Thanks Rick,
Good information there...I might not need to worry about it. I started the
GMC today and had
no smoke. I think I had a little water in the
cylinders when I removed the Heads.
Take Care,
Rob Teed 74 Painted Desert
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-gmcmotorhome
> [mailto
wner-gmcmotorhome]On Behalf Of
> RickStapls
> Sent: Sunday, March 28, 1999 2:15 PM
> To: gmcmotorhome
> Subject: Re: GMC: Bad Head Gasket
>
>
>
> > Could be a water leak in the
> > head gasket or intake manifold. How can I tell where it might
> be? Which
> > side? Intake? Help...Any Ideas.
>
> Rob,
> First pull all the plugs and inspect them. The plug(s) from leaking
> cylinder(s) will usually look extra clean, almost like new. (In
> an extreme
> case they may come out wet.) If 2 adjacent cylinders show
> evidence of water
> leaking, you probably have a blown head gasket between them.
> To further narrow things down, turn the engine so the
> offending cylinder's
> valves are closed (ie, at TDC on compression, distributor rotor
> pointing to
> that cylinder's plug wire). Now, beg, borrow, or rent a cooling system
> pressure tester that attaches in place of your radiator cap.
> With the cooling
> system full, pump it up to 9 psi or so (the specified pressure for our
> systems), and check the spark plug holes (plugs still out). If coolant
> dribbles from the suspect cylinder, you almost certainly have a
> head gasket
> leak, If it runs out of a lower (or next lowest if you're
> checking the very
> back of the engine) cylinder, you may have an intake manifold leak.
> When you tear it down for repair, don't forget to find out WHY
> it happened.
> Be sure to check the head for cracks and warpage. If you don't
> find obvious
> damage to the head gasket, have the head pressure tested for
> cracks. Worst
> case could be a cracked cylinder wall, but that is vanishingly rare.
> BTW, don't overlook the possibility that a blown transmission
> modulator is
> sucking ATF into the intake, causing clouds of white smoke. This
> is suspect
> if the radiator is still full and the trans. is low. ;-)
> HTH.
>
> Rick Staples
> '75 Eleganza
> Louisville, CO
>
