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gordon gibson

New member
Oct 3, 2012
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Hello all,

Once again, thanks for the comments and suggestions. A couple of more questions if I may. I still haven't managed to locate a garage willing to
work on my "white smoke problem". Several have indicated that they would be willing to take a look in January when their bread and butter business
slows down a little.
Question 1: how long I have before facing serious rust resulting from what is probably a little anti freeze leaking into one or several combustion
chambers. Are we talking months here....or weeks....or days? If it's days, I may already be too late.
Question 2: Should I be starting the engine regularly to keep things oiled, or does that worsen the problem since I may be drawing more antifreeze
into the combustion chamber(s)?
Question 3: bdub suggested putting in some Bars Leaks and making a run to Bluevale. I'll admit this is a tempting option, but what are the chances of
a can of this stuff actually temporarily stopping/slowing the lead enough to drive 500 + miles? And don't I run the risk of permanently gumming up
the radiator, heater core and coolant passages in the engine block? i.e. Would this cure possibly be worse than the illness?

Frank from Borrmann's garage has suggested getting a radiator pressure tester kit, pressurizing the system, looking for a pressure drop then pulling
spark plugs to see which cylinders are affected. It's supposed to warm up to just a few degrees below freezing on the weekend, so this is how I may
be spending the day before Christmas....
--
Gordon Gibson
1976 23" Norris Upfit
Montreal West, Quebec, Canada
 
Gordon

I have a pressure tester you can borrow but there is a catch...I won't be
home until the middle of February. If you aren't in a rush, it's available
to you for shipping costs both ways but knowing Canada Post, that's not
really an attractive deal...

50 years ago I learned you can't find a mechanic in a can BUT I have no
experience with Bars. If the leak is limited to the cylinder (ie head
gasket) you may be all right, but if the antifreeze is in the oil, you will
soon have a boat anchor as the bearings will be toast.

Borrow a leak tester now or wait until I get back. Good luck

Mike currently in NM

On Wed, Dec 20, 2017 at 11:36 AM, Gordon Gibson
wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> Once again, thanks for the comments and suggestions. A couple of more
> questions if I may. I still haven't managed to locate a garage willing to
> work on my "white smoke problem". Several have indicated that they would
> be willing to take a look in January when their bread and butter business
> slows down a little.
> Question 1: how long I have before facing serious rust resulting from what
> is probably a little anti freeze leaking into one or several combustion
> chambers. Are we talking months here....or weeks....or days? If it's
> days, I may already be too late.
> Question 2: Should I be starting the engine regularly to keep things
> oiled, or does that worsen the problem since I may be drawing more
> antifreeze
> into the combustion chamber(s)?
> Question 3: bdub suggested putting in some Bars Leaks and making a run to
> Bluevale. I'll admit this is a tempting option, but what are the chances of
> a can of this stuff actually temporarily stopping/slowing the lead enough
> to drive 500 + miles? And don't I run the risk of permanently gumming up
> the radiator, heater core and coolant passages in the engine block? i.e.
> Would this cure possibly be worse than the illness?
>
> Frank from Borrmann's garage has suggested getting a radiator pressure
> tester kit, pressurizing the system, looking for a pressure drop then
> pulling
> spark plugs to see which cylinders are affected. It's supposed to warm up
> to just a few degrees below freezing on the weekend, so this is how I may
> be spending the day before Christmas....
> --
> Gordon Gibson
> 1976 23" Norris Upfit
> Montreal West, Quebec, Canada
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

--
Michael Beaton
1977 Kingsley 26-11
1977 Eleganza II 26-3
Antigonish, NS

Life is too short to hold a grudge; slash some tires and call it even !
 
I too agree about buying a mechanic in a can. BUT. I had a heater core start leaking on a trip. The stop leak got me home to fix it there. I know of 3 GMC owners that had their transmissions quit. TransX got them home. I know of 2 others that the TransX didn't help. So what. I'd go with the stop leak. All you have to loss is $6. And might keep you from going out into the cold. We're at 11 for a high, and -10 for a low next week. I get that issue. But the cold keeps the rift/raft out. Bob Dunahugh Iowa
 
