Bad head gasket?

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    • July 22, 2020 at 6:33 am #49426
      DavidPrivett
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        could you have a bad freeze plug? clean the engine off as best as you can then fire it up and see if you can pin point where it is coming from. I guess there is a chance you have a pinhole in a radiator hose and it is spraying on the block too.

      • July 22, 2020 at 7:10 am #49427
        Piper184
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          I would get a radiator cap of a known pressure. The original was probably something like 6 or 7 pounds. Anything more than that can cause problems.

          If you are not running a coolant recovery tank, then the proper coolant level is just above the radiator core tubes when cold. These leaves room in the header for the coolant to expand when it warms up.

          You definitely need to find the source of the leak so you can determine the proper fix.

          My suggestion is to try and find the source of the leak. Then clean and dry the engine in the suspect area. Check and correct the coolant level if necessary. Start the engine and let it warm up at a fast idle. Leave the radiator cap off and watch the coolant while it warms up. You should be able to observe the flow rate increase the thermostat opens. Watch closely for bubbles. Also watch for coolant to appear at the suspected leak point.

          Please let us know what you find and post a picture if possible.

          Good Luck.

           

        • July 29, 2020 at 10:07 pm #49430
          oldfart2
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            Well I find it hard to admit what happened. But The liquid running down the side of the engine was green in color, so I assumed it was antifreeze. It was really evident where the head meets the block. My son and I were looking at it and he noticed some green around the fuel injectors on the top of the head, I said it couldn’t be as there is no place for the antifreeze to come from. He being the wiser was sure the leak was coming from something else. The 454 has several zig zag rubber connectors to bleed of the excess fuel back to the engine, one was dripping some fuel, which got his attention. So now I need to know when was diesel fuel produced with a green dye in it? I heard that at one time they added red dye, so they could tell if you were running farm diesel on the road, as it was tax free. I was ready to pull the head off, so I am very happy the he figured out what the problem was. Thanks for the suggestions.

          • July 30, 2020 at 6:50 am #49431
            DavidPrivett
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              I have never heard of green fuel , I buy red fuel for the farm , yes it is tax free fuel and there is a penalty if you get caught with it in a road vehicle. Todays diesel is kinda clear with a green tint it does not look like it did 50 years ago. If you have the place where you can buy red fuel try it and see if the color in the area changes if you can not get the  leak to seal.

            • July 31, 2020 at 12:43 am #49436
              oldfart2
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                The fuel leak was from one of the zig zag rubber connectors, that connect the injectors to the return line for the fuel tank. the leak was from one of those connectons. I simply installed a small hose clamp. solved the problem. I am very happy it wasn’t the head gasket.

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