possibly another head gasket!!?

junglejoe

New member
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Messages
399
Reaction score
1
Location
Mo
Truck is an 06.. Studded ******d with brand new o-ringed heads.. Building pressure in the degas bottle..
Checked my brothers truck with the same gauge and it had about 5-7psi.
Mine will go past 16 BUT didn't puke coolant..Maybe the cap is bad even though I just bought it from NAPA.. Opinions?
If it is headgaskets.. This will be the freaking 5th set!!!In hoping the shop didn't fuggin grind on the block to remove head gasket material and fogged that up!!
Seem about every 8-10k miles its popping gaskets.. And no the truck is not beat on.. Occasionally. Pipe the pipe to clean it out
 

6.0 Tech

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 9, 2015
Messages
3,473
Reaction score
97
Location
Mesa, AZ
If youre popping head gaskets that often, there is a problem. What gaskets are you using? After the second or third set, was the block straight edged to make aure its not warped? Heads as well? I know you said theyre new, but make sure theyre flat. And hopefully the shop that did them isnt fully retarded and polished up the block to where they wont seal, but thats always a possibility as well...

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk
 

Zeb

New member
Joined
Apr 26, 2018
Messages
846
Reaction score
0
Location
Downtown Marrowbone Ky
5th time??!! Same shop each time? If so, someone is screwing up repeatedly.
They should be warrantying it.
Most likely the deck of the block is going to be the problem. If it wasn’t checked the first time the heads were off, it DEFINITELY should have been when it failed the second time, and the third and fourth failure is......words fail me.
I’ve been doing this for 6 years, did 13 last year, and have NEVER had one come back. Head quality, good gaskets, correct block prep, proper lube and torque on the studs, and an oringed head should/can take a ton of abuse.
 

TooManyToys

Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2018
Messages
87
Reaction score
9
Location
Jersey Shore
While your pressure is high, did you ever do the hose in a bottle of water test to see if there are gases getting into the coolant and elevating the pressure?
 

tomlin

Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2014
Messages
57
Reaction score
3
Location
Athens, Illinois
There are several Chino knock off head stud manufacturers and they are junk. Make sure they are ARP. They may even say ARP on the box and be counterfeit. Ask to see the old gaskets when they are removed. It should be obvious where they are leaking. Something is definitely not right. Could be workmanship and it could be inferior parts.
 

TooManyToys

Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2018
Messages
87
Reaction score
9
Location
Jersey Shore
Yep, an old farm trick when you're checking out a used tractor ..... or an old car trick when checking old cars ..... fit in whatever your experience, but it tells if the HG is blown or head is cracked. All depends on the traits of the unit. For us its HG or EGR, which I assume the OP doesn't have.

And as what tomlin stated, what did the gaskets look like in the previous too many replacements.
 

junglejoe

New member
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Messages
399
Reaction score
1
Location
Mo
I don't how to reply to all with out makingnseveral replies. .
Yes,same shop is doing the repairs.. Warranty work but still!!
Little history on my truck..
I bought it from the original owner with 90k miles on it. BONE STOCK.
I put a livewire in it because it was like dragging a dead horse. I knew the history on these motors way before I bought the truck 5 years ago. Then did the 5 inch exhaust..
Oil cooler and EGR cooler ruptured in it one day. I fixed that in the driveway one weekend . At that I time I added the BPD remote mount oil cooler. If any of you know about oil coolers,its a 15 minute replacement now. I have replaced the oil cooler 5 times now!!
I now hhave the coolant filtration system on board..I'll see how that worked out.
But anyway.. I put the new cooler on..out on a test run and held it on the floor just a little to long and there went the stock headgaskets..
At this time is where I did all the extra stuff to the truck..well,the shop did.
That head gasket lasted about 1 year and 12k miles..
Truck is back on the road again.. BAMM.. Another year later..another headgaskets.. This time I went to the shop when it was tore apart.. I piece of the headgaskets had literally blow apart in next to the water ports..
Sooo. . new gaskets again..

About the same time frame and miles..AGAIN.. Headgaskets pop..
Now I inpw this is excessive. . so I buy brand new O-ringed heads at this time. Its suppose to be the end to headgaskets on these trucks.. Well...
The truck never left the shop when he called and said it done. I went to get it and its missing, shaking and just fugged up! I said man, come on now..REALLY!!? To put it nicely!
So.. Engine came back apart AGAIN.. The brand new heads dropped a valve!!! Or should say stuck open..call it what you want!

Ok.. Got that fixed.. LITERALLY ALMOST THE EXACT SAME TIME AND MILEAGE. ...I have the issue described...
Truck has about 157k miles on it right now
 
Last edited:

junglejoe

New member
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Messages
399
Reaction score
1
Location
Mo
Oh.. And no i haven't done the bubble test.. Is it a sure way to tell if headgaskets are gone.? What about the chemical test that determines exhaust gas?
 

junglejoe

New member
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Messages
399
Reaction score
1
Location
Mo
The heads were NOT sent to the machine shop to check for straightness by the way.. NOTHING was ever sent to a machine shop to check.. I find all this out afterwards.
I do know that felpro headgaskets were used this time with the O-ringed heads..I told him to use those.
 

sootie

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
11,854
Reaction score
29
Get your frickin truck out of there, pursue litigation to recover what you've spent in repairs and get it done at a reputable shop. Nothing has ever been right with the truck if you are changing oil coolers like underwear-nevermind the headgasket issues...
 

