Thread:

Houston we have a problem

Originally Posted by Running_on_Empty

Well guys this is where it gets worse. I had this motor built by a local guy that had been there for 25 years and I think my engine was the last one he built because out of nowhere he sold the shop and started working at NAPA. If I would of known this prior I wouldn't of taken it to him in the first place......but nothing can ever seem to go right. I am going to talk to him, but I'm afraid I will be on my own on this one.

First thing tomarrow I am going to get a lot of oil. Then I'm going to get some new intake gaskets and some weather strip sealant and a couple of oil filters.

I don't think its the head gaskets.
I pulled the lines on the headers and not much water came out, so I don't think it was the headers causing the problem.
I think the intake is the problem.

I am going to try the light pressure garden hose thing and cutting off the water to the headers to try and narrow down the problem.

Now what I need to know is how would you suggest flushing this thing out? Do you just take some oil and fill it...run it for just a bit.....then drain.....then refill run for a bit......then drain.....and see where your at from there?

Then pull it apart and change the flat cam.!!........When you pull the intake remove the lifters and re lube them with the break in lube stuff. Re adjust the valves, be sure you have no water leaks BEFORE you start the engine..Then follow cam break in to the letter. Run the engine up to temp at RPMs suggested by cam break in. Bring the Rs down and shut it off....Drain oil, change filter, add oil, restart and continue cam break in......Repeat as necessary until oil remains clear, no milk and cam is broken in...Did you install the intake?.......9 times out of 10 the intake is cocked to one side.....Leave the weatherstrip sealant for weather striping and put some silicone RTV around the water passages, about 1/8th inch bead, and about 1/4 to 5/16ths inch on the ends. Get it on straight, and it'll seal......The yellow snot aint the same stuff..........MP

How thick is the cilicone at the front or rear of the intake? 1/4" means the intake is sitting to high and wasnt milled if your heads were and the water ports are not lined up. Also look and see if were the intake gasket is if the gap looks even or if it seems to get wider at the bottom.

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When you take the intake manifold off, lube the lifter bottoms and as much of the cam lobes as possible. Add a bottle of GM EOS, pre-lube the motor with an old distributor or specific pre-lube assembly (you can use a drill to power the pre-lube assembly). Turn-off the water to the headers. Most of this is in addtion to the advice the other guys have given you.

I don't get it. How is water from the headers getting into the oil? Gotta be coming from some where else. I'd say leaking from the head gasket or the head bolts.

Without the motor running, hook up the hose and check for leaks. I've seen this before, water weeping around the head bolts.

Jerry

“Well I would like to thank everyone for the input. I guess this will just be a hard lesson learned in the long run”.Well what you got ant that hard to learn if you really get your head right about it. But I am glad your learning some lessons. Keeper going.....

This whole conversation has got my thinking all fucked up. I had a milkshake too, and I hoped to find evidence that the intake manifold gaskets were leaking. I started tearing things down, no visual signs of a water leak from the intake or the head gaskets. So I started thinking cracked head or block. Then I noticed some deep grooves in two of the cylinder walls, like the wrist pins were broken and wearing on them. But, under closer inspection the two pistons in those cylinders were slightly different than the other 6. So, I assume the pin issue has been dealt with. Which left me with the thought that maybe water is somehow coming from the grooves in the cylinder wall.



The odd thing is when I did a compression test all 8 cylinders were within 5psi of each other. I know I should replace the block anyway, but after reading this thread I'm thinking about putting it all back together. Making sure everything is sealed up the way it should be and see if I still get water in the oil or not. The budget is so f'ing tight, I'd deal with a little blow-by if I could at least get out on the water for some cruising.

Budwieser you could just put a sleve in. In the pic it almost looks like water is putting a racing stripe on your cyl walls.