DOZENVALVE

so, sorry for the poor pics. first two are me noticing a green tinge on my motor, dry, cold. second two are after driving or 20 minutes or so. ive noticed im losing coolant slowly, an ive found the problem. its a slow leak, but its only going to get worse.


It looks as if its coming out just below the t-stat housing, which is where the head meets the block (correct me if im wrong)


I need help deciding if I should try a stop-leak of some sort, or tear things apart and go ***** out starting with heads studs and ending with performance parts, haha.


just got a new radiator and not super excited about dumping in stop-leak, unless others have had great experiences with a certain product?


from underneath:



from atop:



a couple angles of the leak:




thoughts?? there is no sign of coolant in my oil.... at this point.


-Sean

torquefan

Yep, that's what it looks like to me. That front corner of the head is a very common leakage place. When you get the gasket out and compare it with the new one, you'll find that the new one has had the bead of sealant improved in that very spot, to help prevent a repeat of the problem.

You might be able to see under there with a small inspection mirror to confirm that the coolant is indeed coming from the head gasket, but it sure looks like the culprit.

DOZENVALVE

do you think I should attempt a stop leak agent, or just order me up some parts already.

MrFusion

I've only put stop leak type products in vehicles i don't care about and need to keep running for a little while longer. For example a 1992 Jeep Cherokee beater rust bucket with 300k+ miles on it. Once the inspection ran out I sold it for scrap price to a buddy that needed a camp truck and was aware of the problem. The stop leak tends to clog the heater core and any small coolant passages. If you follow the directions on most of the stop leak products properly it is about as much PITA as doing the head gasket.
Stop leak products tend to leave the coolant looking like red mud in a few weeks as well. I know it's a job but I would replace the head gasket on any vehicle or equipment that I cared about and wanted to keep.
Do the head gasket, install ARP head studs, then throw a compound turbo to her!!

DOZENVALVE

honestly, this is my gut feeling on the topic as well. I love this truck and I don't really wanna do a Band-Aid fix that is going to eventually cause more problems later on down the road.


im thinking I could order some parts Friday and possibly get dick swingin deal.


since the head is going to be off, and it would be super easy to do valve springs on my workbench as opposed to doing them on the pick up, I would like to add 60lb springs for intake and exhaust. will this cause issues if I stick with stock turbo/injectors/pump for a while longer? or do I really need to wait until I mod the truck heavier? or mod it heavier now?


trying to get an idea on what to buy now, so that I can get a deal, and what I should hold off on for a bit longer.

MrFusion

I dunno about the 12V Cummins but on the gasser's I've dealt with heavier valve springs equals higher RPM potential because they eliminate valve float. I would assume diesels are the same. I can't imagine that heavier valve springs would negatively effect a stock engine. Might be harder on the cam and lifters but that's probably not by much.

KRB

Take off the hood and pull the head and do it right, then you'll not have any worries like you would if you bandaided it.

While at it replace the thermostat, water pump, serpentine belt. Studs would be nice if you can afford them. While the injectors are out you can get them cleaned and tested. Cummins makes an upper gasket kit that should have everything you'll need but the fuel filter gasket or something like that.

You're planning on milling the head right? Or at least checking for flatness?

DOZENVALVE

yeah I was gonna take it in and have it checked for true. if it has to be milled though, should I get a thicker head gasket?




and what brand for the head gasket? there are some on XDP or should I order from cummins?


and how and where do I test injectors?

Dieselbuilder

In for a penny in for a pound might as well send the head in for valves and a plane do it right do it once

KRB

Yes you need a thicker gasket based on how much they take off.

I got mine plus the upper gasket kit from a fellow recommended by members here. PM me and I'll share his info. Price was good and he shipped quick, genuine Cummins too.

My machine shop guy cautioned me not to do the valves while it was out, didn't make sense to me but he said tightening up the top would push stuff through the bottom unless you redid the whole motor...

Find a shop near you that will clean the injectors and pop test them. Plus get new copper gaskets etc. Cost me about $26/injector.

DOZENVALVE

pm'd.


as far as the injectors go, I have been wanting to add more power to my truck for pulling my 12k lb 5th wheel. I am willing to drop 2-3k here if I am going to tear things apart, but I am worried about reliability issues with the truck once I start messing with air and fuel flow. if I do a bunch of mods and it runs like crap, im pretty well screwed. im going to have two weeks off at x mas, so id like to order parts now for this whole tear down, and rip into the truck soon as I get home. and ill have to be done with it to head back to work just after the new year.

DOZENVALVE

or stick with stock injectors and have them tested, then upgrade the turbo?

as far as run-ability, am I correct to assume I can make about anything work, with some toying of the injection pump?

KRB

With 280K on the injectors they are probably ready for a cleaning but this is an excellent time to upgrade too. I'll bet a quick search can find you some clean burning ones that boost the power just what you need.

You'll have the turbo off too so...

Lots of folks have upgraded FOR reliability and it works. They just don't get crazy wild.

My mods work for me with no issues.

Good luck!