TooManyToys

Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2018
Messages
87
Reaction score
9
Location
Jersey Shore
The only times I've seen the gaskets blow out by the coolant passages is during a high overheat, they usually crown in the center. I would guess the deck had a biscuit run over it and it's wallowed. Some machining shops state not to use Felpro gaskets with o-rings, but others can be fine. That's probably due to the o-ring location and depth variability.

Heads do not have to go to the machine shop for checking flatness, a $150 tool at most gets it done.
 

co04cobra

Active member
Joined
May 21, 2011
Messages
3,003
Reaction score
10
Location
WV
The only times I've seen the gaskets blow out by the coolant passages is during a high overheat, they usually crown in the center. I would guess the deck had a biscuit run over it and it's wallowed. Some machining shops state not to use Felpro gaskets with o-rings, but others can be fine. That's probably due to the o-ring location and depth variability.

Heads do not have to go to the machine shop for checking flatness, a $150 tool at most gets it done.


How many have you done and they didn’t need to decked? There’s also that thing about maybe checking for cracks....
 

Zeb

New member
Joined
Apr 26, 2018
Messages
846
Reaction score
0
Location
Downtown Marrowbone Ky
Out of curiosity, where did the oringed heads come from?
The stuck valve is poor quality machine work, the multiple blown gaskets are combination of any of the following. Poor surface prep (block and/or heads), a damaged block deck surface, poorly/improperly machined heads, and the list could go on.
This whole saga is directly related to shoddy workmanship on various levels.
I’ve only seen 2 head gaskets have a chunk blown out of them and both of them shop screw ups. Both were engines that I have no idea who had done the work. One had a head with an obvious groove in it from a Roloc wheel (or similar) the other had a broken head stud.
As has been mentioned, find a different shop!
 

TooManyToys

Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2018
Messages
87
Reaction score
9
Location
Jersey Shore
How many have you done and they didn’t need to decked? There’s also that thing about maybe checking for cracks....

My comment was about it's not proper to skip checking the decks or heads, even if a shop decides to not get a machine shop to look at it they still need to check for flatness.
 
Last edited:

DEEZUZ

NO PUKESTERS
Joined
Jun 30, 2011
Messages
6,821
Reaction score
179
Location
NWI
Cheap ain't quality and quality ain't cheap.

. If you don't plan to spend at least $7k with me for heads, then I ain't doing them
 

junglejoe

New member
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Messages
399
Reaction score
1
Location
Mo
As far as the shop.. Well he "claims" to never have had a 6.0 come back.. Yet here is my fuggin truck with what is apparently 5 gawt damn headgasket issues!!! I'm trying to remain calm,Im only human and can only take so much chit from sorry ass shoddy people..

Ill try to answer everyone I can.. Trying to not have multiple quotes to keep it clean.. And yes I do appreciate and read all the suggestions...

The oil cooler issues.. It clogs up every single time this dude works on it!! Not sure what's up with that. I personally flushed this truck out to where you could drink the water right out of the block when the oil cooler and egr cooler ruptured. So I know it was clean as bottled water. Yet..the sum beech still eats oil coolers. I have NOT backflushed any of them.

As far as the gasket blowing by the water port..you mention high heat..the truck has NEVER been above 212 on the coolant. So as far as high heat,unless you are referring to something else.

The heads decking.. I don't know about you sir,but I ALWAYS take heads,flywheels ect. to have them checked for cracks and flatness. Been there done that on installing new chit and tear it right back apart. The reason the felpro gaskets was used is another shop told me to use those with the o-ringed heads..they have thicker material around for the oring..so I did. Is it right? Who knows..
Edit:: I see you meant something else..10-4

I do not know where the heads come from. I'm making sure the gasket is in fact blown again before I go flip a lid on this dude!

I am buying another cap today.. Matter of fact Im taking the cap off of my brothers truck that we used to do the pressure test on. His truck has o-ringed heads also with the same felpro gaskets and his pressure only for to 5psi,of course not worked on by this fuggin butcher shop that has done mine

$7000 for head gaskets?? No thank you! I could do it my self if I had a way to take the cab off. I know it can be done with the cab on but I wouldn't even attempt that.
 
Last edited:

Zeb

New member
Joined
Apr 26, 2018
Messages
846
Reaction score
0
Location
Downtown Marrowbone Ky
$7,000 might sound like a lot for a headstud job, but that is very reasonable for a quality job.
With NEW oringed heads, (yeah they’re cast in China somewhere) and most of the ones I do I rebuild the injectors, and I’ve gotten to where I do new Motorcraft lifters, rear seal and rear structure oring anytime I do heads/headstuds, it’s been quite a while since I did one that came in at sub $8,000.
 

TooManyToys

Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2018
Messages
87
Reaction score
9
Location
Jersey Shore
The FelPro's are a thicker gasket overall (0.010") and use a different approach than the factory design. When I talked to them they stated the gasket, like all other gasket manufacturers, were not designed with any thought towards o-rings and had no opinion if they were compatible. There's one machine shop that states not to use, maybe UFC.

My point about the high heat question was it was the only time I've seen an example of the gasket blowing at that location, and if you didn't experience high heat then someone should look closely at the deck surface at that location, they may have wallowed it out during prep.

I would have gone legal by the third time.
 

Latest posts

Members online

Top