Nah.... that's all done, but family begins to show up any minute.... I'm told it would be crude to have grimy hands and britches, ya know. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Frank

aint he got a team of reindeer to pull that thing?

oh wait, that's a different story

I was taught to use a copper sealer on metal gaskets, but that was pre multi layer, with copper head gaskets. You could stop a leak with a retorque, but it would come back without a sealer. only used it around passages, not at the cylinder holes.

I remember the techs at the original Mitsu dealership here told me that they installed MLS gaskets with a GM sealant that was made from peanut or soy derivative.... apparently the fiber helped the seal.

Frank

The gaskets do have a light print seal coating, but they are designed for smooth surfaces.

Two oil leaks identified:

One leak was at the oil filter adapter and was a mounting bolt for the adapter - the bolt had torqued up to spec in the block without seating against the adapter flange - either the bolt is too long or the block threads are not tapped deeply enough in the Diamante block.... it's now tightened and not leaking, but I'll want to remove the P/S bracket and filter adapter to retap that hole or change bolts.

With the leaking bolt above I couldn't tell if the thermostatic valve was leaking or not - so I replaced it with the original plug and washer until I can get some sort of seal washer for the valve - or I'll try it again without a washer after I'm certain the other leaks are fixed.

The other oil leak is from the bottom of the MLS head gasket at the rear of the engine - passenger side..... dripping on the starter shield.

Both main seals appear to be dry. So, the good news is the engine doesn't have to come out. The bad news is I'll want to replace the head gaskets with the OE composition ones that came in the rebuild package.

Since I had the heads and decks surfaced.... AND used head studs torqued to the equivalent of 110 lb-ft (oiled), this will probably be the first and last time I use MLS head gaskets. Before I installed them, I asked the machinist if he recommended Copper Spray-a-Gasket (I've heard it works).... he insisted the finish was fine for the gaskets and said to install them dry, so I did. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" />

I guess my work is pre-planned for tomorrow. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Frank

Check your head studs to ensure the nuts have not run down and bottomed on the threads. This is more common than you think. It is common to need to double up the washers with ARP studs. Personally I would pull the studs and try a session with the stock head bolts and see if that cures the leak.

That's a good idea - I think I'll measure the exposed thread length on the passenger side, pull the head and see if the length is too long. I don't think so, because I carefully watched the nuts rotate into torque spec to make sure they were still turning smoothly - but it's possible. It's also possible that a re-torque would work, but I'd hate to do that and have to strip it down again.

I have to admit that I didn't measure the stud threaded length on every stud - I think I did look to see that there was thread exposed all the way down to the head before putting the washers on the studs...... but I may not have checked every stud.

Frank

I've had the best luck and the most anecdotal good references on Kopper-Koat and Indian Head copper based gasket sealants. I've also heard that Hylomar (DuPont, I think) is very good, but have not personally used it. I talked to a good engine builder the other day about Frank's engine leaks, and he said that he had bad experiences with MLS gaskets, and had gone back to recommending solid copper head gaskets and steel block Oringing (cylinder bores only) on forced induction engines. I think Summit still sells copper head gaskets. And Hylomar...

Yikes! Sometimes it's a good thing to have to tear down an engine..... you can find things you don't expect...... like the rest of the story on the wandering timing cover bolt. When I pulled off the cover, I found this mess:



You can see where the timing belt has been rubbing against the passenger side of the water pump and against a bolt head, shaving the belt edge. Since I bought that belt on a Sunday from AutoZone, my first thought was that it was too wide...... nope. Then I checked the tensioner face alignment and found it angled slightly upward - which leads the belt toward the rear. This was another result of the bolt jamming and breaking the belt..... a lot of force.

I can't tell if the oil pump body or tensioner is bent, but at least one of them sure is. I did remove the bolt and checked it when I replaced the belt.... it's straight..... so, it's reasonable to assume that the oil pump housing is bent where the tensioner is mounted.

To be safe, I think I'll replace the oil pump and tensioner.

Wow! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> Lots of lessons learned on this one.

Frank