[DMCForum] Re: damnit to hell (my poor engine)

["Matt Spittle" <mds328@xxxxxxx>]

I had chocolate milkshake in the oil filler, and also in the oil pan
(along with lime green milkshake).  When I finally pulled the heads,
Rob Grady confirmed I had a cracked passenger side head.  

Matt
#1604


--- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "cartermartin" <cartermartin@xxxx> wrote:
> 
> This was a most interesting thread (the subject line right out of my 
> lips). 
> 
> I am reasonably sure at this point I will have to reassess the 
> condition of my engine (PRV/B280f in a...umm...Volvo...). 
> 
> I have some more questions:
> 
> 1. How does one properly bleed the cooling system on one of these?
> 
> 2. Would a compression test reveal a faulty head gasket? I have good 
> compression on all 6 cylinders (180-185psi, maybe too good?). 
> 
> 3. Would a head gasket that is bad or heading that way cause excess 
> pressure in the cooling system? 
> 
> The engine is running strong but I have had a couple high 
> temp 'incidents'. And chocolate milkshake in the oil filler which was 
> there before though.
> 
> Carter
> 
> --- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "therealdmcvegas" <dmcvegas@xxxx> 
> wrote:
> > 
> > --- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Matt Spittle" <mds328@xxxx> wrote:
> > <SNIP> 
> > > Will running a coolant pressure test verify if I have a blown 
> head 
> > > gasket?
> > > 
> > > thanks,
> > > 
> > > Matt
> > > #1604
> > 
> > Most definetly. You'll be pressurizing the cooling system, and 
> forcing
> > water out of any leaks that you have. I had lots of coolant in the
> > "Valley of Deat" too, when one of the O-Rings on the Y-Pipe finally
> > rotted away, and allowed fluid to flow out freely. So you'll want to
> > snag a couple of new rings down at the local autoparts store when 
> you
> > pick up the pressure testing kit. BTW, don't bother looking for the
> > rings in the aisle. They're in a box behind the counter.
> > 
> > But first, let's talk about what causes a head gasket to prematurely
> > fail. Heat is the enemy here. And you know that if you severely
> > overheated an engine, the cylinder heads warp and seperate 
> themselves
> > from the headgasket. Obviously at that point you need to replace 
> both
> > the cyliner head, and the head gasket. But, there is also another
> > silent killer of headgaskets, and it too is caused by heat.
> > 
> > Improperly bled cooling system: That's right. If you've got air in 
> the
> > engine, you're gonna SEVERLY shorten the life of the headgasket. It
> > works like this. Cast Iron cylinder sleeves will heat up and expand
> > and a far slower rate than the Aluminium cylinder heads. However, 
> when
> > we have coolant flowing across them both, the heat is gently
> > transfered between the two, and they both heat and expand at a much
> > more syncronized rate.
> > 
> > But air inside the cooling system negates all this. Water doesn't 
> flow
> > across the surfaces evenly, and pockets of air them become steam
> > pockets. Now keep this in mind: Steam is a gas so it rises, and it's
> > the aluminum cylinder heads up that are on the top. The water below
> > may only be like 120°F during the warm up, but the steam pockets 
> have
> > already hit 260°F+! So the Aluminum expands much more quickly than 
> the
> > Cast Iron below. What happens here is that the head gaskets are 
> slowly
> > torn, because the two sides between it are shifting in different
> > directions.
> > 
> > And DeLoreans are tricky to the average mechanic, when it comes to
> > diagnosing bad headgaskets just by sight.
> > 
> > Because of that damn valley under the intake manifold, it's easy to
> > believe that the car has a bad head gasket. You leak out fluid, but 
> it
> > never drips below the car. Instead, it collects up above, and gets
> > boiled off. And then when a car isn't always run up to temperature,
> > the condensation inside is easily mistaken for coolant in the oil.
> > Although I too have concerns about that crap in the oil filler cap 
> for
> > your engine.
> > 
> > Do this:
> > Step 1. Pressure test a FULL cooling system. 14½ PSI for 15 minutes,
> > and the fluctuation should be minimal, if at all.
> > 
> > If no leaks detected, move on to step 2. If leaks are found, repair
> > them before proceeding. Remeber, you're dealing with coolant hoses, 
> a
> > radiator, engine block, AND the heater core inside. So check all 
> these
> > areas IF the pressure isn't able to maintain itself.
> > 
> > Remove the rocker covers, and pull the oil drain plug. See if any
> > water sprays, or otherwise visably drips out of any of these places.
> > That'll find out what's going on with the engine.
> > 
> > Step 2: If/when no leaks are present, reassemble the top end with 
> new
> > seals, hoses, etc. Use silicone hoses for the water pump, new rubber
> > tubes for the vacuum lines, new orings for the intake manifold, new
> > oil resistant hoses for the breather tubes, etc. SEAL EVERYTHING! 
> Make
> > certain that there are no vacuum leaks.
> > 
> > Step 3: Disconnect the Oxygen sensor from the ECU wire, so that the
> > engine will stay in "limp mode", and won't fiddle with the O2 
> mixture
> > on you. Start the engine, and see how she runs. Since you had vacuum
> > leaks before, you're prolly gonna need to adjust the CO mixture to 
> get
> > the car running right. So if you need to fiddle with it right now to
> > get the car running right, that's OK.
> > 
> > Step 4: Once the engine is cool, flush it with this (2nd from the 
> bottom):
> > http://www.berrymanproducts.com/Default.aspx?tabid=139
> > This is POWERFUL stuff. It dissolves anything (including styrofoam),
> > and will clean out your motor. You'll only need about &#8532; of 
> the bottle.
> > Pour it directing into the crankcase, and idle the motor for about 7
> > minutes. Then shut the motor off, and drain the oil & cleaner out 
> ASAP.
> > 
> > After that you can drive the car to your local old skool Volvo
> > mechanic where you can reattach the O2 sensor, and get the CO 
> balanced
> > on the motor. But I would first add that you pour some Techron into
> > the tank, and burn out the old gasoline first, and refill with fresh
> > before tuning the CO on the car.
> > 
> > -Robert

---

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