[70MAN]

I'll try to explain this as best as possible. If your looking down at the small head stud which is between the # 5 and 7 spark plugs and you have the nut and washer off I'm getting coolant seaping through the aluminum at the 7 to 8 o'clock position where the washer would be sitting. I visually saw this. It's not coming up from the head stud. I pulled the stud out of the block and the hole is completely dry all the way down to the bottom. I just reinstalled the heads and there all torqued down. After filling the Rad and block with coolant it's almost an immediate seap from the area described. I know this can't be good any recommendations out there. Is there some type of sealer additive I can add to the coolant to seal this up.
Thanks Donald

[Ron H]

Have you contacted KRE about this? Can you take a picture?

[dyingbreed]

I'm going to give all members a fair warning before you reply; THIS HAD BETTER NOT TURN INTO A KRE BASHING THREAD. All questions to help 70Man with his problems are welcome. You may also post any "FIRST-HAND" experience that you've had with this same issue. Keep any replies directly associated to this topic.

Thanks,
db

[70MAN]

I've had these for 2 years now and I really don't want to get KRE involved with this. I've had other issue's with these heads and thats all I'm going to say about it.
I need help with the problem at hand. Will some kind of sealer work if I put it in the coolant or will I have to try and excavate out some material and get that small area tig welded back up and remachine the surface the washer sits on.

[triathlonx13]

Is it a new build start up motor? Does it continue while running ? Get worse or less? How much water is leaking out... a stream, weeping, wet?

How high is your radiator and top radiator hole outlet in regards to the head?

High Port or D-Port

.

[scott cedergren]

There use to be some stuff called water glass that you could by at a pharmacy, that name is a slang term for it. I think it was called silicone silicit (sp) or some thing close to that. If you talk to an old time pharmacist they will know what it is. You have to drain all the antifreeze out of the block and run only water with it and it will plug a serious leak. It will seep out and crystalize when it hits the air. I had a rad that leaked and it fixed it in no time, and I have seen it fix bad head gaskets. GOOD LUCK!

[70MAN]

It's not a new build. I didn't want to start it yet until I got some input on this.

[Big Injun]

You can run the Moroso sealer in the heads like we used to do in the cast iron heads when rust pockets caused leaks in the ports.

I made an aluminum plate that I bolted to the deck with a rubber gasket. I put plugs in to seal the water crossover/heater nipple with one having an air fitting. Filled with sealer, presurized to 20 psi and let sit overnight. Relieved the pressure and emptied the sealer.

[70MAN]

I should mention that I'm using Evans NPG coolant,and have been for several years,even before going to aluminum heads.

[70MAN]

They are the regular D-port head,and it's a very small weep. This is happening with just the coolant sitting in the block and heads. Like I posted earlier I visually saw this happen and prior to investigating the problem I twice saw a single drop of coolant hanging on the edge of the head. It was that drop that lead me to check things out further.

[455firebird1969]

When I installed my aluminum heads for the first time I had a leaky head gasket...

The block surface was fine, the heads were fine and the gaskets were new cometic's...

I put in some "silver sealer" from the local auto parts store, designed for aluminum heads and/or blocks...

Tha leak sealed up fine, have been running this way for over a year and hundreds of passes...

[71 Ventura II]

Originally Posted by 70MAN

I should mention that I'm using Evans NPG coolant,and have been for several years,even before going to aluminum heads.

I'm not familiar with the Evans NPG coolant, but if it isn't compatable it could eat aluminum like the GM dex cool does.

I'm still trying to fiugure out if the leak is a crack or a hole from corrosion. To repair it right the head needs to come off and the cause repaired. Sorry to hear the bad luck, I know it sucks. JD

[triathlonx13]

Originally Posted by 71 Ventura II

I'm not familiar with the Evans NPG coolant, but if it isn't compatable it could eat aluminum like the GM dex cool does.

I'm still trying to fiugure out if the leak is a crack or a hole from corrosion. To repair it right the head needs to come off and the cause repaired. Sorry to hear the bad luck, I know it sucks. JD

What coolant should can be used? I use straight water. I thought DEX WAS aluminum friendly??

.

[70MAN]

It's a little hard to see, even using a mirror and flashlight. I guess If I have to pull the head I would try and blank off the bottom with a sheet of aluminum and rubber gasket and then fill with the coolant I'm using and pressurize the head with some low psi air to really get a good look at it. But I'm not at the point where I want to pull the head just yet.
Thanks Donald

[mike nixon]

dexcool's not even freindly with itself after a period of time.........


is your leak thru the threads or thru the casting? if it's thru the stud threads unscrew the stud and use thread sealer on it.

if it's thru the head i'd pull it and have it repaired.

mike

[440GP69]

Dexcool works mixed with distilled water, it's made for newer cars that have lots of electricity running through them as because it guards against electrolisis better than green

[BVR421]

SilverSeal or Barsleak will usually seal a weep or drip. Never used the Moroso product, heard its good too. FWIW, I believe every new car that leaves the factory anymore has a tube of stopleak poured in.
If I were having to deal with what you describe I would try the stopleak first. Nothing to lose doing that.
A friend sprung a couple serious leaks in his work car a couple months ago after rearending a truck. Put in one tube of SilverSeal and he still hasnt installed new rad because the old one is still drip free.

[Jagtec1]

If it were not on the head stud/bolt washer surface (That's where it is, the way I'm reading it), I'd try to sit a ball peen hammer on it and hit it to peen the hole closed. I have fixed some leaks that way on a few Jaguars that have come thru with porous castings on various intake components.

If it is indeed on the washer surface, you might try some type of sealer...however the proper way would be to pull the head and have it welded.

[LiL Jack]

I had the same problem with an old set of E-heads. I had to pull the head and have it welded and that fixed the problem for good!

good luck!

[71 Ventura II]

Originally Posted by triathlonx13

What coolant should can be used? I use straight water. I thought DEX WAS aluminum friendly??

.

I found out about the issue when we had our old 99 Chevy Tahoe. Not only will it cause the factory intake gasket to fail (Not sure how it's just a service bulletin) but eats aluminum. On our Tahoe, the Vortec 350 has "quick disconnect" fittings from the intake to the heater hoses. The Dex Cool ate through the aluminum fitting from the inside out! I called my mechanic friend and he thought it was funny, said GM and Dex Cool bring him a lot of business. It was a huge pain in the rear to clean all the aluminum threads of the broken quick connect fitting out of the intake because it broke off flush. Long/short I took it in to the shop and power flushed the entire cooling system including front/rear heater cores, radiator, everything. This was before the new "Yellow" mixes with anything coolant so we just went back with the regular green stuff. Never had another issue until the fuel pump went out at 70,000 miles! JD