On 2012-01-07, Ed Huntress wrote:
On Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:23:40 -0600, Ignoramus8679
wrote:

On 2012-01-07, Ed Huntress wrote:
On Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:48:20 -0600, Ignoramus8679
wrote:

On 2012-01-07, Bob Engelhardt wrote:
Ed Huntress wrote:
(1) Blown head gasket

(2) Cracked head

(3) Cracked block

Right, with the head gasket being FAR more likely. Probably 90 - 9 -
1%. For gas engines, anyhow - maybe a cracked head is more likely in a
diesel than gas.

Bob

I looked at the head briefly and I could not detect any cracks.

Crack(s), if any, will be on the piston side. In gasoline engines
they're typically tiny cracks between the valves. Cracks that lead to
a water jacket are less likely, but, in any case, you aren't likely to
detect them from outside of the engine.

Whether it's a cracked head or a blown gasket, you'll have to remove
the cylinder head either way. It can be very hard to tell the
difference even when you *do* look at it. Sometimes the cracks or
blown gasket close up when the engine is cold, and disappear under the
glurp of oil and water.

So you'd might as well get to it, and pull the head. Take it easy with
the gasket and keep it in one piece, if you can, so you can wiggle it
around and look for cracks.

If everything comes up empty, it's time for some dye penetrant on the
(clean) head face, and then the top of the engine block.

Good luck.



The head is already off, and lots of parts are messed up or lost. It
is a busted engine.

i

It sounds like scrap to me. It's too late to check the head gasket.

If you want to see if the head is Ok and maybe the engine is worth
salvaging (and if it were me), I'd take it to an automotive machine
shop and see if they can check it with dy penetrant. You may not get a
reliable reading if it's really cruddy, and they'll have to hot-tank
it first.

Neither process should cost much but I haven't had a head or block
hot-tanked for over 40 years, so I don't know. It probably is not
worth getting it Magnafluxed, but dye penetrant should show cracks in
a head if it isn't too loaded with oil and filth.


It is not scrap, it is a parts engine. There is only 163 hours on this
generator.

i