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My baby is sick

SFC Cobb

SFC Cobb

Jesus Freak
Messages
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Location
Hurst, TX
I had the white smoke symptom again and this time it was not injectors. It was worse.

Headgasket on the left side. #6 had coolant in the cyl. The right side gasket had been replace around 30-40K back and it appears from what the tech says that it was leaking oil like it did the 1st time around.

He also found some bolts missing that apparently were left out as well as a turbo gasket missing. It appears the Chev dealer in Mishawaka, IN didn't do the job on the right side quite right. There is no other explanation for the missing parts.

This is a $3500 to $4000 repair job.
 
SFC Cobb said:
I had the white smoke symptom again and this time it was not injectors. It was worse.

Headgasket on the left side. #6 had coolant in the cyl. The right side gasket had been replace around 30-40K back and it appears from what the tech says that it was leaking oil like it did the 1st time around.

He also found some bolts missing that apparently were left out as well as a turbo gasket missing. It appears the Chev dealer in Mishawaka, IN didn't do the job on the right side quite right. There is no other explanation for the missing parts.

This is a $3500 to $4000 repair job.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear this....You should have them do headstuds while they are in there. That way you shouldn't have any more worries.
 
I was doing some reading at McRats ...something to the effect that Head studs are causing the cylinder walls to deform, maybe causing piston problems?

I hope not...I had head studs put in mine...I never did follow up on that thread...maybe i should...I'm having an issue of loosing coolant and the cooling system is pressurized again...don't know where it's going...I will tape a small bottle onto the overflow hose to see if it's puking it out...
 
Pepperidge said:
I was doing some reading at McRats ...something to the effect that Head studs are causing the cylinder walls to deform, maybe causing piston problems?

I hope not...I had head studs put in mine...I never did follow up on that thread...maybe i should...I'm having an issue of loosing coolant and the cooling system is pressurized again...don't know where it's going...I will tape a small bottle onto the overflow hose to see if it's puking it out...
Click to expand...

I haven't read that, I will have to search some....
 
It' the other D-max site, but I am going to do had studs in mine, either way. Man I am sorry to hear about that, we have a errible GM service department here in topeka too. I wish you the best of luck.
 
Pepperidge said:
I was doing some reading at McRats ...something to the effect that Head studs are causing the cylinder walls to deform, maybe causing piston problems?

I hope not...I had head studs put in mine...I never did follow up on that thread...maybe i should...I'm having an issue of loosing coolant and the cooling system is pressurized again...don't know where it's going...I will tape a small bottle onto the overflow hose to see if it's puking it out...
Click to expand...


I haven't seen that thread but it would be hard for me to believe that ANY headstud torqued in the proper sequence and correct torque specification could cause a cylinder wall to deform.

Stock or aftermarket headstuds are just a fastener. The use of aftermarket headstuds (stronger) is to eliminate the possibility of stretching the bolt causing the head to lift and blow a gasket under high boost and cylinder pressure.

IMO piston failure is do to heat and or fatigue by increased fuel and air delivery plus timing. Put it in simple layman's terms your cramming via a bigger turbo more fuel with twin CP3's higher revs and altering injector pulse and duration (timing) and eventually something is gonna give. That's why your seeing pistons crack and or melt deteriorating a cylinder.

I suppose with ARP headstuds installed and not allowing the head to float or lift to alleviate pressure blowing a headgasket then I suppose you can blame the failure on aftermarket headstuds but how does that make any sense?

If your pressurizing again I would look some where else like injector cup bad T stat or something else. If the ARP headstuds aren't installed correctly then all bets are off but I would gather to guess a blown headgasket before a cylinder/piston failure.

But what do I know
 
I'm not saying I have a piston failure...Somethings up and I just haven't pinned it down yet...and I do understand that the pressure has to be relieved either through the gasket blowing or the piston cracking...the issue with the studs were not necessarily the cause of pistons cracking do to the heads not lifting (though some say they would rather have head a blown gasket than a cracked piston note: these are high hp motors doing this though some say Rick D had a couple instances on 80hp tunes)
what I was reading was upon tear down there were abnormal wear problems in the cylinder wall and piston that some are attributing to head studs...


are these speculations correct? Heck if I know!

