Finally got my car going after a year of waiting on EVERYTHING. Got the bugs out, and was ready to tune. 14#s., no knock (better safe than sorry), 15#s, good, any way, I crept to 18 #s with a 19# spike. I was thinking. "NO way the power plate is this good, (although the car has never ran better) Saying this because gas around here is cat p!ss. SO I go home and tap around the knock sensor........... and nothing. Should have checked this first. STUPID. And believe me, I know that it worked before. Now I have bubbles in the radiator. $%@#$@#%^$#$%. We'll see what the leakdown test says tomorrow. I know what the outcome will be, for I am cursed. But I did get at least half of one hell of a hard a$$ pull out of it.
Not even broken in, but probably broke
- Thread starter disco stu
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Did you torque the knock sensor to the suggested spec? I know that they react differently if not torqued correctly, as it somehow affects their sensitivity.
I drove through Amarillo twice a week ago, to and from CO. (also paid the local DPS some donut money in Clarendon nearby
).
I was shocked to find that you are lucky if you can get even 91 octane gas there. Come to find out y'all are at around 5000 ft. elevation, which made my LS1 feel a bit like a stock Mustang, compared to living at sea level. Actually,,, I take that back. There is nothing I could do to make it feel as slow as a stock Mustang, unless I was dragging a traincar of bricks behind it.
Anyway, sorry to hear about your dilema, as it does sound like you'll be tearing back into it right away. You'll learn from this though, and probably not make the same mistake again. Based on what I saw while passing through, I think I'd keep a can of octane boost in every tank, even to go to the grocery store. Best wishes to ya'.
I drove through Amarillo twice a week ago, to and from CO. (also paid the local DPS some donut money in Clarendon nearby
). I was shocked to find that you are lucky if you can get even 91 octane gas there. Come to find out y'all are at around 5000 ft. elevation, which made my LS1 feel a bit like a stock Mustang, compared to living at sea level. Actually,,, I take that back. There is nothing I could do to make it feel as slow as a stock Mustang, unless I was dragging a traincar of bricks behind it.
Anyway, sorry to hear about your dilema, as it does sound like you'll be tearing back into it right away. You'll learn from this though, and probably not make the same mistake again. Based on what I saw while passing through, I think I'd keep a can of octane boost in every tank, even to go to the grocery store. Best wishes to ya'.
Torqued sensor to 14 ft lbs. Tapped hard enough on the back of the block to make it do SOMETHING under normal circumstances. But nothing got in the crakcase, and it didnt get hotter than 190 deg. I did a leak down today, nothing higher than 8% and no bubbles. I KNOW I have a gasket letting go, but which one is the question. Not pulling the pass. side for no reason if I don't have to. Do I have to pull the thermostat to indicate a compression leak on a leakdown test? HELP WOULD BE SORELY APPRECIATED. Hopes to have finished by monday.
I've never heard about removing the thermostat to do it. However, it has been many, many years since I've done a true leakdown test. I usually just do a compression test, pull plugs, check for bubbles in the cooling system, use a cooling system pressurizer tool, etc... (I no longer have access to a leak down tester).
Go on and pull your plugs to see if by chance they have any signs of coolant on them. I'm sure they were brand new, so it would be hard to see any sort of steam cleaning affect on them. You may also want to look for an intake gasket leak, which could give some similar characteristics of a blown hg, depending on where it blew. Of course, your saying that you already have bubbles in the radiator kinda negates that theory.
Anyone else have further ideas??? Please chime in, so Stu doesn't perform more work than necessary.
Go on and pull your plugs to see if by chance they have any signs of coolant on them. I'm sure they were brand new, so it would be hard to see any sort of steam cleaning affect on them. You may also want to look for an intake gasket leak, which could give some similar characteristics of a blown hg, depending on where it blew. Of course, your saying that you already have bubbles in the radiator kinda negates that theory.
Anyone else have further ideas??? Please chime in, so Stu doesn't perform more work than necessary.
Well, I'm baffled. Leakdown good and compression on every cylinder is right at 135 on the dot. BUT I HAVE THE DEATH BUBBLES. 
