Hi all,
I recently had the head gasket go bad after 6 races on this 2000 dirt track cavalier I have. It always seemed to run hot in the features. Well i figured out it was leaking water into the cylinders. After getting the head fixed back up because of being warped, I now have the head shaved a total of .80.....I put new gasket on and immediate leakage of water into oil and loss of compression all but one cylinder. Doesn't seem to be sealing in the back of motor and head. Repeated process and same exact problem....compression numbers are 30-185-10-130......I am wondering if the rear head bolts are not bottoming out and not tightening enough even though it feels like it is. Is there a total you can shave the head and have to get different bolts? The ones I am using are Fel Pro.
Maybe do a cylinder leak-down test to see where its leaking. If the water washed out cylinder 1 and 3, then maybe it took out the rings. With a cylinder leakdown test, you'll be able to hear where the air's leaking from. Just an idea.
Check the block for straightness
if your head was warped whats to say the deck on your block isn't out of wack too?
Im with dave...run studs. Expensive now but after the head comes off several times you get your money back. And of course its stronger and you dont have to worry about them bottoming out
I assume the. 80" is supposed to be. 080". Seems like a lot off the head. Are you sure your not having interference issues and the pistons are pushing the head up?
"Oil Leak ? What oil Leak ? Oh, Thats Just The Sweat From All The HorsePower!!"
Beginning to think the water I saw in the oil was from pulling the head off a few times and thinking more likle the pushrods are to long know and are holding the valves open.
...i always change oil and coolant when i pull a head to make sure i dont have contaminated fluid
You don't want to take any more than .030 off usually or you will run into a valvetrain problem with the pushrods being too long. You will need to shim the rocker arms (which is hard in the 2000's or order custom push rods. Or you can modify your lifters but that's a little more complicated.
