My flathead started knocking.
- Thread starter rjlester
- Start date
Well I put the head back on and its running. Don't laugh, but I used red RTV on the head gasket. Ok, I'm going to laugh!!! It just defies all logic that this engine would run and NOT leak anything at all. I only torqued the heads to 65 when I did the valves 5 years ago, so this time I torqued it to 70.
You guys will probably get mad at me, and think I'm crazy, but I actually took it on a drive for a couple miles, runs excellent. Left the rad cap loose. Runs quieter than it has in a long time. I have a feeling that ring broke even before Christmas, because it always had what I thought was a noisy lifter, that sound is TOTALLY gone.
I KNOW it's risky driving it, even starting it up. I'm just amazed at how quiet it is now. YOU CAN'T KILL A FLATHEAD haha.
Does this prove anything? I don't know. Maybe that I've gone stupid.
Actually I think this might prove that in an emergency, you can reuse a head gasket and it will get you home.
You guys will probably get mad at me, and think I'm crazy, but I actually took it on a drive for a couple miles, runs excellent. Left the rad cap loose. Runs quieter than it has in a long time. I have a feeling that ring broke even before Christmas, because it always had what I thought was a noisy lifter, that sound is TOTALLY gone.
I KNOW it's risky driving it, even starting it up. I'm just amazed at how quiet it is now. YOU CAN'T KILL A FLATHEAD haha.
Does this prove anything? I don't know. Maybe that I've gone stupid.
Actually I think this might prove that in an emergency, you can reuse a head gasket and it will get you home.
tubman
Well-known member
When we were in high school, it was customary to remove the heads on any new flathead we got to take a look around. We then put 'em back together with the original gaskets and preceded on our merry way. I think it worked because we didn't have any "super-stickem" sealer back then which would ruin the gaskets on disassembly. I still only use grease on gaskets, and am able to re-use them successfully if I have to tear down a recent rebuild for some reason.
Happy to report that I've put 150 miles on it since, and no head gasket leaks. Not even a seep. The engine is still very quiet, knock on wood. Changed the oil today, no sheen to it or any sign of metal. Just normal dirty oil.
Taking it to the Red Deer swap meet on Saturday, if it survives that trip, I will be extremely happy.
Tubman, I like the grease on the gasket trick, I'll be sure to try that in the future.
Taking it to the Red Deer swap meet on Saturday, if it survives that trip, I will be extremely happy.
Tubman, I like the grease on the gasket trick, I'll be sure to try that in the future.
hueyhoolihan
Well-known member
amazing!!!
a piece of a broken piston ring that could work its way out from between a cylinder wall and a piston must have been either a very, very worn ring or a very worn cylinder or a very worn piston or a combination of all three! ha
...might want to think about pulling that cylinder's sparkplug wire before starting it if you find a need run it again before the rebuild.
BTW, had an old Jag XK 6cyl engine with a crack in one cylinder that ran clear through from the cylinder wall to the outside of the block. i didn't know it at the time but crossed the country from California to Ohio, in that car a few years ago. i traveled over Carson Pass (el. 8574') in the Sierras Nevadas and over Loveland Pass (el. 11,990') in Colorado with only some overheating on occasion. i was told it was a head gasket leak when i stopped in Denver but when the head was eventually removed i could see a previous brazing job had let loose and new-to-me block was in my future.
a piece of a broken piston ring that could work its way out from between a cylinder wall and a piston must have been either a very, very worn ring or a very worn cylinder or a very worn piston or a combination of all three! ha
...might want to think about pulling that cylinder's sparkplug wire before starting it if you find a need run it again before the rebuild.
BTW, had an old Jag XK 6cyl engine with a crack in one cylinder that ran clear through from the cylinder wall to the outside of the block. i didn't know it at the time but crossed the country from California to Ohio, in that car a few years ago. i traveled over Carson Pass (el. 8574') in the Sierras Nevadas and over Loveland Pass (el. 11,990') in Colorado with only some overheating on occasion. i was told it was a head gasket leak when i stopped in Denver but when the head was eventually removed i could see a previous brazing job had let loose and new-to-me block was in my future.
Happy to report, I've put 1400 miles on the car since I reused the head gasket. No leaks, no noise, runs just fine.
A friend of mine is in his mid 80's and he said back in the day they used to see this all the time. Broken rings on top of pistons. They would just put them back together sometimes and no further issues. Other times, he said they would pull scrap car heads off and they would see several cylinders with the same issue.
Amazing. On a modern car, there is no way this would happen without catastrophic damage, which is why I was worried in the first place! We have been getting complicated junk from the showrooms the last couple of decades!
A friend of mine is in his mid 80's and he said back in the day they used to see this all the time. Broken rings on top of pistons. They would just put them back together sometimes and no further issues. Other times, he said they would pull scrap car heads off and they would see several cylinders with the same issue.
Amazing. On a modern car, there is no way this would happen without catastrophic damage, which is why I was worried in the first place! We have been getting complicated junk from the showrooms the last couple of decades!
cadillac512
Well-known member
Well, it'll likely keep running without much issue until another piece of broken ring pounds its way topside. You know what sound to look for!
19Fordy
Well-known member
rjlester: If you keep driving driving your car you are going to do more damage to the cylinder wall to the point where you have to resleeve it. DROP THE PAN AND PULL THE HEAD AND REPLACE THE PISTON AND RINGS. YOU STILL MIGHT GET AWAY WITH HONING THE CYLINDER. Good flathead blocks are hard to find so now is the time to "literally" save yours.