Signs of trouble ahead

[nib]

Looking back through previous post I notice that in at least a couple of instances someones car has developed a leak from the inlet manifold and at a later date needed to replace the head gaskets.My thinking and im no mechanic, is that is it possible in some cases that pressure from early stages of h/g failure could push coolant out at theweakest point,in most cases the inlet manifold at 6 and 8(nearside back)

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Mark

[GDPR]

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Hi Mark

Not neccessarily - the joint between the head and manifold has always been a problem usually due to skimming of heads but not always the manifold - the sealing faces for the waterways are perilously narrow to start with, but skim the heads and the manifold sits too high making them even more prone to leakage.

Factor in the expansion rate differences between the iron block and alloy heads and manifold over the large temperature range we all know the Stag engine is capable of, and we also have movement on the joint and a gradual slackening. It's a small wonder they ever seal!

The belief that HGF is a natural progression of manifold gasket leaks, is usually down to loss of coolant and/or small airlocks in the upper reaches of the cooling system due to the manifold leaks in the first place causing overheating.

Remember also that some suspected HGFs are just coolant leaking down the inlet ports instead of into the vee, due to the wrong type of manifold gasket being used that does not have the coolant escape channels.

A lot of us just accept the inevitable and pour in some K Seal, as an effective leak stopper and preventative measure......

Russ:dude:

[nib]

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Thanks Russ for the reply.

Mark