading a big sticker on a window you will end up with a bubble for say. The point of inside to out side is to spread the gasket material to the out side with out an extra getting stuck in the middle. This causes the compression ring on the gasket near the 2 inside cylinders to leak hot gas by the ring into colant and oil sections of the gasket and you end up with a blow out of the gasket in those areas. Some times not notable in performance until you start sucking those things past the compression ring on the down stroke. This is when they burn oil and coolant. If you have excessive crank case pressure this can be felt by removing the oil cap. Excessive air will come out of the oil cap and show you that the gasket has failed at the compression ring allowing gas to pass by and enter the oil passage. A carbon test on the coolant will also verify this same problem by showing combustion gas have entered the coolant passage. Some times the compression rigs stay for a while and you will leak coolant out the gasket from in between the head and block. You may also have coolant in the oil. Or oil in the coolant. Either way not good. The intake gasket is a cheap fix but takes time to get done. Do the simple checks to see if there is a problem, if there are no sings then you got lucky but always watch it cause it can happen down the road. I had a step dad like that and the only way to get past that is to amass your own tools, Figure it all out on your own and rent time in the garage. Always clean up better than it was before you used it and take pictures if need be. Only ask for parts on christmas and birthdays. This will fix those problems and show him you can do this **** on your own, but you have to put the time and money into learning and spending the time to do it right. It is always cheaper to do it right one time and one time only.