I'm not even saying my problem is related to them...sorry if it sounded that way...but...SFC mentioned wanting head studs, and after what I read, I'd be asking lots of questions...
 
iirc that thread was related to over tightening the studs. but imo head studs wont prevent the leaks you are having, they are simple gasket failures and not over power faliures like seen in other instances. aside from the edge in your sig your truck is fairly stock no? they use new head bolts and also have a newer cleaning precedure for the head surfaces. make sure they have them checked for warping at a maching shop. imo this is better money spent than studs.
 
I didn't mean you for say Pepp but just in general that it's far fetched IMO that a fastener would cause by itself a catastrophic failure to internal parts. IMO it's a combination of all the above I mentioned.

The average Joe running a 500 or less RWHP tune with stock injectors,turbo,CP3 etc etc blew a headgasket overtime which early LB7 some not all had issues were to install ARP headstuds like you for instance wouldn't cause catastrophic carnage.

In your case I would look for a problem as mentioned Injector Cup or possibly a head gasket again if the ARP studs weren't torqued correctly or re-torqued.

But this is just my opinion.


I have yet to read that thread you have mentioned
 
MACKIN said:
I have yet to read that thread you have mentioned
Click to expand...

it's not in a specific thread...it's mostly in one thread but has spilled into others...where the head studs were injected as partial blame...

and it wasn't titled anything with head studs...

I think it mainly comes up in the engine failure threads...
 
stacks04 said:
iirc that thread was related to over tightening the studs. but imo head studs wont prevent the leaks you are having, they are simple gasket failures and not over power faliures like seen in other instances. aside from the edge in your sig your truck is fairly stock no? they use new head bolts and also have a newer cleaning precedure for the head surfaces. make sure they have them checked for warping at a maching shop. imo this is better money spent than studs.
Click to expand...

All my truck has is the Juice and 4" exhausts. It has 272K miles and I can't complain about the head gaskets. The costs of having it fixed is a big hit especially at this time. I suspect the right side head may not have been done correctly or maybe not torqued properly.

The heads are in the machine shop being checked. Not sure if the head was checked on the 1st go round.
 
Mine has had a trailer behind it for a large chunk of those miles. They have not been easy miles running across the US and most of Canada.
 
Baby is fixed and running good. I am broke and need a loan that I don't have to pay back. $5259.64 is the amount needed.

35 hours at $100 per hr for labor. The rest was parts and tax.
 
Glad to hear she's running again. Price tag - OUCH!!

Running mostly stock, I had a set go too. Dealer didn't do a good job putting it back together (found many parts loose, incluing all my injectors). Now it's leaking again and fortunately I'm still under warranty, but will have to take it elsewhere to have it looked at initially.

Guess I had better get my motor build going so I have a replacement to drop in once the warranty is up. Gives me a year.
 
SFC Cobb said:
Baby is fixed and running good. I am broke and need a loan that I don't have to pay back. $5259.64 is the amount needed.

35 hours at $100 per hr for labor. The rest was parts and tax.
Click to expand...


would have been worth it to go to Merchants...$3400(+$500 for head studs) is what he quoted me if my warranty would not have covered it...


35 hrs?

they(MA) had the engine out on a stand inspecting the head gaskets in 4 hours!

when the warranty co. gave them the green light they put it back together and had it back in the truck and running in 5 hrs...

glad to hear you're running again though...I still haven't diagnosed mine yet...I'm betting injector cup seals...
 
The 35 hrs sounds excessive to me also. They had the truck for 2 weeks. The price of the parts especially some of the gaskets is outrageous. I don't know what you can about that when the dealer is doing the work.

There was a time I would have tackled the job but I can't do that any more.
 
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