[Anthony Marcott]

i have been overheating and loosing coolant. when i go to check the coolant in the rad after running for 20 seconds from dead cold. there is lots of presser in the rad. i took my head off thinking it was a head gasket but after looking at the head. i found that one of the steam ports has been eaten away enough that the gasket dose not cover it any more. this is # 3 and 4 cylinders. i was getting coolant in #4.

.....................#3......................................................................#4

is there any way i can patch this so it will last me two more years? so i can save up enough to buy a new car. i have checked the cracks between the valves. they do not go in to the intake or exhaust ports.

 

[turbokid]

wow unsure on that one... but today I installed my A/f and Boost guages and dropped the g-valve to about 10 psi and smoked a scion tc on my way to work =)

 

[puppet]

I don't see the specific issue your talking about (steam port? ... you mean the crossdrilled hole between the cylinders?) .. anyway, that gasket has had it. (looks blown to me anyhow). If the head is indeed trashed, go to a local JY and grab another. Got to be cheaper than trying to fix this one (specially if you need two years guaranteed out of it). Get the replacement surfaced and you should be good.

If your head isn't trashed and it's just the gasket ... get it surfaced and you should be good.

 

[Anthony Marcott]

yes. the cross drilled hole has been eaten at the surface and has made a path that lets air into the water jacket when running and coolant into the cylinder after running.

the shop down the road said that it is possible to block these holes with "Loctite Metal Magic Steel" (its like a putty that hardens like steel) and that will fix it. he told me he dose it all the time. i just do not have the money to pay him to do it for me. i will try it on my scrap head i blow at the beginning of this month and go from there. it has the same thing but i ran the coolant dry and over heated the motor. that cracked the head.

 

[csx452]

I say don't bother. Get a junkyard turbo head and have it checked for flatness. Buy a new gasket and be done with it. Playing around with a cheap fix might work for a while, but what will you do if it fails? Yep, you will get a junkyard head and do all the work over again. All the junkyards around me crushed anything 80's and 90's for scrap metal. Get your junkyard parts while you can.
Frank H.

 

[Anthony Marcott]

im sry but i should have told you. i do not have a junk yard within 400 miles of my place that will sell me a head let alone have one . the local junk yard just takes the cars and crushes them puts them on a trailer and ships them out every other day. he says its more convenient and pays more that way. he wont let anyone but the tow truck driver on the property.

 

[NoDestiny]

I just pulled my stock swirl head off my mini, if you want it, id give ya a great price!

Other than that, I don't see why you couldn't have a good welder fix that and have the head milled at a machine shop. If you can get your hands on a G-head, that would be your best bet for future turbo fun

 

[Anthony Marcott]

well i did what the shop down the road told me to do. i took pics so here they are.

here is the before pic. i outlined the hole.

here is after i put the all weld in the hole.

after it sat overnight. i used a file and filed it flat. making shere that i did not score the face of the head.

now i drilled a hole in the all weld but it is half the size.

i did this before at the beginning of the month so i hope the head gasket is still good. i know the head bolts are. well now all i have to do is put it back on. ill take pics of the job so you can tell me if i do it right.

 

[tryingbe]

Use new headgasket at the minimal.

 

[Anthony Marcott]

thanks. ill look for one right away.

 

[detobias]

fix looks good ! should work... use a Chrysler head gasket, only couple more $ than generic/Fel-Pro

then I recommend a re-torque of the head gasket after 3-5 heat cycles ; the gaskets arent *supposed* to need this but they do

this has been discussed numerous times on this forum; not everyone agrees but I feel its Cheap insurance

 

[Anthony Marcott]

the patch holds. now i have a bigger problem. im replacing gaskets every week and it blows in the same place on the #4 cylinder every time. it is the thinest part of the gasket between the cylinder and water jacket. iv been using the cheap gaskets from Victor Reinz just so i can save up some money. that did not work. everyone i have talked to in town tells me i have a warped head. i don't have enough money to get a new one at $600.00. unless someone can get me a new one for cheap. im looking for a drop in head that will fit an 1989 2.5L turbo without modifying anything. i have valves, springs, rockers, and a cam for a stalk head but all new stuff would be nice. and i would like to get the best gasket. that is the only thing i don't care what the price is. im running it the way it is now and i don't know how long it will last. i hope the guys in thunder bay can help me out.

 

[tryingbe]

P4452006 headgasket from your local dodge dealership.

Try ebay for head.