have i blown out the head gasket?

[bricktron]

i was driving around town with no wastegate hose while i waited to get the fitting. now i have white smoke, a reluctant start, and i had to top up the coolant. head gasket, right? i read 01-415 and i don't think i want to try to do it by myself on the street for the first time. i would like some feedback before i take it in for what is undoubtedly not a cheap job.

i left more detail in another thread that got no replies, so this one is briefer!

[greazzer]

Does the oil look like a frothy milkshake ?

If you are losing coolant, and there are no visible signs of it anywhere, then it has to be going "somewhere". I remember reading a very long, long thread about MB diesel blown headgasket symptons and issues. They are apparently not like a "regular" gas engine in that once it goes, it goes ... e.g., smoke, milkshake like oil, et cet. Those signes are super clear cut.

Rather, one person noticed white smoke which was apparently steam while only going uphill. Another person had some sort of werido issues with a blown headgasket, e.g., only on start up but once it got "hot", it was OK, and the lists goes on. I wish I could remember where in the heck I saw that thread.

BTW -- how much coolant are you losing? A thimble full ? OR, are you adding a quart per small trip to the store ?

[engatwork]

i was driving around town with no wastegate hose

How did it run during this time?

[bricktron]

thanks for chiming in folks. i went for another short drive to test these questions; engine temperature never exceeded 125F (?!).


mark: at the dipstick the oil appears normal. can't tell how much coolant i lost because i got a parking space on a different slope on my return. the coolant appeared much darker than before, though.

jim: it has run smoothly but weakly the whole time. the mechanic who swapped in the 617 delivered to me a running car, but not a well-running car. i was about to install a boost gauge before all this happened to help tell what was up, but now it seems i have a more pressing problem to attend to.

[bricktron]

i take it back about the coolant looking dark. i spilled some of it checking (that slope again) and it looked normal. maybe just the reservoir is dirty... i didn't remember it being that dirty.

[raeuspius]

Originally Posted by bricktron

i take it back about the coolant looking dark. i spilled some of it checking (that slope again) and it looked normal. maybe just the reservoir is dirty... i didn't remember it being that dirty.

I had an over heating issue and thought the water pump had failed. Long story short, the water pump was tight in turning with out any play. Between the cylinder head and connecting to the coolant circulation housing the water p0ump presses into, there is a 1/4 tube with banjo fittings on it. It was severely clogged and had prevented bleeding or burping of air that is to return and escape through the hose atop of the radiator into the recovery / expansion reservoir. Memory serves me correct it is a 13mm or a 12mm deep socket I used to remove each flow bolt. You may find it blocked as well.

[bricktron]

i drove it again and coolant loss is slow but the smoke (and/or steam) is unabated. i am going to ask the mechanic who did the swap to give me a break on the gasket job because it seems that it blew it out due to his failure to properly connect the wastegate (when i got it there was a hose between WG and the ARV, which i knew was wrong but i mistook the WG port for EGR.)

PS anyone know why turbos are or were designed with external wastegate control hoses? couldn't a permanent molded part of the turbo housing have taken care of this feature?


raeuspius thanks for the tip, i will look again for that.

[DeliveryValve]

Yikes, that does not sound good. I would definitely check the gasket using this tool.

Super price on UView 560000 at ToolTopia.com

Video of how to use it. Dude is kind of annoying though..
How To Tell If Your Head Gasket Is Blown - YouTube



.

[bricktron]

thanks richard, i didn't know that tool existed. mr. kilmer seems overly enthusiastic, doesn't he? after determining that my neighborhood shop had only a rental one labeled "for gas engine only" i ordered myself the kit. will post results here when i have them.

[bricktron]

today i tried the leak test kit. the liquid is supposed to turn different colors when coolant becomes contaminated with either gas or diesel. what they had for rent at the nearby shop only worked for gas. the instructions refer to detecting CO2 but there must be something else in there too.

i seated the tool in the filler neck of the expansion tank and pumped the bulb a good number of times. the only problem was, after giving it a few pumps, the little vacuum in the tank left the rubber bulb compressed; i'd have to break the seal at the filler neck and let in more fresh air.

anyway, during this test, with the engine running, i did not detect any contaminants. the test liquid remained blue.

i did find a few drops of black oil in my tailpipe, though, so i am back to suspecting the turbocharger. i guess opening it up to check out the wastegate is first, then rebuilding, or having rebuilt, the whole device.

[DeliveryValve]

Well that seems like a good sign for a healthy gasket. But I would make sure the fluid is compatable by drawing in exhaust fumes from the tail pipe. It should turn color from there, if not, then the gas version it is not compatible with diesel.



.

[bricktron]

sorry, i see that my post was misleading. i didn't rent the gas-only one, i bought the one that works for both fuels.

[bricktron]

tried it in the tailpipe: the liquid did turn green. i also perceived the excessive smoke for the first time as bluish. as the tailpipe continues to be oily i think the head gasket theory was a dead end, now focusing on a leak inside the turbo.

[Simpler=Better]

The turbo can be rebuilt fairly easily, but it's going to need to be balanced by a shop after repairing

[jbach36]

If your gasket is messed up, your exhaust will smell a bit sweet with anti-freeze.