Fresh build issues?

burly

burly

Senior Member
Hey guys, freshly built 59 block, 3 & 5/16, merc crank, potvin 3/8 cam, new Edelbrock heads. Fired up fine. Good oil pressure. Left side 160 degrees. Right side 180 degrees and climbing fairly fast. Won't idle. The Longer it ran the rougher it seemed to get. Valvetrain seemed slightly noisier on right side. Shut her down after a couple minutes. Head Seeping coolant on right side. Any ideas greatly appreciated? Thanks fellas!
 
The seepage may stop after you torque the head bolts a few times. Check compression and hook up a vacuum gauge. Got to start somewhere. What carb are you running?
 
Did you have the block decked to insure a good gasket seal? Are the heads new, or swap meet parts?
 
Pull the plugs on that right side and look for a shiny plug from a coolant leak. Years ago, I was over at Al Sharps house (Sharp speed equipment), He had just built a 3 3/8, flathead for a '40 pickup and it overheated when first started. They had pressure tested it before the machine work but when they bored it they hit a pin hole from a rust pit on the back of the cylinder. It was so small they didn't see it. When you machine those large bores, you should pressure check the block again.





Is the head seeping around the studs or the edge of the gasket?
 
Did you put sealant on the threads of the studs that go into the block? I retorque the heads 3 times right off the bat, warm it up, shut off and let it sit overnight, retorque warm up shut off and leave overnight, repeat. After the 3rd retorque, run it longer. It is normal for one side to be maybe 5 degrees hotter than the other due to the crank throwing hot oil in that direction. Aluminum heads you torque cold.
 
If the gasket set is the one that is a Speedway brand, I would probably change them over to BestGasket GraphTite gaskets.

Speedway makes a "clone" of the Best Gasket GraphTite gasket - and I do NOT like the quality of their fire-rings. Also, some of their gaskets are the wrong thickness (like the timing cover gasket). I let them know a couple years ago about the issues - have no idea as to if they changes/fixed their issues or not.
 
deuce_roadster said:
Did you put sealant on the threads of the studs that go into the block? I retorque the heads 3 times right off the bat, warm it up, shut off and let it sit overnight, retorque warm up shut off and leave overnight, repeat. After the 3rd retorque, run it longer. It is normal for one side to be maybe 5 degrees hotter than the other due to the crank throwing hot oil in that direction. Aluminum heads you torque cold.
Click to expand...


Ditto!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Probably the head gasket. I have never had any trouble with Best brand gaskets. If one side radically gets hot faster you might test the thermostat on that side to make sure it is opening completely by putting it in a pan of water and watching it on the stove.
 
deuce_roadster said:
Probably the head gasket. I have never had any trouble with Best brand gaskets. If one side radically gets hot faster you might test the thermostat on that side to make sure it is opening completely by putting it in a pan of water and watching it on the stove.
Click to expand...

I had the same issue with water coming up the studs via the threads. I ran some liquid glass in the system and it stopped.

Curious if you are running thermostats? If so, are they new or the old-style "barrel" T-stats. If running stats, did you test them before installing them?

I have a similar motor (albeit a little bigger) and run the Potvin 3/8ths cam. I really like it. Performs well.

Not sure about the noise coming from the right bank. Are you running adjustable lifters?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top