Head of Toast?

[ORCoaster]

After two unsuccessful head gasket replacements I finally had the time to pull the head once more, man is that getting old, and cleaned it up to inspect it for cracks.

Looking for second opinions here:  Is it time to buy another or has anyone had success fixing cracks at the cups as I have?

Cyls 1 and 4 look good but 2 and 3 have cracks extending out from the precups.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mszzykplw5moncl/IMG_20230218_152622057.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cw9rxzlqa8lqkec/IMG_20230218_152628415.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lcpufjasan2l76b/IMG_20230218_152625266.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xlzapxitv8yp9yi/IMG_20230218_152616430.jpg?dl=0


 

[fatmobile]

I can't look at the pics without having to sign up.

[Dennis Froelich]

Is the the truck overheating Dale?
 

[ORCoaster]

The truck was heating up every once in awhile.  Mostly I was getting white smoke in the morning on startup and overpressurizing the coolant system.

fatmobile, not sure why that is the case.  Maybe try the same picture twice and see if that gets you past the sign in BS.

Just close that banner with the small X in the upper right and the pics show for me.

[fatmobile]

OK, I see them now.
 I don't see cracks on the actual prechambers,
which is where I usually see them.
 I see a large crack on both of them that aims for the center of the head.
It's like the prechamber was pushing against the aluminum and cracked it.
That side isn't supported by the headgasket.

If it was caused by the prechamber expanding from heat I would expect cracks on all sides.
 
 With all the common fears of prechambers falling out,
 I wouldn't trust that head.
And I don't know if it can be fixed/welded without warping it.
 
Not sure if the cracks were the reason for air in the coolant and need to swap the head gasket.
 But I suppose they could lead to the cooling system.

[ORCoaster]

Thanks for the feedback.  I have a second head in the shed.  So I will clean it up, get the cam on it and set the clearances on the valves and see what happens.  First I will get out the straight edge and .004 feeler gauge.  I think my son said it was not in spec on one portion.  So best to check that first before putting much time into it.

Yeah, kind of weird how those cracks spit out towards the valves. 

[Dennis Froelich]

Mine cracked that way all the way to the valves and beyond. It is cracked all the way to a water port and let a antifreeze in the cylinder so yeah...

[ORCoaster]

I used the flat surface and some cutting oil and sandpaper to get the old head into spec so I will swap all the other bits over to it and see what happens.  If that fails I will be buying an entirely new head. 

Snow on the coast today.  6 inches of winter wonderland.  Finally stopped at about 2 and then started to melt.  We may still get more tonight and when it gets cold over the weekend.  So reminds me of doing mechanic work in Michigan.  I may be digging out the snowsuit to stay warm as I put the VW back together.

Really hope this is the nail that holds the engine back together.  I don't run high temps on the EGT so I am scratching my bald head trying to figure out the head failure.  Sometimes it doesn't make sense and there is no reason to waste time trying to figure it out.  Mechanical failure, done, move on. 

[ORCoaster]

So after investing a bunch of time into the head and gasket redos I bought a rebuilt head and put it on and all was well.  I spent a little money on clear lenses for the front turn signals and while testing them I left the lights on for hours.

So the battery was sucked down to where I couldn't get the glow plugs warm and turn it over.  So, slap a battery charger on it and be done.  Not quite.

Glow plug relay was not functioning well even with 12 solid volts.  So, buy a new one of them threre jobbers and plugged it in.  No joy.  Wiring from the head is funky and keeping the relay from kicking in.  So pull that wire off and it starts up after considerable turning over.

Like it was lacking fuel?  How the heck?

Once I did get it running I noticed a fine mist around the #2 cylinder.  I put my finger under and around the top of the injector and finally moved just far enough to catch a pin sized hole in the fuel line.  Crap, out to the shed and get another. 

But it was already too late to install, dinner time and my son was visiting and needed to eat and run.

So here is a question.  Is there anything short of welding the hole that will save that fuel line?  JB Weld or something like it?  Just wondering, as I do have a second and maybe third set of lines laying about the shop.

Just been one little thing after anonther lately.  I think it knows I have a new truck on order and will be selling this PU if it ever comes in. 

[fatmobile]

I don't think you can weld a pinhole in a metal injector line.
 I hope you didn't run your finger over the hole while it was running.
 Getting injected with diesel means that part needs cut off quick.

[ORCoaster]

I found the hole with the help of my son.  He had better eyes on standing farther away from the engine bay.  I used the fingernail and ran it under the area he was telling me to go.  About an inch from the injector, I got the stream to change directions. 

So he asks, how are you going to fix that?  He has a Dodge Ram with diesel and knows about the PSI.  I motioned to him to follow me.  I opened the shed door, reached across the workbench, and picked up another fuel line just like the one with the hole.  He said that was not only remarkable but a sign that you have way too many "spare parts".


So today I was chasing a bad injector problem or what I thought was a bad injector problem.  I could tell one cylinder was not firing right and so I pop-tested a second set of 130 bar injectors from the spare parts bins.  I started to replace them when I discovered that the head I just bought from Parts Place Inc. was altered in a not-so-good way. 

Someone in the past had drilled out the #2 heatshield and caught the head with the drill and had it gouged in three different places.  So now I need to start the warranty claim process.  Not so thrilled with their products.  I have purchased items from them in the past but have not had this problem.  So the saga continues.

According to their policy, I will need to send that head back to them at my expense and they will evaluate it for warranty repair or replacement.  That will be another 100 bucks from my pocket to the folks at UPS and Parts Place Inc will get to spend the same sending me another head.  That will probably be the one I sent back for a core charge, I know the head markings so it will be interesting if that happens. 

[fatmobile]

 Another horror story from the parts place.
 Bad I-shaft, bad clutch, and now a bad head.

 And I can't think of any good tales about them.

[Dennis Froelich]

That sucks Dale. What a pain in the A$$.
oblique's head looking better all the time...

[ORCoaster]

I sent some pictures of the injector and heat shield problems to Parts Place and got a call in to them this morning.  I wanted to know if they got the pictures.

They said they did and that I needed to also send a picture of the little number on the cam pulley side of the head to verify it was the one they sent me.  I explained I was calling from work and that it would be several days before I could get that done. 

No problem, they said, and they would send me a shipping label now so it arrives by the time I need it.  Why not email something like that?  Whatever, I am glad they are taking it back on their dime and that I will not have to be in some super-stress mode to get it back to them in a 30-day window. 

[ORCoaster]

OK, so here it is better than a month later and I still don't know when I will be getting a replacement for the head that was all messed up.

I sent back my old head right after I got the new one so I wouldn't get charged the 250 dollars they say it is worth as a core.  I also sent back the head they sent me so I am without anything and they have everything.

I sent an email message to the salesman I have been dealing with if you can call it that, and I didn't get any reply yet.  That was 10 days after the last message I sent and his reply was they were working on it.  So they must work real slow back there compared to the rest of the United States.  Maybe that is why I left that part of the world when I was done with my extended education.

Just doing an update.  Hoping for better news, or a new head later this week.