head gasket blown? but no bubbles

fiveohpatrol · 04-08-2001, 05:43 PM

i've been having all kinds of problems after i put the intake on, it was fine for a few days, then started to overheat, so i put a new thermostat in it, still screwed up, (i put a new waterpump in it a few days before the intake too) ended up putting a new radiator in it and that didnt help it, then last weekend it started to put white smoke out the pipes, checked the oil and there was definately coolant it it, but there were no bubbles at all in the radiator or the overflow tank, so i figured since i didnt use black RTV around the water ports that it was probably the problem and coolant was getting in the lifter valley, so yesterday i pulled the intake back off and re-did it with plenty of RTV, put it all back together, changed the oil/coolant mixture, drove it for a while and it was fine, then drained the oil again to get the rest of the remaining coolant out,then drove it again later and it overheated again! pulled back in the garage and it was leaking a little oil down the back of the intake (rear seal ****** !) and there was plenty of coolant in the oil again, i know i have to take it back off again because of the oil leak but its still not putting bubbles into the radiator, has anyone here had a head gasket blow and it not bubbled? has anyone ever had a problem with Explorer intakes? maybe the lower is warped, i may try putting the stocker back on to see if thats it, i've been trying to sort this out every weekend for over a month, i need to get this thing going for next saturday, thanks guys

------------------
88 Notchback 5.0, 3.73's, Explorer intake, pulleys, Crane 1.7's, BBK headers, off-road H-pipe, flowmasters, subframe connectors, 65mm TB, shift kit, March ram air kit, motorsport wires, MSD coil, upper and lower control arms, 155lph fuel pump, cheap 2800 stall, Crane Adj.FPR, best time- 13.99@99.75, not yet tested times after rocker and intake install

fiveohpatrol · 04-09-2001, 03:26 PM

anyone?

fiveohpatrol · 04-10-2001, 12:16 AM

well i'll be there saturday but my freakin car wont! i thought the intake that i bought may have been warped or cracked so tonight i put the stok
lower back on and connected all the coolant lines (broke one of the heater core
tubes in the process!) and rented a pressure tester, pumped it up to 16lbs and heard
a leak somewhere, i ended up hearing it through the lower intake which means a
head gasket is blown and is pumping water into my lifter valley, so i will probably be taking it apart some
weekend within the next month or so at a friends garage and doing some mild port
work while we're at it. so maybe this will end up for the better, oh yah, do you guys think that having the thermostat in backwards for about a day could mess up the head gaskets? thats my theory on why they went bad from an intake install

------------------
88 Notchback 5.0, 3.73's, Explorer intake, pulleys, Crane 1.7's, BBK headers, off-road H-pipe, flowmasters, subframe connectors, 65mm TB, shift kit, March ram air kit, motorsport wires, MSD coil, upper and lower control arms, 155lph fuel pump, cheap 2800 stall, Crane Adj.FPR, best time- 13.99@99.75, not yet tested times after rocker and intake install

withamc · 04-10-2001, 01:15 AM

The T-stat in backwards for any longer than the time it took for the engine to get hot was probably too long. With it in backwards, it probably didn't open till it was WAY too hot, if at all.
Sorry to hear about your problems, I've been keeping up on them. Hope you get it worked out.
Later,
Chris

fiveohpatrol · 04-10-2001, 12:46 PM

so that could have caused the head gasket to go? i sure hope so and its not something else that will end up happening again when i get it back together, which gaskets should i get? autozone has replacements for $16 apiece but i'd like to go with stronger ones if these arent that good, also what all do i need to buy at the parts store, what other gaskets,lube,sealant, do i need? i'll probably be buying a new set of head bolts while im at it, what kind of bolts should i get? would i be better off ordering everything from summit because i have a 10% discount till the end of april, thanks everyone, sorry so long

Unit 5302 · 04-10-2001, 03:37 PM

Yes, the head gaskets can most certainly blow without bubble's in your coolant.

The only way you'll see bubbles in your coolant is if the gasket blows around the combustion area's. It can blow between the oil and coolant passageways and not the cylinder, which would allow the coolant and oil to mix, but not effect the engines compression areas.

