why I should not be allowed to use tools

steve remchak · **Posted:** Sat Sep 10, 2011 1:19 pm

if you ever really wondered why, here is an example...........

changed the air filter on my F350 diesel and now i hope i haven't blown the head gasket. how would i be able to tell if the head gasket is damaged?

scenario: to change the air filter in this fine machine the MAF, the MAF elbow, the filter-minder, the front of the air box and the rear of the air box must be removed from the engine bay. and to make access easier the hose to the overflow tank (radiator that is) must be un-hooked.

resulting issues: on the way home from VIR last night i noticed moisture building up at the bottom of my windshield. at which point after a moment of thought ........ OH SHIT!!!! forgot to re-connect the hose to the overflow tank.

the truck had seemed to be down on power soon after i left VIR but no indications from the idiot lights. i pulled in to check and re-install the hose, re-started the truck and drove about 2/10s of a mile and the temp gauge shot way up. check gauges light came on.

pulled over again, shut the truck off and added water from my cooler, started the truck, turned on the AC and drove home. temp needle moved a bit but mostly stayed in the middle.

this afternoon added about 3/4 gallon of water and let idle for 20 minutes. temp gauge didn't really move much, water in the tank got hot so i know the thermostat opened. plan to drive it a bit later today.

if the head gasket is blown what should i be looking for?

George Bright · **Posted:** Sat Sep 10, 2011 1:44 pm

Off the top of my head I can think of 4 things to look for.

1. Coolant being pushed into the overflow tank and not going back as the engine cools. Combustion gasses leak into the coolant passages and blow the water out.

2. The oil starts to look like chocolate milk especially in the valve cover areas. This is coolant mixing with the oil.

3. The engine now starts on 6 cylinders from leakage between 2 cylinders. Of course this could have other causes too.

4. Oil leaking from head gaskets.

I drove a F450 with a non turbo 7.3 all over the eastern US. It had an interesting chain of events happen to it. In Richmond Va we had a clutch put in it. My co-driver was a spazz. While it was there the dealer retorqued the head bolts because the gaskets were seeping oil. Right after that the motor started consumming oil at about 1 qt. per 1k miles. Since the engine was still under warranty we had it checked out by Cross Roads ford. ( not my choice) They determined that the engine needed a rebuild at 50k miles. Since only 3 cylinders were out of spec they only bored 3 holes. After that the motor had a Harley like stacatto to its idle. It also took forever because thier diesel mechanic quit after taking our motor apart. Finally they put it back together and told us that the oil problem was a leaking oil cooler. It did not leak when we took it there. So I go back on the road to New Orleans to test Marathon Oil. On the way back the water temp started rising and suddenly pegged the gauge when a freeze plug blew out of the motor. After a wild ride in a F350 tow truck pulling a F450 with a 32 ft trailer we made it to the Gulfport Ms dealer. They replaced the freeze plug and then coolant came out the tailpipe. Gulfport pulled the motor down and found 2 cracked heads that Crossroads missed. They said the cracks were old and finally made it to the water jacket. So it appeared that the Richmond dealer may have overtorqued the heads.

MikeWhitney · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:15 pm **Posts:** 4724

You're probably fine. If you want peace of mind, do a quick compression gas leak test. $30 loaner tool from AutoZone. I just bought one for a similar issue with my wife's car, wanted to rule out head gasket.

JamesMilko · **Posted:** Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:52 am

If your truck has one you might want to check/replace the radiator cap. It's cheap easy and could cause those problems.

JohnByers · **Posted:** Sun Sep 11, 2011 7:06 am

His should have a cap, it's a pressurized reservoir I believe.

Sean O'Connell · **Posted:** Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:47 pm

I'm no expert on diesels but I'm thinking if you blew a headgasket or warped a head you would have thing blowing up due to the pressure inside the combustion chamber of a diesel. I'm thinking you'll be fine.

THSCC Forums

why I should not be allowed to use tools

Who is online