TR2/3/3A NEW update on my cylinder head/gasket story........

[karls59tr]

Well I pulled the head because of white steam( i believe it's coolant rather than exhaust smoke)was rising from underneath the manifold area so I assumed gasket leakage at the head gasket but there is no evidence of a break or damage to the gasket. I have included some pics. I did notice that 2 of the manifold studs were very loose....maybe i forgot to tighten them good enough But I dont see how that would cause steam/smoke? I'm going to have to borrow or buy a newer torque wrench as I think that may be the problem with not getting a good seal.Also I'm going to run a bead of RTV (anything better recommnded?}around the perimeter of the new gasket and let it tack up before I install the head again. I will get the head skimmed for

flatness. What is with all the severe black carbon??? Any thoughts?

 

[karls59tr]

....that black smudge on the gasket in the 4th picture is just from a putty knife I used during removal. What's with the extreme carbon everywhere and the plugs too. Any thoughts?

 

[CJD]

I see a crack from the #1 combustion chamber outward to the edge of the head (second to last pic posted). There is a smudge of carbon, showing the gasket failed around the crack...and coolant would follow the crack both ways.

Of course pics are not always accurate...it would be a good idea to wire brush that area and look very closely.

 

[CJD]

Just read your putty knife line. It still looks like a crack??

 

[karls59tr]

Just read your putty knife line. It still looks like a crack??..

I'll have another look but I'm sure that's from the putty knife. Here is another posibilty. I remember I had replaced the first stud on the manifold at that coolant passage because I had stripped it out previously by installing the wrong size nut. Today looking at the replacement stud I see that the length of the threads on the replacement stud is not the same as the other studs there. My theory is that torquing the nut down would not draw the manifold all the way down creating a gap so that coolant could leak out of the coolant passage on to the hot header causing the white steam??.....and there was nothing wrong with the actual head gasket seal. Sound possible?