Dang 2.6 over heated today!

[Law Dog]

2 years on the motor new A/C size radiator new hoses and thermostat to avoid this problem! I swapped out the trans last week never messed with a water hose of any kind so not sure what the issue was.

I moved a 7 foot bed around so I could power wash the frame on my $100 special before I painted it. Went and shut off the truck and it was trying to boil over 9it had been sitting and running. I let it cool and filled the radiator with 50/50 antifreeze it took about 3/4 of a gallon not sure where the antifreeze went that was in there. Oil stick looked good no antifreeze on it. The last thing I want to do is to overheat a 2.6 motor any.

Will look into it tomorrow and see what I can find.

[Law Dog]

Went to collect some prairie dog specimens for a collage in MI drove about 10 miles no problem I got to the place and looked the engine over. I could see water dripping from under the intake manifold, am guessing it's the head gasket or it could be the intake maybe but my money is on the head gasket! The 2.6 claim to fame with a new $600 head in it I'd hate to keep over heating it once was enough. Been waiting on a head stud kit for over a month now should be here any day they keep saying! LOL

[Law Dog]

Anybody ever go to all copper gaskets pros and cons?

[geezer101]

Check the intake manifold - the gasket and the plenum base plate underneath the manifold. They can actually corrode out from chucks of iron from the blocks' cooling galleries finding their way into there. It was a common problem with G63B's.

[Law Dog]

I have a few other manifolds I hope that's the issue that motor only has a couple of years on it! I have plans for that one in the shop but I will need the 4X4 in Nov for trapping season. Any experience with the all copper gaskets if better I'd put one on the DD truck then.

[pennyman1]

the copper gaskets I have seen for g54b 2.6 motors are the head saver gaskets for overly shaved heads, they will lower compression slightly on a stock thickness head.

[Law Dog]

Thanks I just wondering why they never came up a fix for the problem I have been waiting for over a month for the stud kit I'm putting on the new motor will see if that helps. Will tear into it tomorrow and see what I'm dealing with it's tough to see where the drip is coming from right now!

[geezer101]

I think the main issue with manifolds getting eaten out was lack of maintenance (changing coolant and flushing engines out etc). I noticed with the G63B manifold I sent off to get repaired that there are a number of fins that act like baffles in the plenum, and the return port that connects into the thermostat housing is really restrictive (you might be able to pass a HB pencil through it - barely). The plenum base is welded in and this is what seems to corrode as junk from the block settles in there and can't get out. I ground out the welded cover and supplied my own replacement cover for the shop to weld in for me. Among other mods I've made I ran a big ass drill bit through the coolant return port to improve flow (think it was an 8mm, but I did it after the cover was ground out as not to leave any metal chunks from drilling in there floating around)

[Law Dog]

Will tear into it today I need that truck it's my workhorse!

[dash]

seen quite a few 2.0 starion intakes need to b welded at that plate under the plenum. Surprisingly too common
Can't recall if the 2.6 plagued with it also

the cheap felpro 8770(vs more costly 9116) hold up on 20+psi starions. Copper bad news on starions
Dunno what more than a 8770 you'd need for normally aspirated ...or even head studs

[Law Dog]

Got the carb off and was called into work a road trip to the happy house so will try to get it tore down tomorrow!

[Law Dog]

19474My helper today! "Red"

Pulled it down the rest of the way I noticed water at the base of the carb the manifold was clean where the water was forming at the bottom of the Weber base plates and water was in the intake also. The Redline base had a loose tapered bolt on the one corner, pulled that off and a water jacket was right there under it. Scraped the surfaces and put Loctite on the bolts when I put it back together and it's good now.

[85Ram50]

That's why Weber tells you to drain the coolant level below the bottom of the carb before removing it. I almost had a bad thing happen once. :)

[Law Dog]

Lucky it was a small leak some ran down the intake and some went into the intake just glad I found it when I did the bolts run through the plate so the back of the threads were covered in dirt/grease and did not come out that easy but that one was loose.

[85Ram50]

You reminded me I need to put a nut on the bottom of that front bolt out on the dog leg. It gets snug but it don't get tight it keeps spinning! I put sealant on there but I bet its sucking air or worse when I'm driving.
EDIT- took out the bolt and went to get a new one. I got one longer than the two pieces and a locking nut, and one the same size, The existing bolt had stripped threads up about 1/8th from the end. That appears to have been the problem since the one that was the same size screwed in and tightened properly. I also took the time to regap the plugs to .040-.041 They were all less than the .032 I thought I had them set at.

[geezer101]

That's why Weber tells you to drain the coolant level below the bottom of the carb before removing it. I almost had a bad thing happen once. :)

Everyone who pulls a carb for the first time gets coolant backing up through the manifold. It's a rite of passage...

[Law Dog]

Fired it up moved a trailer with a truck bed on it and noticed the cap was leaking water I noticed the over flow cap was not snapped on tight so I switched out radiator caps and snapped the overflow cap tight. I revved it with the cap off the radiator no pressure coming out that way.

That's where it was seeping into the manifold the level was low enough not a lot got in from taking off the carb! LOL Just seen the mix of gas/water that made that area the problem.

[Law Dog]

Took a 20 mile drive and back still pushing antifreeze out the radiator cap when I check it but not over heating looks like a head gasket maybe.