[Gambitt]

Tonight I tried to start up my 350 for the first time after rebuilding it. We have an engine stand where we can start engines up before dropping them in the car. At first it hit a few licks, then got to where it would just crank over and over. After swapping out a few parts, we found out that water was in every cylinder. This is a fairly stock 350 with 186 heads and an aluminum intake. What would be the most likely cause of this problem? The heads and block were magnafluxed before the machine shop did all the work on them. Could a defective intake cause this? Does anyone have any ideas...or seen this before?

Gambitt

[aonghus]

improperly sealed head bolts ? coolant has a tendency to creep up the threads through the water jacket into the cylinder

just my .02, im sure someone else will chime in

[Gambitt]

Well, I didn't put any sealer on the threads of the head bolts...is this something I should have done? Thanks.

Gambitt

[BillK]

I doubt that lack of sealer on the bolts would allow water into the cylinders IF the bolts were torqued properly. For water to be in every cylinder something unusual has to be wrong. Do the head gaskets look like they were compressed enough to seal ?

[Gambitt]

I haven't done anything but take the intake off up to this point. I used ARP head bolts and they were all torqued. I, along with the other guys working on this engine are stumped. I will probably pull the heads off tomorrow evening and see if anything is visibly wrong. Like I said, everything was supposedly magged by the machine shop that did the work...I am just wondering if they missed something.

[JimM]

to get coolant in every cylinder, something very wierd would need to be seriously wrong.

The only time I've seen this was a big block that the shop put the tapered valve guides in upside down.

[Gambitt]

Well, I did have valve guides installed...

[dnult]

Sounds like the motor didn't run long enough to get hot, so it has to be a pretty gross leak. You might try pressurizing the cooling system and see if you can find out where it is coming in. Perhaps drain the cooling system and then presurize it and listen for hissing down the runners and other places with a hose.

[Gambitt]

Good idea...yeah, the motor never ran...it hit a lick or two...then nothing. I have never seen anything like this.

[Silver69Camaro]

How much water? How did you find out?

I know many people who dont seal the head bolts, and they dont leak. I always do, though.

[Gambitt]

Well, enough that when it was hitting the compression stroke when cranked over...droplets of water shot out onto our hands. After this happened at number 1, we did the same for the other cylinders...there was enough that I could see it pooled up on top of some of the pistons...I mean it wasn't just running out of the spark plug holes, but it was enough to see easily enough.

[Gambitt]

Turns out, the exhaust valves are hitting the top of the piston...this must have cause the leak...in case anyone was wondering. Block was decked, but I don't think the heads have ever been shaved...they are stock 186 heads. Anyone ever had this problem?