i just put antifreeze in the car after my rebuild here and i noticed after letting the car sit for about a day its leaking antifreeze out the drivers side front between the block and the head... sign of a bad gasket? or could this be temporary and i just need to let the car run and warm up to knowing the new gasket. my cars on jacks right now mind you so the drivers side is nose down.

should i just stop putting together to take apart and replace the gasket?

did i get owned by my car and the block wasnt as straight as what it read when i checked it?

inputs appreciated thanks

 

did u put a new head gasket in? sure u put the head gasket on right? cleaned the surfaces' correctly? tq'd the head bolts the right way? did u take measurements of the head/deck surfaces' before putting it back together to see if there was any warping? could be a small crack on the head.

 

yes its a new gasket. yes its on right i had almost put it on backwards and double checked the holes... everything was clean as a brand new silver dollar. had the manual in my hand while tqin the bolts.. pretqed to 25 and then final at 65 head was just milled... the block checked good... i just wanna drive my car!!!!!!!!!!

 

Post some clear photos showing the precise location of the coolant leak.

 

It will not resolve by itself. That's a big leak since it's leaking even with no pressure in the cooling system. You could try re-torquing the head bolts. If that doesn't help, you'd have to take it apart again. Before doing that, look very closely to see if it's really at the gasket or if the head or block is cracked. Also before taking the head off you could also test drive the car (very carefully, don't let it run dry) to see if there are other issues with the engine.

 

i havent started the car yet.. the leak seems to be only after it cranks.. i think im gonna tq the bolts down to 75 ft lbs.. since thats the max that arp recomends.. they are at 65 right now

 

did u tq the bolts in the correct order? looks like somethings not sitting right with the gasket. either a crack, bent, or the surfaces' aren't right. def bad if its leaking with no pressure. if u have access to a cooling system pressure tester you could try that and see what happens, tho i'm sure it'll just squirt coolant as soon as it gets pressure..

 

it does appear to have a small gap between block and head around that area.. i havent measured it.. theres a dowel right in that area and yes i tqed them down right.. i had the manual right there.. and took pictures in order that i tqed them so i could do a how to...

 

i shall be watching the forums tonight while im at work.. for some reason in cant log on to here.. but if yall wanna talk while im at work email.... j.wheelerjr@gimail.af.mil

 

This information together with the coolant leak at this location is more than enough reason to pull the head off and inspect the mating surfaces of the leaking area.