how do you tell if you have a bad water seal
08-11-01, 06:12 PM
#2
Laying Down Rotary Law
well I just bought a 88 GXL at a junk yard (runs strong)
and after I drove it off the lot
it started beeping telling me it needed
water
I put water drove for a bit
and asked for more
at night I saw a bit of white steamy smoke coming from the pipes
I checked everything and it has no leaks
also my oil stick is drippy
but for $700 for a original owner car in great shape
I an't complaing
another $400 for a slight rebuild and she will be set...
clues::
1)constant comsumption of water
2)white smoke from tail pipes best seen in cold temp(night time with a flashlight)
3)oil dipstick seems watery(tiney bubbles)
4)car starts kinda ruff then clears up when accelerated
(spark plugs burning off water)
87 SE-T
88 GXL
and after I drove it off the lot
it started beeping telling me it needed
water
I put water drove for a bit
and asked for more
at night I saw a bit of white steamy smoke coming from the pipes
I checked everything and it has no leaks
also my oil stick is drippy
but for $700 for a original owner car in great shape
I an't complaing
another $400 for a slight rebuild and she will be set...
clues::
1)constant comsumption of water
2)white smoke from tail pipes best seen in cold temp(night time with a flashlight)
3)oil dipstick seems watery(tiney bubbles)
4)car starts kinda ruff then clears up when accelerated
(spark plugs burning off water)
87 SE-T
88 GXL
08-11-01, 06:50 PM
#3
Learn to swim.
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Mobile,AL
Posts: 1,301
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What kabooski said and
*you get bubles in your coolant overflow tank
*your coolant has a gas smell
Your car can have all of these symptoms or only a couple depending on size/location of the leak.
Hear is a bandaid fix that has been known to work when performed properly. It usually last about a year. Just follow the instructions exactly. It will give you more time to save up for that rebuild.
Origanally posted on the FB mailing list by Dale Thomas:
My 'spare' Turbo II was leaking large amounts of
water into the
engine
as well (front and rear). It got so bad that it
wouldn't start
without
removing the plugs and turning over the motor to
blast out the 1/2
cup
or so of water that was inside!
You guys may have a hard time believing this, but
the motor is fixed
(for now) and running better than it did before.
Total cost: $25
Paul Yaw at YawPower performed this emergency
surgery to my vehicle
to
keep me rolling while we finish the Vortech blown
Turbo II that'll be
ready soon. He had done this to another motor
before and the repair
has
lasted for two years on that motor (in his ported
rotary shop truck).
If you're interested in what is to be considered
a temporary fix,
read
on.
The recipe: two cans of Block Weld and some
Purple Power degreaser
from
Pep Boys. The Block Weld is a clear liquid with
copper granules
blended
in.
The process takes *hours* but can be very
worthwhile! Step 1: Clean
the
heck out of the cooling system - drain the
radiator, fill with water
and degreaser, run the motor until warm. Step 2:
Repeat 5 or 6 more
times. Step 3: Drain the radiator, fill with
water only and run the
motor until warm. Step 4: Repeat 2 or 3 times.
You must rinse the
system with water until no degreaser is left
inside, this is *very*
important. Step 5: When you are sure that the
cooling system is very
clean inside, refill with water plus two cans of
Block Weld (no
anti-freeze). Run the motor until warm (about 30
minutes). This
hardens
the Block Weld where the water is leaking into
the motor. Do not rev
the motor into high RPM during this process! Step
6: Leave the motor
off for a minimum of three hours. Step 7: Drive
for 20-30 minutes in
the local area to make sure that the repair has
worked. Keep the RPM
down! If successful, drain a small amount of
water from the radiator
and add some anti-freeze. If it's still leaking
water into the
engine,
add another bottle of Block Weld and run the
engine for 20-30
minutes.
Let stand for three hours again. Test drive
again. Step 8: Drive the
car around like you used to... assuming that the
process worked!
This process can be a real pain to perform
because you have to start
the motor to accomplish the warm ups during the
steps. Don't forget
to
pull the fuse when you turn the motor over to
push out the water
prior
to each start up. Cups and cups of water came out
of my motor
throughout the process! I have been driving the
car pretty hard since
the temporary fix and it has held up well. It now
starts easily, has
plenty of power, and hasn't needed any water to
be added to the
system
since I added the Block Weld (about two months
ago). It was a lot
easier to do this temporary fix than to go out
and buy another
motor/car, especially since my other one is
almost done.