04-08-2001, 05:43 PM	#1
fiveohpatrol I'd rather be basketweaving Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 2,551	head gasket blown? but no bubbles i've been having all kinds of problems after i put the intake on, it was fine for a few days, then started to overheat, so i put a new thermostat in it, still screwed up, (i put a new waterpump in it a few days before the intake too) ended up putting a new radiator in it and that didnt help it, then last weekend it started to put white smoke out the pipes, checked the oil and there was definately coolant it it, but there were no bubbles at all in the radiator or the overflow tank, so i figured since i didnt use black RTV around the water ports that it was probably the problem and coolant was getting in the lifter valley, so yesterday i pulled the intake back off and re-did it with plenty of RTV, put it all back together, changed the oil/coolant mixture, drove it for a while and it was fine, then drained the oil again to get the rest of the remaining coolant out,then drove it again later and it overheated again! pulled back in the garage and it was leaking a little oil down the back of the intake (rear seal ****** !) and there was plenty of coolant in the oil again, i know i have to take it back off again because of the oil leak but its still not putting bubbles into the radiator, has anyone here had a head gasket blow and it not bubbled? has anyone ever had a problem with Explorer intakes? maybe the lower is warped, i may try putting the stocker back on to see if thats it, i've been trying to sort this out every weekend for over a month, i need to get this thing going for next saturday, thanks guys ------------------ 88 Notchback 5.0, 3.73's, Explorer intake, pulleys, Crane 1.7's, BBK headers, off-road H-pipe, flowmasters, subframe connectors, 65mm TB, shift kit, March ram air kit, motorsport wires, MSD coil, upper and lower control arms, 155lph fuel pump, cheap 2800 stall, Crane Adj.FPR, best time- 13.99@99.75, not yet tested times after rocker and intake install

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04-09-2001, 03:26 PM	#2
fiveohpatrol I'd rather be basketweaving Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 2,551	anyone?

04-10-2001, 12:16 AM	#3
fiveohpatrol I'd rather be basketweaving Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 2,551	well i'll be there saturday but my freakin car wont! i thought the intake that i bought may have been warped or cracked so tonight i put the stok lower back on and connected all the coolant lines (broke one of the heater core tubes in the process!) and rented a pressure tester, pumped it up to 16lbs and heard a leak somewhere, i ended up hearing it through the lower intake which means a head gasket is blown and is pumping water into my lifter valley, so i will probably be taking it apart some weekend within the next month or so at a friends garage and doing some mild port work while we're at it. so maybe this will end up for the better, oh yah, do you guys think that having the thermostat in backwards for about a day could mess up the head gaskets? thats my theory on why they went bad from an intake install ------------------ 88 Notchback 5.0, 3.73's, Explorer intake, pulleys, Crane 1.7's, BBK headers, off-road H-pipe, flowmasters, subframe connectors, 65mm TB, shift kit, March ram air kit, motorsport wires, MSD coil, upper and lower control arms, 155lph fuel pump, cheap 2800 stall, Crane Adj.FPR, best time- 13.99@99.75, not yet tested times after rocker and intake install

04-10-2001, 01:15 AM	#4
withamc Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Thousand Oaks, CA Posts: 396	The T-stat in backwards for any longer than the time it took for the engine to get hot was probably too long. With it in backwards, it probably didn't open till it was WAY too hot, if at all. Sorry to hear about your problems, I've been keeping up on them. Hope you get it worked out. Later, Chris

04-10-2001, 12:46 PM	#5
fiveohpatrol I'd rather be basketweaving Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 2,551	so that could have caused the head gasket to go? i sure hope so and its not something else that will end up happening again when i get it back together, which gaskets should i get? autozone has replacements for $16 apiece but i'd like to go with stronger ones if these arent that good, also what all do i need to buy at the parts store, what other gaskets,lube,sealant, do i need? i'll probably be buying a new set of head bolts while im at it, what kind of bolts should i get? would i be better off ordering everything from summit because i have a 10% discount till the end of april, thanks everyone, sorry so long

04-10-2001, 03:37 PM	#6
Unit 5302 Registered Member Join Date: May 1999 Posts: 5,246	Yes, the head gaskets can most certainly blow without bubble's in your coolant. The only way you'll see bubbles in your coolant is if the gasket blows around the combustion area's. It can blow between the oil and coolant passageways and not the cylinder, which would allow the coolant and oil to mix, but not effect the engines compression areas.