Originally posted by Shawn
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bubbles from radiator when running with radiator cap removed,, This means nothing
This was the main sign that the Wendover mechanic based his diagnosis on. The bubbles were strong enough to shoot coolant 6 inches into the air... Seemed not normal to me (the mechanic and the bubbles) So I confirmed somewhere else that it was an indicator for a blown head gasket. I can't remember where I read it now.
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clattering sound when running usually when accelerating.
Could be that the valves are in need of adjusting or Rod knock.
Would having the Cylinder heads examined at a shop confirm this? Could this be caused by overheating?
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There seemed to be something in the oil when I drained it. I'm not sure if it was coolant or not. Would it be obvious?
Milky Oil
If there was anything in the oil, there wasn't enough to change the overall color and consistency. There did seem to be a very little bit of discoloring in the oil and some kind of corrosion on the drain plug. It reminded me of rust, but not quite. It wasn't there when I changed the oil a few weeks before the incident.
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Were any of you cylindars wet? Rusty looking? Sign of water?
I didn't pull the engine block drain plug (someone told me it wasn't worth the bother), so when I removed the head a lot of coolant poured out. I don't know if they were wet before that or not. They all seem very clean to me, no discolor or rust that I can remember. I will look at them again.
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Why were you stranded? What were the symptoms? Did some water get into you Carb when the hose blew?
I had already been struggling with overheating. I had a small leak around the thermostat housing and had put three gallons of water into it to try to make it to Wendover. After adding the last of the water I carried I stopped and let it cool and then tried to make it the last 15 miles to Wendover. It ran okay (good temperature) for about 4 miles and then the temperature gauge jumped from around normal to pegged in about three seconds. The clattering started before I could get it off of the road. I checked it out again and didn't see the thumb size hole that (I'm guessing) caused the temp to jump so quickly. I let it cool for another hour and decided to try to make the last 10 miles. It made the clattering sound when I accelerated, so I decided not to risk any further damage and called roadside assistance. They towed it to Wendover where the mechanic found and fixed both leaks, filled it with coolant and then had me start it up. He kept the radiator cap off and saw that it was spitting coolant and told me it was a blown head gasket. So I had it towed back home.
Ya,, I'd say your getting some compression in there.