They can't be ignored. I did last time to limp home and it was mighty chocolaty. I wasn't gonna leave my car downtown in Houston. So I risked the 15 mile drive home. Costed me a build. Can the leak be so minor that it can't be picked up by testing but only by cylinder pressures? Time for the chamical test I guess. How bout some input. You guys haven't failed to help me fix anything yet . How bout some input. You guys haven't failed to help me fix anything yet .
They can't be ignored. I did last time to limp home and it was mighty chocolaty. I wasn't gonna leave my car downtown in Houston. So I risked the 15 mile drive home. Costed me a build. Can the leak be so minor that it can't be picked up by testing but only by cylinder pressures? Time for the chamical test I guess. How bout some input. You guys haven't failed to help me fix anything yet . How bout some input. You guys haven't failed to help me fix anything yet .I suggest getting a fitting to replace a spark plug that you hook up to a compressed air source. This is used alot of times to hold valves in place when swapping springs and such. Go one hole at a time and check for bubbles/escaping air. Be careful with one aspect..... the compressed air may turn the motor over so you should clamp the flexplate to prevent crankshaft motion. That is the only thing I can think of without physically pulling a head.
Well gentlemen, still at square one. Compressed each cyl. w/ air (110 #s regulated) and no bubbles, escaping air or water movement at all. Maybe the air pressure is not adequate to replicate the problem, maybe the coolant tabs contribute a soapy bubble effect. Any thoughts? I might be psyching myself out, but I was running 25 to 30 dwg. hotter than usual. Guess I will get it back together and ground spark for each cylinder again to see if I can isolate the cylinder, the last time I did nothing stood out. Help is still needed.
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How many miles were on this engine when you were doing the 14, 15 and 18 # runs? If it was lows miles, could it have been a little air left in the system just surfacing? Or was it serious bubbles gurgling up constantly? Was the car running when you pulled the radiator cap and looked in?
Scott
Scott
IrvJr, first question :about 70 miles. Second question: I pressure tested before fireup to burp system. Third: bubbles are pretty constant when hot, and very constant when when I give her a rev. And last: The car was running when I pulled the cap, and I checked it cold on a startup cap off and no bubbles. Last pressure test it dropped 1# within a minute. . I'm pretty sure what I am looking at, it's just so minor I can't narrow it down to a side. I just took it out to see if it stayed around 160 deg. which is the norm for the temp. outside, it got up to 168 putting it around a couple of blocks. Today I went to 3 parts stores Orielly, auto zone, for a chemical hydro carbon test kit, "UHHH, you mean one of these"?. No numb nuts, that tests coolant protection!
By the way, I did another pressure test on the coolant system. Tested at 17#s, dropped to 16 #s in five minutes. Is this acceptable or no? and yes, filler neck is clean for good seal.
. I'm pretty sure what I am looking at, it's just so minor I can't narrow it down to a side. I just took it out to see if it stayed around 160 deg. which is the norm for the temp. outside, it got up to 168 putting it around a couple of blocks. Today I went to 3 parts stores Orielly, auto zone, for a chemical hydro carbon test kit, "UHHH, you mean one of these"?. No numb nuts, that tests coolant protection!By the way, I did another pressure test on the coolant system. Tested at 17#s, dropped to 16 #s in five minutes. Is this acceptable or no? and yes, filler neck is clean for good seal.
Hawaiian Turbo
POWER'D BY BUD LIGHT
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Did you get around to doing the chemical test on the cooling system? I would try that to get an accurate feel of what's going on in your engine. I hope it doesn't change color during the test.... good luck!!
I would say that is acceptable on the pressure test,I normally just use it to see if there any visual leaks, because it also depends on the condition of the tester. HTH
I would say that is acceptable on the pressure test,I normally just use it to see if there any visual leaks, because it also depends on the condition of the tester. HTH
Don't you just love the rocket scientists that work at parts stores these days? Your example is prime!
When you pressurized the system, did you then pull plugs out to see if it caused any coolant to end up in the cylinders or on the plugs in general? It does sound like you may be dealing with a pinhole at the moment, but, maybe you'll see a small sign of the prob with the pressure test. The other test that detects hydrocarbons in the cooling system would be ideal, if you can convince your local parts store Einsteins what you're looking for...
blackbuick87
Senior Member
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Sounds like it is only leaking when hot. You need to do a comp test and leakdown test on the engine hot
steve hughes
Well-Known Member
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Check with Carquest or Napa for the coolant test kit.
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