Pagoda SL Group
W113 Pagoda SL Group => Drive train, fuel, suspension, steering & brakes => Topic started by: Nikolaj on September 02, 2022, 07:57:58
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Hi all,
I am in doubt if my head gasket is blown. The car has been parked for around 2 years without me driving it.
The engine is running fairly well – I guess there is always something to improve and finetune – but I have noticed that it consumes cooling water and I can smell gasoline when I open the water reservoir (no bubbles) and as you can see from the picture there is leaking cooling water from between head and engine block. I haven’t noticed any other symptoms – compression test is fine, no oil in the water or vice versa.
Is it possible to re-torque the head ? or is it a new head gasket?
Thanks for any good advice.
Nikolaj
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Hi,
I would try to re-torque the cylinder head first.
Bring the engine up to operating temperature. Slightly loose cylinder head bolts, one at a time, in the sequence shown in the tightening diagram (https://www.sl113.org/wiki/Engine/TorqueHead), starting with 1, and tighten to the specified torque (110 Nm/11 kg/80 ft.lbs).
Good luck!
...WRe
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..I would try to re-torque the cylinder head first..
I agree with WRe, re-torque the head first. Have you seen any coolant leaking from the reservoir cap (indicating over-pressurization)?
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hi
i had similar leaks on my 66.
i tried re torqueing the head, with the guidance from Joe.
I went as far as to loosen the spark plugs in addition to removing the radiator cap.
but the re torqueing did not work.
purchased a new head gasket from metric along with a can of spray copper sealant, installed the new gasket and have no issues.
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Yes try re-torqueing the head first. It may not always work as merril has indicated, but worth a try. Don't forget to loosen the radiator cap first to relieve the pressure in the cooling system.