Had low compression (100 lbs) on several cylinders and a miss. Pulled heads and had machine shop go through and do valve job with slight milling on heads.

Re installed heads, intake and all accessories etc. Torqued to specs all bolts. Started right up but then began putting out white "smoke" which I believe turns out to be steam. I left run for a few minutes, ran okay, but "smoke" continued to pour out of tailpipe. I shut it down. Ran compresssion check, all cylinders have 150+ pressure.

I think it must be getting some coolant from the intake gasket(s). After talking with the gasket manufacturer (Fel Pro) I learned they make two size gaskets; large and small for the 318. I have pulled the intake back off and measured the ports, it appears the size is correct (small).

The gaskets I removed when I first pulled the intake seem to be thick and made of composite (whatever the facory used in 1990). The intake gaskets I put on came with the head gasket set, and seem to be very thin. I did not use any sealer when installing these. I also learned there were a couple of little plastic rings that serve as positioning "pins" that I should have used to keep the intake gaskets positioned when re-installing the manifold. Any comments ??

Given the situation outlined, I would appreciate anyone that has suggestions and/or expereince in reinstalling the intake and sealing it properly. Having to pull apart out of a B150 Van is not fun!!

Thanks

 

"Slight milling?" When you mill heads they set lower on the engine in relation to the intake. I would call the machine shop and see if what they did will require modification of the intake. As an alternative I have seen guys use form a gasket in place of the front and rear intake gaskets. This will allow the intake to drop lower. If you try this let the form a gasket set up completely before starting the engine.