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Blown head gasket woes


Insanejughead

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I had my cylinder head gasket give out on me not too long ago. Once I pulled the head, I found coolant getting into cylinder #4, and a chipped piston on cylinder #1. The gasket had been blown away between cylinders #1 and #2.

My question is this: how did all this happen to cylinder #1?

I can only think that cylinder #4 being under such stress also affected its sister cylinder (#1). I just want to hear from some other (more experienced) people than myself.


Regardless, I have to now pull the motor and redo the engine from the crank up.
 


RonD

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What engine and year is the engine?

I assume turboed, what boost were you running?


When you use boost you can cause pre-ignition, this eats away at the head gaskets soft metal ring that seals cylinder and head, it can also cause piston damage.

Chipped piston could also be a defect that only showed up now, was the chip found or did it go out the exhaust valve?

Is cylinder #4 coolant coming from head gasket as well or a crack in the head?

On 4 cylinders studs are often better than head bolts in holding higher boost pressure
 
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Insanejughead

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'86 Thunderbird 2.3t, stock (7-8psi)

The coolant in #4 was coming through a break in the gasket. I haven't had time to thoroughly check the head yet.

The chipped part of the piston was not found in one piece. It was instead melted onto the upper part of the cylinder and chamber of the cylinder head. I'm sure that it's going to be fun to clean...
 

RonD

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Then I would say inside of that cylinder got very very hot.

Google: piston pre-ignition

See if there are signs of that on cracked piston or other pistons.
 

Insanejughead

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Right. I know about pre-ignition.

I am just curious to know if something about cylinder #4 was related to what happened in cylinder #1.
 

RonD

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pre-ignition hurts the softest metal first, which is the compression ring in the head gasket, and then the pistons.
 

Insanejughead

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Right.

But are the two conditions related to each other?

Is the overheating in cylinder #1 a direct causation from cylinder #4? That's my concern. If not, then I know to watch out for both as separate conditions.

If you're confused by what I'm asking, please PM me.
 

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