> Hello all,
>
> Once again, thanks for the comments and suggestions. A couple of more questions if I may. I still haven't managed to locate a garage willing to
> work on my "white smoke problem". Several have indicated that they would be willing to take a look in January when their bread and butter business
> slows down a little.
> Question 1: how long I have before facing serious rust resulting from what is probably a little anti freeze leaking into one or several combustion
> chambers. Are we talking months here....or weeks....or days? If it's days, I may already be too late.
> Question 2: Should I be starting the engine regularly to keep things oiled, or does that worsen the problem since I may be drawing more
> antifreeze into the combustion chamber(s)?
> Question 3: bdub suggested putting in some Bars Leaks and making a run to Bluevale. I'll admit this is a tempting option, but what are the chances
> of a can of this stuff actually temporarily stopping/slowing the lead enough to drive 500 + miles? And don't I run the risk of permanently gumming
> up the radiator, heater core and coolant passages in the engine block? i.e. Would this cure possibly be worse than the illness?
>
> Frank from Borrmann's garage has suggested getting a radiator pressure tester kit, pressurizing the system, looking for a pressure drop then
> pulling spark plugs to see which cylinders are affected. It's supposed to warm up to just a few degrees below freezing on the weekend, so this is
> how I may be spending the day before Christmas....

Gordon,

I have been following your thread and hoping this would get closed, but I guess I have to jump in.....

If you are actually loosing coolant and can't see where and/or the engine is smoking more than you like, there is a even bet that you have an internal
coolant leak. Mine was identified by the oil analysis and a doping of Bar's Leaks didn't fix it. So, my engine is coming out this winter.

There are three real good possibilities for such leaks.
A cylinder head gasket is a very common issue. More common in cold climates and even more if the engine is short cycled.
An intake gasket has coolant ports that can leak coolant into the lube oil. Said coolant will (mostly) come out of the lube oil when the engine gets
to temperature. That vapor will get sucked into the intake system but the PCV system.
A third that I almost hate to bring up is a cracked cylinder head. Unfortunately, this is not a rare failure in the Olds 455.

What I would do if I were you and you are where it is cold (Quebec is even colder that Michigan) and the engine may not opened up for a while, is
"Fog" the engine. Talk to some boat people. This is just an easy way to oil the bores and other bare metal internal parts to prevent corrosion. If
you can't manage that, at least pull the plugs and squirt oil in to prevent damage.

And yes, as KenB said, changing out a modulator is simple, but do it when the transmission has just been shut down because it is at the running level
of the fluid.

Matt

--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
Ya know,, when ya run that time Ronco time machine and the Mr Fusion at the same time you can accidentally cross into the next dimension...relax, it's
only temporary.
--
Terry Kelpien

ASE Master Technician

73 Glacier 260

Smithfield, Va.
 
> Ya know,, when ya run that time Ronco time machine and the Mr Fusion at the same time you can accidentally cross into the next dimension...relax,
> it's only temporary.

Ha Ha! I'm not sure how some of these old threads get resurrected all of a sudden. Must be a quirk of the Email system vs the Forum. It's happened
a couple of times lately.

--
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles,
Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
 
Mike, thanks for the offer but I have to get this taken care of sooner rather than later. So far I haven't gotten any nasty notes through the door,
but a visit from the local constabulary informing me of my violation of municipal regulations can't be too far off.... Matt - my guestimate
diagnosis matches yours - I missed your string from this summer about the same subject but found it doing a search of this site on cylinder heads.
What did you end up doing finally - engine out or just the heads? And what did you end up finding?

I've found a garage with big bays about 40 miles away that will accommodate me, and am booked in on January 3rd. I've got my fingers crossed hoping
for a head gasket problem rather than a cracked head. Just in case I've been looking around for "J" heads, but haven't located any so far. Hopefully
I won't need them.......

Merry Christmas to you all!
--
Gordon Gibson
1976 23" Norris Upfit
Montreal West, Quebec, Canada
 
> Mike, thanks for the offer but I have to get this taken care of sooner rather than later. So far I haven't gotten any nasty notes through the
> door, but a visit from the local constabulary informing me of my violation of municipal regulations can't be too far off.... Matt - my guestimate
> diagnosis matches yours - I missed your string from this summer about the same subject but found it doing a search of this site on cylinder heads.
> What did you end up doing finally - engine out or just the heads? And what did you end up finding?
>
> I've found a garage with big bays about 40 miles away that will accommodate me, and am booked in on January 3rd. I've got my fingers crossed
> hoping for a head gasket problem rather than a cracked head. Just in case I've been looking around for "J" heads, but haven't located any so far.
> Hopefully I won't need them.......
>
> Merry Christmas to you all!

