Head Gasket Leak ??

914 · 11-09-2004, 05:41 AM

Car Warms up To Oil Temp 180-190,And At Higer Rpm's YouCan Hear pisst/Pisst/Pist. Already Looked At Exht Gaskets/Ok. What Should I Do The Engine Has 90K On It ,Top End Rebuild/Complete Rebuild,Or Just Drive It? What Damage Will It Cause If I Drive? Any Good Engine Guys In The Los Angeles Area?
Thanks,914

Jake Raby · 11-09-2004, 06:25 AM

It will keep on till it either melts the head, or the cylinder, or both.. It can also catch fire if the gasket blows more severely as straight combustion will be pouring between the head and cylinder...

This is why the VW bulletin was released to remove the head gaskets at rebuild time. We never use them due to these issues.

Tear it down, a repair is much cheaper BEFORE a failure occurs, after the price can double. If it melts the head and the engine is a 2.0 it can be very expensive.

To find the leak its easy squirt some engine oil into the intake while its running and look for the white smoke.. when you find it- thats your leak.

Scooter311 · 11-09-2004, 07:48 AM

Ooo-ooo (raising my hand) pick me pick me

I just got done with the same problem here's what I did -

first, a compression test (tester bought for 25 bucks at sears)
determined which cyl was bad

second, I did a leakdown test (used same tester, removed the schrader valve and used my air compressor)
determined WHERE the leak was indeed coming from

third, removed motor (easy, didn't have to take everything apart, just the side with the leak)
pulled head, repaired (mine was a casting flaw that rose it's head after some flycutting was done earlier in the build)

fourth, put it al back together, another comp test, and all seems well now.

of course, that was just my situation, yours may be different, however the procedures shuld be similar.

Jake's right (of course

) you can melt or warp your head - that's what happened to me, mine warped after overheating.

Good luck, keep us all posted!

Cheerio
Jeff

PS - You may as well put in some bigger P/Cs,s , and nows the time for that new clutch, oh and may as well paint or powdercoat the tin, and rebuild the alternator, and some new fuel lines, and and and.....

BenI · 11-09-2004, 10:52 AM

Same thing happened to me-took a weekend to remove the gaskets with the engine in the car. It really helps to drop it a few inches, but the job isn't bad at all. You only need to pull the heads out a couple of inches to get to the gaskets. Good luck!

Jake Raby · 11-09-2004, 04:19 PM

But then you still have the gaskets and any slight imperfection to either sealing surface will just blow them again..

VW wasn't on crack when they wrote these bulletins. They knew they screwed up by using the gaskets and even they admitted it with the bulletin.... I cannot think of any other bulletin ever made for the Type IV engine- its a serious thing when they resort to that...

silver2.0 · silver2.0's Garage

umm, are you sure it's not just a an exhaust leak somewhere? Mine was doing that one time, and it was just the plug that rattled out blocking out the smog pump port on the cylinder head. I have 76 heads, on a 73 motor, in a 70 car... :0 mine is 2.0 also.

Jake Raby · 11-09-2004, 05:09 PM

The oil method I mentioned in my first post will seek out the leak and illustrate it with white puffing smoke at idle... If its exhaust, it will leak from the exhaust..

Head leaks can be heard a mile a way differently than exhaust. a head leak starts cold as a slight chirping sound that gets better as the engine warms up..... Serious ones can be heard drving and sound like a drum being beat inside a canyon...

914 · 11-09-2004, 06:56 PM

Fellow Nine Forteeners,
This All Started With A Run Rich Problem,I Replaced The MPS W/A Brets Rebuilt Unit Also Cyl Head Temp Sensor. Got To Road Test The Car Today,Guess What No Sounds/Cold Or Hot, Jake You Say The Sound Gets Better/Louder/Less Prevalant ?? Thanks To Everyone For There Replys.
Take Care,914

Jake Raby · 11-09-2004, 07:06 PM

The chirping sound is more noticed when the engine is cold and all contracted. As it heats up the sound can be a hiss, or a type of thud during the combustion process..

You really need to make sure its gone with the oil trick, or with a leak down test.. If its small, it will get get bigger and more expensive..

914 · 11-09-2004, 07:18 PM

Jake,
Use Oil Can Or Spray Bottle To Get Oil In The Intake Boot?
Thanks,914

Jake Raby · 11-09-2004, 08:02 PM

Remove the air filter and spray it in that way.. An old windex bottle with some oil, or even automatic trans fluid in it will work..... Trans fluid is thinner and smokes faster and whiter than oil does..

sean_V8_914 · sean_V8_914's Garage

removing heads is SOOOOO much easier with the mojo out. Remove teh eng and trans as a unit. it is easy to do. much less work than laying on your back under the car trying to pop a head. I recomend fresh rings while your htere

Scooter311 · 11-10-2004, 04:29 AM

Hey 914 too bad we don't live closer - I could give you a hand, I've had mine out so many times, it's so easy. Been through the same thing.

914 · 11-10-2004, 05:56 AM

Guys,
"THANKS" For All The Replys......

914