Head Gasket Failure ?

[xlimited]

Hello everyone hows it going today? I got a problem with my 98 Lumina with a 3.1 V6. I got this car for free from a friend. She drove it for about two hours in the middle of winter. Had to stop half way and let it cool down alittle. The heat never warms up at all. The temperature gauge moves all over the place. There is alot of white smoke coming out of the tailpipe. The car misses at idle.(Haven't drove it around at all). The Oil is very high on the dipstick and looks alittle milky. After I shut if off after running for about 5 minutes and Opened the Radiator cap lots of air bubbles escaped to the overflow tank. She said she never overheated the car to the point of shutting off or steam or the car being in the hot range on the gauge. Just wondering if this all screams Headgasket. Thanks for your input.

[3100]

could very well be intake gasket troubles. it's not a case of if, it's a case of when with these motors and intake manifold gaskets.


i look there before i look at head gaskets. usually head gaskets won't go on these motors until the intake gaskets go first...motor overheats because of the intake leaking coolant and warps a head.

[chris_gt_74]

could very well be intake gasket troubles. it's not a case of if, it's a case of when with these motors and intake manifold gaskets.


i look there before i look at head gaskets. usually head gaskets won't go on these motors until the intake gaskets go first...motor overheats because of the intake leaking coolant and warps a head.

That's not entirely true. I had ahead gasket failure with zero lim damage. What he is describing does sound as though it could be a head gasket. Either way white smoke and misfiring is likely coolant getting into the cylinders which a head gasket leak will cause. I've never seen coolant get in to a cylinder from any lim failure I've done, which is 4. But I wouldn't rule it out as a possibility.

[pocket-rocket]

That's not entirely true. I had ahead gasket failure with zero lim damage. What he is describing does sound as though it could be a head gasket. Either way white smoke and misfiring is likely coolant getting into the cylinders which a head gasket leak will cause. I've never seen coolant get in to a cylinder from any lim failure I've done, which is 4. But I wouldn't rule it out as a possibility.

except I've done more than 4 lim jobs.

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[xlimited]

Ok thanks for your input, I'm going with the headgasket being bad also. Is there any home way to check to see if the heads are warped? I do work at a machine shop. Don't want to do this twice.

[pocket-rocket]

Ok thanks for your input, I'm going with the headgasket being bad also. Is there any home way to check to see if the heads are warped? I do work at a machine shop. Don't want to do this twice.

Machinist square diagonally across the head is how shops do it.

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[3100]

wrong cylinder head but you get the idea

[neophile_17]

No one has said it explicitly but do the head gaskets while you're in there. The price difference is small and even if the lower intake is the cause, the head gaskets could be collateral damage.

~sam

[xlimited]

Starting the project tomorrow, Going to check the Heads my self with a straight edge and a feeler gauge. Hope there not warped at all. Do you have any tips on this job? I've done a head gasket before just looking for things to watch out for or things that have tricks. Thanks for the responses and help.

[3100]

have you ever had one of these motors apart before? they use unequal length pushrods, the intake is short and the exhaust is long and they're not in the same order. keep them all in the right order and make sure they go back to the right cylinders.



don't unbolt the throttle body from the upper plenum if you don't need to...just remove the plenum from the lower manifold. also you shouldn't need to remove the fuel rail from the lower manifold, just disconnect if at all possible.

[xlimited]

No never had this style motor apart, Ok don't remove fuel rail just disconnect.

[3400-95-Modified]

You will probably find the head surface to be uneven... it almost always warps on the ends since they are very close to the exhaust ports.

As you can see in this photo its where my head gasket failed once before as well. Uneven head surface lessens the clamping force right on that end of the head where there isn't much material next to the water jacket and then just causes a leak.

[xlimited]

Did you put your car back together even with the uneven head? Or did you get them machined?

[xlimited]

does any one have the bolt pattern for the head bolts and Intake bolts on the order you should tighten them? Corner to corner Center out and how many lbs for this thank you?

[pocket-rocket]

It is center out.

45n-m +90° or 33 lbs-ft+90°

Torque sequence and specs (couldn't find the article on the site anymore).

http://60degreev6.com/forum/showthread.php/47003-Revised-manifold-bolt-torque

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