Blown Headgasket Question

[DFINE160]

Ok I picked up my supra last wednesday from getting an engine swap. I had installed also a cometic triple layer metal headgasket which I purchased from Paradise Racing and some ARP headstuds installed on the new engine. Well the car was smoking a little white smoke when I picked it up and I thought nothing of if due to the new down pipe, test pipe. and the straight pipe to the rear of the car. Well low and behold on Friday while taking off from a red light under normal circumstances the car blew a big cloud of white smoke and the temp gauge started creeping up and the oil pressure started going down. I drove the 1/2 mile back to my house and opened the hood to find the engine smoking under the intake manifold area of the engine. Now with the taller headgasket and the stock boost I don't think this should have happened. I ran the crap out of the old engine with stock head gasket and stock boost and never had this problem. Could the mechanics not have torqued the head correctly or left something loose or is it the headgasket itself. Any help will be helpfull.
Thank You,
Daniel

 

[Boostedstr8six]

Any coolant loss or oil/coolant mixing? What kind of "smoke" is coming from under the intake manifold? Did the cloud of white smoke come out of the tailpipe? Need more info.

 

[DFINE160]

Any coolant loss or oil/coolant mixing? What kind of "smoke" is coming from under the intake manifold? Did the cloud of white smoke come out of the tailpipe? Need more info.

Well when taking off from the red light is when I notice a big cloud of either smoke or steam and it was all behind me. When I stopped at the next red light when the temp was going up it was coming from under the hood. I have a puddle of oil where i parked the car in the drive way. I haven't checked the coolant yet because i am still just pissed off about the whole deal. When I calm down some I will check it.

 

[Nick M]

Now with the taller headgasket and the stock boost I don't think this should have happened. I ran the crap out of the old engine with stock head gasket and stock boost and never had this problem.

The headgasket thickness and boost isnt really related to a BHG, unless you go overboard. You had a prior problem and it wasnt fixed right I am guessing. Or not correctly, as you stated, did the mechanic not torque it right? That is possible. So is the possibility that the head and block were not flat. Not even the necessary smoothness for the MHG, but the engine decks must be flat. The radiator has to work right, the thermostat, whatever caused the failure the first time.
I dont know that you had a failure, just assuming that based on you wanting the MHG.

 

[CSquared]

The headgasket thickness and boost isnt really related to a BHG, unless you go overboard. You had a prior problem and it wasnt fixed right I am guessing. Or not correctly, as you stated, did the mechanic not torque it right? That is possible. So is the possibility that the head and block were not flat. Not even the necessary smoothness for the MHG, but the engine decks must be flat. The radiator has to work right, the thermostat, whatever caused the failure the first time.
I dont know that you had a failure, just assuming that based on you wanting the MHG.

Yeah you have to be really careful in your preperation of the block and head. Each piece has a maximum amount that it can be warped for the STOCK headgasket to work properly, never mind an aftermarket gasket. I assume you got the head resurfaced but did they check the block?

Considering the severity of my headgasket problem, my car smoked for about an hour after the first start-up, burning off any leftover coolant residue.

There are really a ton of things that could have gone wrong... The most important thing though is whether or not the smoke was actually coming from your exhaust... also what color it was.

You ever think that maybe you popped and oil line? That would definetely cause the smoke, explain the drop in oil pressure, and the puddle under your car.

Did it smoke the whole way home? Did you lose power? Don't start the car again until you figure it out.

 

[SP 7M]

It's very possible that a mechanic that worked on it didn't torque it correctly or at all. It's not his car so what the hell does he care? I don't know if the garage has any kind of "warranty" on their work, but if they do, they should fix everything for you free of charge. That probably won't happen, though.

 

[DFINE160]

Thanks for all the info guys. I will check for oil lines and such. I did have a decrease in power and car shut off on me while at the second redlight. I haven't started the car since and the place that did my motor swap is supposed to come and pick up the car this week but still haven't shown up.

 

[billspreston01]

***reviving old thread***

I would do a longer search but I don't have the internet and I can only be on for a few minutes right now. The question is:

I was driving my car, started smoking, temp gauge spiked, I opened the hood and I was getting loads of smoke and some coolant coming from under the intake manifold (as mentioned in the first reply of this thread). The coolant is still full in the overflow tank and it looks perfectly fine, and there's no residue on the radiator cap. Blown head gasket????

I just wanna check before I go tearing the thing apart. I guess the real question is...could it be anything else? if not them I'm assuming head gasket. Just wondering if anybody has ever blown a coolant hose in that area.

Oh yeah...boosting 9psi in 1st gear @ 5krpm and got some smoke so I drove strait home. Thanx for the help.