If your motor is shot (like mine was) you've got
nothing to lose. If
it
works for you thank Paul Yaw at YawPower. His
crappy little shop
truck
has been driven pretty hard for two years after
this same kind of
temporary fix. He claims that his truck's motor
was blowing even more
water out of it than mine was.
If you follow the directions on the can of Block
Weld, it will not
work
for this type of repair! Follow the steps listed
above. Be very
aggressive in your efforts to clean the inside of
the cooling system.
*you get bubles in your coolant overflow tank
*your coolant has a gas smell
Your car can have all of these symptoms or only a couple depending on size/location of the leak.
Hear is a bandaid fix that has been known to work when performed properly. It usually last about a year. Just follow the instructions exactly. It will give you more time to save up for that rebuild.
Origanally posted on the FB mailing list by Dale Thomas:
My 'spare' Turbo II was leaking large amounts of
water into the
engine
as well (front and rear). It got so bad that it
wouldn't start
without
removing the plugs and turning over the motor to
blast out the 1/2
cup
or so of water that was inside!
You guys may have a hard time believing this, but
the motor is fixed
(for now) and running better than it did before.
Total cost: $25
Paul Yaw at YawPower performed this emergency
surgery to my vehicle
to
keep me rolling while we finish the Vortech blown
Turbo II that'll be
ready soon. He had done this to another motor
before and the repair
has
lasted for two years on that motor (in his ported
rotary shop truck).
If you're interested in what is to be considered
a temporary fix,
read
on.
The recipe: two cans of Block Weld and some
Purple Power degreaser
from
Pep Boys. The Block Weld is a clear liquid with
copper granules
blended
in.
The process takes *hours* but can be very
worthwhile! Step 1: Clean
the
heck out of the cooling system - drain the
radiator, fill with water
and degreaser, run the motor until warm. Step 2:
Repeat 5 or 6 more
times. Step 3: Drain the radiator, fill with
water only and run the
motor until warm. Step 4: Repeat 2 or 3 times.
You must rinse the
system with water until no degreaser is left
inside, this is *very*
important. Step 5: When you are sure that the
cooling system is very
clean inside, refill with water plus two cans of
Block Weld (no
anti-freeze). Run the motor until warm (about 30
minutes). This
hardens
the Block Weld where the water is leaking into
the motor. Do not rev
the motor into high RPM during this process! Step
6: Leave the motor
off for a minimum of three hours. Step 7: Drive
for 20-30 minutes in
the local area to make sure that the repair has
worked. Keep the RPM
down! If successful, drain a small amount of
water from the radiator
and add some anti-freeze. If it's still leaking
water into the
engine,
add another bottle of Block Weld and run the
engine for 20-30
minutes.
Let stand for three hours again. Test drive
again. Step 8: Drive the
car around like you used to... assuming that the
process worked!
This process can be a real pain to perform
because you have to start
the motor to accomplish the warm ups during the
steps. Don't forget
to
pull the fuse when you turn the motor over to
push out the water
prior
to each start up. Cups and cups of water came out
of my motor
throughout the process! I have been driving the
car pretty hard since
the temporary fix and it has held up well. It now
starts easily, has
plenty of power, and hasn't needed any water to
be added to the
system
since I added the Block Weld (about two months
ago). It was a lot
easier to do this temporary fix than to go out
and buy another
motor/car, especially since my other one is
almost done.
If your motor is shot (like mine was) you've got
nothing to lose. If
it
works for you thank Paul Yaw at YawPower. His
crappy little shop
truck
has been driven pretty hard for two years after
this same kind of
temporary fix. He claims that his truck's motor
was blowing even more
water out of it than mine was.
If you follow the directions on the can of Block
Weld, it will not
work
for this type of repair! Follow the steps listed
above. Be very
aggressive in your efforts to clean the inside of
the cooling system.
08-11-01, 08:14 PM
#4
HAILERS
Join Date: May 2001
Location: FORT WORTH, TEXAS,USA
Posts: 20,563
Likes: 0
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20 Posts
Your question was how to tell if the seals are bad. Right? I'll stick with the method where at the end of your day you fill your radiator up completly(meaning you take that plug on the side of the radiator out until water flows out of it, reinstall and keep filling), run the engine for lets say five minutes. Turn it off. Go to sleep. Next morning go to the car and pull the plugs out. All four. Do you see water come out of the plug holes or have wetness on one or more plugs. If you do you need a rebuild. Be careful about any temp repairs. They WILL ruin your radiator. Even if you do not initially see water, turn the engine over a few rounds. Any water. No means good. Any wetness means just what you are dreading.
