air bubbles in rad water.

bigd1101

bigd1101

Senior Member
So, as you all know, I'm pulling the head to replace the gasket on the 28. One thing other than the block test fluid turning a slight greenish blue after the two minute test, and NOT a yellow, I did notice what looked like effervescence tiny bubbles passing through the Gano see through filter while running. At idle the car remained cool or at safe temp of around 150 with the new Brassworks radiator. Like I have said I did suspect the head gasket (no coolant in the oil) Are those tiny bubbles part of the head gasket problem? No "Tiny bubbles in the wine" jokes....please. :o


Don
 
I have the exact same problem. Right down to the color of the fluid test. My conclusion was the same... head gasket.
 
ryanheacox said:
I have the exact same problem. Right down to the color of the fluid test. My conclusion was the same... head gasket.
Click to expand...


I'm hoping so...it wasn't yellow, it was a bluish green so not a lot of gasses in the water and no water in the oil. I'll let everyone know what I find. Maybe this weekend.





Don
 
Any idea what head gasket is on your car? My problem is on a freshly rebuilt engine with 600 miles on it...


Good luck and let us know what you find.
 
ryanheacox said:
Any idea what head gasket is on your car? My problem is on a freshly rebuilt engine with 600 miles on it...


Good luck and let us know what you find.
Click to expand...




Nope.....bought the car last year and have been chasing down this problem since. Finally decided to just pull the head. Installing a graphite gasket. Gaskets with a graphite core dissipate heat, preventing gasket burnout. They have excellent compressibility, can withstand high temperatures, and won't creep, cold-flow, or become brittle. Graphite coatings allow for gasket movement without damage.
 
Any update on how this played out? I'm going through the same issue. Brassworks radiator on a rebuilt engine. I'm running a 5:5 high compression head though. Also, my test fluid went pretty yellow.

I run pretty cool with no issues until I'm running the motor at higher RPMs, then I get overflow
 
Usually the fluid test indicates a head gasket or cracked head/block issue. At higher speeds if it is bad enough will push water out a leaky radiator cap, and or Out the overflow. It also causes the motor to overheat since teh hot exaust gas heat teh coolant. May want to try a compression test.
 
Warm it up,pull the fan belt off,and rev it up while watching it.It will still circulate by thermosyphon when warm.if you still see bubbles,it is likely something is putting gas in there.If the bubbles stop you could be pulling air in around the water pump shaft,either around the packing or through the grease fitting.I saw one making a froth out of the antifreeze,it was sucking air through the water pump.And,it wasn't even leaking.
 
Motomo

Have you checked your head nut torque since the engine was installed?
If not you might cure your issues just by re-torquing them.
I am a firm believer in checking the torque on a new rebuild multiple times until it stays put and then at least once per year afterwards.
 
1crosscut said:
Motomo

Have you checked your head nut torque since the engine was installed?
If not you might cure your issues just by re-torquing them.
I am a firm believer in checking the torque on a new rebuild multiple times until it stays put and then at least once per year afterwards.
Click to expand...

I also believe in that. When I fit a new head gasket, I start and let the engine idle till it is up to operating temp, then turn it off. Once it is completely cool again, I retorque the nuts. I retorque again at about 100 miles, then again at 500 and 1000 miles and every second oil change (I run a full flow filter so I change oil at about 1,000 miles)
 
I have seen small gas bubbles in engines with no head gasket problems. This is caused by local hot spots which boil some of the coolant releasing oxygen molecules.
 
Some of the old Brumfield high compression heads were a bit porous and allowed hot gasses to get into the cooling system and drive water out of the radiator overflow. I have known folks to purchase them at swap meets and then have trouble with them... Ernie in Arizona
 
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