Symptomology:

1. Billowing white sweet smelling smoke at start up. Smoke clears up once engine warms up
2. There is a definate miss at all rpm levels. (this developed just today)
3. The miss developed 2 weeks ago and would leave once the vehicle was warmed up (but no smoke until today)
4. Loud ticking eminating from around cylinder #5, Im assuming its the valves
5. NO COOLANT IN OIL! (wierd huh?)

this leads me to believe I have an odd HG failure where the coolant goes straight into a cylinder, or possibly one cylinder not getting compression from a burnt valve? Although white smoke screams water, could it be something else?

I am going to pull the plugs and check them out whenever I get more time...

Does this sound like a HG issue?

 

Sounds like an HG. I'd pull the heads and put in a steel slipperplate gasket, either rock or nitroseal (both available through engnbldr.com). This will help a lot when you install the turbo too.

Good luck.

P.S. don't drive it until you fix this.

 

Sounds like HG to me...

Pop the top to your radiator, do you smell exhaust? When my HG 1st went it would billow white smoke until it warmed up, I think its got soemthing to do with the thermostat and the bypass... When the thermostat isn't opening and using the bypass I think where the HG is blown it'll dump more water into the cylinder, and when the thermostat opens it releives some of the pressure so not so much water gets burnt.

 

Sounds like a HG popped, not in the usual manner. Long time no chat. Sorry to hear you're down.

 

Bummer. Your symptoms are certainly consistent with a blown HG.

 

Just yet another echo, exact thing happened to me. Wish I had taken a pic of the gasket so I could show you. I actually did have some coolant in my oil, but I had driven many many miles with the blown HG and I could only tell when I actually drained the oil. There was some slimy stuff in there and the usual dark brown oil was more like cappucino colored. Sounds like you'll be pullin the head off soon...

 

[hijack] what are stock HG's made from because the ones on my oregon engine are metal

 

Ok how many of you did a top end rebuild vs just getting a new vehicle?


The top end rebuild opens a LOT of doors for that old 3vze....until the bottom end gives out. Be it rings, bearings, rods, or pistons...

But if i did do the head work I know what I want to do:

1mm oversized exhuast
Head studs
Steel Slipper plate gaskets
knock sensor/wire (duh)
Port/Polish
Weasy2k's cams
Headers

 

A top end rebuild will be a fraction of the cost of a new vehicle. If you did the bare minimum, you can get new OEM HG's and bolts for about $100. You'd have 'er back on the road for less than $200 (if you did the work yourself, and reused the intake manifold gaskets).

But you're right, this is the perfect opportunity for major top end mods. If you can afford 'em, you'd be crazy not to do it.

Dude, you don't even have headers yet? WTF!?

 

another 3.0 headgasket failure victim ........headers are a must for a 3.slow

 

well its not like I didnt get my usage out of it....275,000 are on the clock right now. But all those redline runs did catch up sooner than expected. Here i was really wanting it to hit 300,000 before I cracked the HG. Oh well, im pretty sure im going to tackle the heads....*gulp*

The bolts for the exhuast manifold scare me...BIG TIME! 16 years of heat cycling and rusting has to be overcome! Yikes!

 

just start soaking them bolts in PB Blaster right now... I'm just now wrapping up my HG job, its not hard just tedious. The most difficult is getting the exhaust pipe unbolted from the manifold, the crossover wasn't that bad at all... The hard part for that would be taking it out, but breaking the bolts loose I had no trouble, but I soaked them several times in PB Blaster.

 

I've never done something THIS big before. I dont admit this very often, but its the god's honest truth, Im terrified to start ripping into it...

I should probably invest in a pneumatic impact wrench and a air ratchet?

 

I was just on his site and I cant find the rock/nitroseal slipperplate gasket. Is this a call only item?

 

i think some of his items are not listed i would call him or email him

 

naw!! Just your good ole basic set of tools, Torque Wrench, and a get a 14mm 12pt socket for the headbolts, and a 12mm 12pt socket if you go with EB's headbolts.

Get ahold of Engnbldr.com and tell him Jess/Chuki from CascadeCrawlers sent ya, and you want a headgasket kit, and a set of bolts and he'll give ya a good deal on the parts.

You'll need some long extensions to reach the exhaust pipe nuts.

If you have other transportation, just take your time, don't rush, make sure you keep everything clean.

Some other tools I recommend, are some 3M ScotchBrite Pads, and the drill attachment for them. They'll make cleaning the block, and anything gasket surface a hell of alot of easier. Just make sure and clean everything up real good!

Take lots of pictures, mark anything and everything if you have to. When you pop the hood it seems like a daunting task, but its not really. It's just lots of little stuff you gotta get oughta the way. It's just like taking apart a lego house, and having to put it together the same without the instructions.

Don't let it intimidate and just take your time with it.

 

Just order his Headgasket set, the gaskets that come with it, the ones he sells are Slipper Plate gaskets made by Rock Auto.

 

just take your time and take lots of photos and bag and tag all the bolts and you should be fine

 

Here's a pic of the gaskets that come in the HG kit from EB, these are the slipper plate gaskets. You'll notice the slipper plate on the top one.

 

There are a lot of people here who can help you along the way. You really have nothing to worry about. As chuki said, getting that damned cross over off the exhuast manifold will probably be the hardest part. I recommend switching to headers and just cutting that bastard (x-over) off. I did the job without any need for pneumatic tools.

Feel free to pm me with any questions you may have. I know this seems like a huge job. But it's very doable. Especialy with all the resources you have here.