VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION Forum Questions Help on my 1928 engine

In replacing my cylinder head on my 1928 ( stock four cyl.)when adding water after installing the head with a new copper gasket I have water leaking into my cyliner and out the exhaust withour starting the engine. Took the head off and had it surfaced because of corrosion around the water ports but this did not seem to help as it still leaks.I was thinking of using high temp silicone around the water jackets but not sure if it will hold under pressure. Can anyone help please? Thanks Denny

If you remove the head again check closely around all oil and water passages. When you replace it (you can use a good head gasket up to 5 times if you don't damage it)coat the head gasket liberally with axle grease on both sides. You could also use the spray gasket seal.

Also consider that you may have a cracked head.

Thank You and I will try KW Kopperkote spray if I can find any and I rally think it is the corrosion around the water passages and the copper gasket is not able to seal it,do you think a bead of high temp silicone would work? If it was cracked it would have to be a major one and all cylinders fill with water

I never recommend silicone for any application. I have very bad visions left from some of my uses.

A good cleaning of the top of the block and the bottom of the head will improve your chances.

High temp silicone sealer is used by several current diesel engine manufacturers to seal cylinder liners in the block.I have not used it for the purpose you propose but it may be worth a try.

Hey Ray,
You sure can get a headache from silicone "abuses" which is not the same as uses. I've seen complete failures of engines due to silicone overload causing plugged oil and water passages,but properly used it can actually cure a lot of problems.

I agree Just use the RTV exactly like the 1928 repair manual says! OOPS! there was no RTV when the 1928 Chevy engine was being built.

I always had good results using engine shellac, but I doubt that it will hold up to modern gasoline or diesel fuels.

I have had good results with Aviation grade Permatex in later model diesel and gasoline engines cooling system assembly.

In the case of the cylinders filling with coolant that quickly, I think that you have a bigger problem than the correct gasket sealer. I had several put togethers and pull back apart jobs on a Cat engine in a Fire truck that had a bad heating problem under a heavy pumping load, The radiator system would fill with high pressure steam, keeping any fluid from circulateing, it even burst the small steel return tank once, before I discovered that the impeller on the new waterpump was not turning with the shaft, That pump had been installed before we got the truck. By the way, I cut new water pump and thermostat housings gaskets by hand and used permatex all three times and never had a coolant leak, (The engine has two thermostats)and two coolant outlets to the radiator. My hair took several months to grow back in from me pulling it out on a couple of bad fires.
That old F0RD COE pumper had a lot to do with me retireing from the fire department. Someone had robbed the cab lift pump and cylinders and I had to lift and lower the cab with the Harbor Freight hydraulic pickup lift on my 1988 GMC 2500. That $100 sale item was well worth the money I spent for it, every truck mechanic needs one!
I scronged around and bought one, and it came in a day after we sold the truck, anyone need a cab lift system for a F0RD- MACK coe?

So you really never said what has been done to the head your trying to use other then surfacing it? You had it off for a reason, what was it? I've see this type of a problem in a 32 engine. The problem was with the valve seats which were replaced and when cutting the hole for the new seat the machinist cut just deep enough that you had a hair line cut into the water jacket. So the cylinder would fill up with water.

Also, if you had the head resurfaced your head bolts may now be too long and bottoming out and the head never gets properly mated to the block.

Ya, the guy you sold the truck to!! I've heard things are reallly big in Texas so have a big heart and send him your leftovers and gain all that storage space!!

Was the head gasket a composite type ,I once used a very dark grey composite head gasket and could not get it to seal in the water jacket holes (not enough compression ) to seal up ,I changed back to a copper gasket and no more problems ? just a thought.