coolant leak out of head bolt #2

[slow6]

So I took out bolt #2 on the passeng (left) side, and coolant just kept on coming out of the bolt hole for a whole hot minute!! I could tell the somaB itch was straight coolant (it was bright green).
Is this supposed to happen?
I'm gonna go cry and think about putting in new bearings since these old bearings are probably fukt!!

[BLLDOGG]

Re: coolant leak out of head bolt #2

well, I dont know about our engine but some engines, the bolt hoes go through coolant passages so yes, i guess if it is this way and it was under pressure, it should shoot out like that.

[slow6]

Re: coolant leak out of head bolt #2

yea, i was thinking that because I took off the tension of the head gasket, there was coolant under pressure flowing out.

I bet I was supposed to drain the radiator before I did this ;)

[slow6]

Re: coolant leak out of head bolt #2

so, its for sure that there is alot of coolant in my engine bearing areas
how long does it take to ruin a bearing, i've heard it can happen in seconds.

I was draining my coolant drain petcock(sp?) and it kinda seemed like oil was coming out.
this $hit IS WHACk yo!

[Rob Bell]

Re: coolant leak out of head bolt #2

When I blew the headgasket on my old Cavalier, I drove it 40 miles at 75mph and it was just fine. I knew the exact moment the gasket blew (though I didn't know it was the gasket at the time). Only when I got home and found water in the oil did I know what had happened. I just changed the oil right then and fixed it ASAP. I didn't start it again until it was fixed.

[slow6]

Re: coolant leak out of head bolt #2

um, dude, while the engine is sitting there there is still gonna be coolant all in your engine (until you fix the h/g, put it back together, then flush the oil).
thats what I'm worrying about! I want to fix this ASAP, so I can still have a little life left on the bearings (though its life will be shortened)!!!! thats what i've heard anyways

How did you know you blew the H/g? did it overheat or something? did you see smoke?

[slow6]

Re: coolant leak out of head bolt #2

hm, maybe I'm a rookie, but how does coolant get in my oil via a blown H/G??
does it go around the piston?
Is there anyway to drain the oil/coolant in the bearing area?

[Rob Bell]

Re: coolant leak out of head bolt #2

Well, after I changed the oil, I ran the engine for a few minutes to circulate the fresh oil. I was thinking exactly what you are: there's all that water-laden oil all over the engine. After that I did not run the car for a month, because it took three weeks before I had a chance to work on it, and then it took me a week to repair it. But after I got it put back together, it fired up on the first try and ran great for another 50K miles until I traded it in. :rock:

When the HG initially blew, I knew something was up because the temp gauge shot way up and then settled back to normal right away. The temp went up because the pressure was released from the system. I stopped and checked but didn't see coolant everywhere so I didn't know what was going on. But since the temp was normal I drove it home and had time to think about it. So when I got home I checked around some more and decided to check the oil. On the Cavalier the dipstick and fill use the same tube, so I shined a light in there and could see that the oil was way up there.

On mine there was no smoke or anything. I think there's only smoke when a coolant passage ruptures into a cylinder so you start burning coolant. Mine, of course, ruptured into the oil. And since the coolant is under 15PSI and the oil was at zero at that location (because it's draining back to the pan) all the coolant went right into the oil.

When the HG goes, it can allow oil into the coolant, coolant into the oil, coolant into the cylinders, coolant out between the head and block, or you'll lose compression in two cylinders. There may be more possibilities, but any one of those is an indicator of a blown HG. I knew mine was due to go soon anyway because there were small amounts of coolant seeping out between the head and the block. But when I got the HG out, I could clearly see the spot where it finally ruptured.

After thinking about it, a second oil change before the repair probably would have been a good idea to get that last bit of coolant out of there... but it didn't cause any harm to the engine.

It's a long-winded reply I know, but I hope I gave you some good info. Good luck :)

[Rob Bell]

Re: coolant leak out of head bolt #2

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention.... when I opened up the valve cover and head, it was as clean as a new car, not one bit of sludge at 250K miles. Plus the car never used oil. At that point I was sold on Mobil 1. I got rid of the car with 293K on it and the engine still ran like new....the body was just rusted out and falling apart. Mobil 1 is awesome stuff. I would never use anything else.

[slow6]

Re: coolant leak out of head bolt #2

all that makes perfect sense!
i dont know about cavaliers, but v6 camaros run 18psi of coolant pressure.
and of course the OIL IS under at least 60psi!!
thanks for the reply!
I can see why I have coolant in my cylinders, and leaking out of the head bolt holes!
The cylinder that the H/g blew away on was totally sparkling clean from a high temp/high pressure coolant steam wash, the others were really dirty, and i dont know any way to clean them.