Gordon,

I don't have mine open yet. There were other demands on my time and after talking to Dave Lenzi I decided to pull the front frame out the front. I
have enough room to do that. I could have pulled it out the top. As with a 23, that is not so tough. But the refit of the front dress sounds a
whole lot like a "ship in a bottle" that I don't have the patience for. I did manage to acquire access to both a pair of G and a pair of J heads.
(They were still bolted to engines. Part of my hold up.) Both of which look good to a visual inspection. (My visual inspections are pretty good, but
can't beat magnetic particle.) I am hoping to pull the frame out just after the new year.

Keep us posted..

Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
Gordon,
Did you try contacting Marcus?
I recall that he may of had a set of heads available, fully rebuilt, just needing re-assembly. He may have sold them though. Worth a try if you need them.

Les Burt
Montreal
'75 Eleganza 26'

>

>> Mike, thanks for the offer but I have to get this taken care of sooner rather than later. So far I haven't gotten any nasty notes through the
>> door, but a visit from the local constabulary informing me of my violation of municipal regulations can't be too far off.... Matt - my guestimate
>> diagnosis matches yours - I missed your string from this summer about the same subject but found it doing a search of this site on cylinder heads.
>> What did you end up doing finally - engine out or just the heads? And what did you end up finding?
>>
>> I've found a garage with big bays about 40 miles away that will accommodate me, and am booked in on January 3rd. I've got my fingers crossed
>> hoping for a head gasket problem rather than a cracked head. Just in case I've been looking around for "J" heads, but haven't located any so far.
>> Hopefully I won't need them.......
>>
>> Merry Christmas to you all!
>
> Gordon,
>
> I don't have mine open yet. There were other demands on my time and after talking to Dave Lenzi I decided to pull the front frame out the front. I
> have enough room to do that. I could have pulled it out the top. As with a 23, that is not so tough. But the refit of the front dress sounds a
> whole lot like a "ship in a bottle" that I don't have the patience for. I did manage to acquire access to both a pair of G and a pair of J heads.
> (They were still bolted to engines. Part of my hold up.) Both of which look good to a visual inspection. (My visual inspections are pretty good, but
> can't beat magnetic particle.) I am hoping to pull the frame out just after the new year.
>
> Keep us posted..
>
> Matt
> --
> Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
> Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
> OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
> SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
 
Les

Marcus??? Memory failing because of advancing age, but is this the guy in Rochester you referred me to about a year ago. If so, I did meet with
him, bought two gas tanks from him that we removed from a coach parked in a field, as well as a set of Alcoas.

Really nice guy and I really appreciated the referral - if I have it right, please let me know and I will be in touch with him right away....

Much thanks

Gordon
--
Gordon Gibson
1976 23" Norris Upfit
Montreal West, Quebec, Canada
 
Gordon,
Yes. Marcus McGee in Rochester.

I have no idea what he has remaining in engine parts now. I do know that a while back he did have some heads, cranks, Rods, etc. Most of it had been cleaned, magnafluxed, and reworked, ready to re-assemble. He had some of it listed on eBay, but I can't recall what sold. Might be worth the phone call to check.

Les Burt
Montreal
'75 Eleganza 26'

>
> Les
>
> Marcus??? Memory failing because of advancing age, but is this the guy in Rochester you referred me to about a year ago. If so, I did meet with
> him, bought two gas tanks from him that we removed from a coach parked in a field, as well as a set of Alcoas.
>
> Really nice guy and I really appreciated the referral - if I have it right, please let me know and I will be in touch with him right away....
>
> Much thanks
>
> Gordon
> --
> Gordon Gibson
> 1976 23" Norris Upfit
> Montreal West, Quebec, Canada
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
 
Dan,
If I was in MI in the winter, Lucky you if you are! I would buy them for the spare I am building ASAP.

J.R. Wright
GMC GreatLakerTech Editor
78 Buskirk 30' Stretch
75 Avion Under Reconstruction
Michigan

>
> I don't know if this helps, but I found this on Detroit Craigslist:
>
>
> https://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/pts/d/olds-455-cylinder-heads/6419585300.html
>
>
> --
> Dan Wallace
> Detroit Metro
> 1974 Canyon Lands 260
> Headers, 3.55, 16"
> Floor plan 26-9
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
 
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