Hi guys,
A few years ago I had my original radiator repaired. (I posted here a while back about that)
Well, something happened and 2-3 years latter it had developed a leak. It sits a lot. I did not notice it was low and took it out on a family night trip and it got too hot. Long story short, I'm trying to see if it blew a head gasket or suffered other internal heat related engine failures.
It seemed fine getting home once putting water in the radiator. After getting the "round 2" radiator repaired, I noticed during install the engine is running very rich like unburnt fuel exiting tail pipe as well as occasional white smoke. Even seemed a little "condensation-is" at the pipe.
GADS!
Can't say for sure there was a coolant smell in exhaust as I have decided to flush out all old coolant in multiple flush scenarios. Something doesn't seem right. As well, the engine always looked very oily anyways with oil blowing all over front of engine. I replaced the bottom radiator trans lines for good measure.

I feel as though I need to do a compression check, leak down check and radiator block leak check (I have some left over blue fluid from another project). So I can rent these tools locally.

Q: Is this a mechanical Fuel pump? I assume it is and will check tomorrow am. I do not want to flood the cylinders with fuel while doing the compression tests. What is the best way to prevent the fuel from entering the engine? Can I plug the fuel line at the carb? And will the blow back pressure neutralize and go back to the tank? With electric pumps you just pull the fuse.

I am hoping maybe the engine getting too hot only purged oil and is causing temporarily bad behavior but need to make sure with these tests.
Any guidance is very useful.
Thanks!

 

You warped a head and blew a head gasket.

 

Yup.
I rented a Block Tester tool today. The solution is turning yellow green doing the radiator vapor check. Can these heads come off while leaving the engine in place? Not a whole lotta room on the sides.
Should I move forward with a leak down test and compression test? Is there any way to know if the low end was effected at this stage? Dry compression test followed by wet test?

 

If you are getting combustion products into the coolant, then you already know the heads need to come off. I think I would be more tempted to go with the dry/wet compression test, and see what the results look like. Though, I suppose a leakdown test would tell you the same thing. I don't think both are required....... (leakdown test may yield more useful results......)

 

Yes the heads will come off with the engine still installed. Once you remove the intake and exhaust manifolds the whole area opens up nicely. The only reason to test the cylinders is for confirmation and to know exactly which cylinders are the issue. FWIW, when I did mine I ordered a set of heads already rebuilt. That way I did not have to wait for them to be machined or to be told they were cracked and had to be replaced anyways.

 

Here is a thread I started when I replaced my heads and timing set. Maybe something in there or the images will help.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/dodge-r...on-in-6-a.html

 

Thanks guys,
Good info. And I like the post about the rebuild of the V6. I always wondered how my Ram Van would do with a V6 vs V8. I think I'll try a compression check first since I have the compression tester. I don't have a leak down tester on hand at the moment. I'm a little worried about the tight fit on the drivers side as far as getting to the exhaust manifold. Will have to see what I can do. I'm not on level ground where the van will be parked which makes everything a little more complicated.

Can I plug the fuel line at the carb to prevent excess fuel from blowing out all over? Will that create any back pressure issues with the mechanical fuel pump?

Assuming these heads need to come off, is there a way to determine if only one head is causing the problem? Is it fair to assume the leaking head gasket cylinder will have the lowest compression?

Thanks again!

 

Need to see what your numbers look like, and go from there. If you have a blown head gasket, I don't think I would do just one. (the gaskets come as a set anyway......) Wouldn't hurt to see what both heads look like. They are rather prone to cracking.

Why not disconnect the fuel feed line TO the pump? (and be sure to plug it off..... )

 

Hi guys,
OK, Finally had a minute to check the compression.

Drivers side
1 - 160
3 - 162
5 - 150
7 - 140

Passenger side
2 - 150
4 - 160
6 - 155
8 - 155

Cyl 4 plug looked a lil rusty orange
But compression was good
Number 2 looked a little darker than the others

Plugs looked ok. A little too OK if you ask me.

Since there is OK compression, what might be happening?
Still need to pull the heads?

Plugs

Engine

 

Number 7 is a bit low, compared to the rest, but, still within spec.... I might be tempted to flush the cooling system, run it a bit with just water, (if it isn't likely to freeze for a while), and re-test for combustion gases. Those numbers look too good for a van that old, to have a leak anywhere.