Coolant in cylinders

arizona88

Registered User
Hello. I am replacing the head gaskets on a '91 SC for a friend. He said he filled the antifreeze and took it around the block and that's when the engine started smoking. He turned it off, then tried to start it again, but it wouldn't turn over. He said he blew a head gasket. He did not remove the top bolt on the thermostat when filling the coolant. Upon removing the heads, each cylender had coolant in it. There was also coolant in the intake. I haven't seen this before on a blown head gasket where all cylenders were full of coolant including the intake. I am thinking it was an intake gasket or worse, a cracked block. Has this type of think happened to anyone else and if so, what was the cause?
Thanks,
Mike
 
my 93 did the same thing when the headgasket blew, except for the coolant in the intake. You might want to check the bottom end of the motor for a bent rod, since it hydrolocked, its happened.
 
Well that's what happens whenever you blow a head gasket is coolant starts to leak into the cylinder and it burns the coolant causing white smoke. The excess coolant could be spilling it from the intake upon removal. I highly doubt it has a crack block. Did it overheat badly or at all? Look at the head gaskets and see where they are blown. Get some picture of them so we can determine more accurately.
 
Cmac89 said:
Well that's what happens whenever you blow a head gasket is coolant starts to leak into the cylinder and it burns the coolant causing white smoke.

his uncertainty comes from the fact that there is coolant in ALL the cylinders. that would mean that both gaskets blow out between the water passages and all 6 cylinders at the same time? You're orlly correct in assuming intake manifold gasket.
 
If you just drain the radiator, and do not drain the block.
You will get anti-freeze in the cylinders when removing
the heads.

Randy
 
Number 3 cylinder on head gasket is bad. This would have been the one that hydrolocked with coolant. But as mentioned, all cylinders were full of coolant. If the intake was empty of coolant before removing it, I would also have coolant in the valley pan. Intake gaskets looked fine.

I don't know how much the engine over heated since they towed it to my house but do know it did overheat a few times. The car was sitting for 2 months before me working on it. Took off as much corrosion on the cylinder walls, but number one cylinder seemed to have a line accross the bore(almost like a hair line crack, but that wouldn't account for the head gasket to go out on number 3 cylinder. I am also concerned that the coolant has ruined the rod, crank, and cam bearings since the coolant was also in the oil.
Here are the pics of the head gaskets.
 

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Randy N Connie said:
If you just drain the radiator, and do not drain the block.
You will get anti-freeze in the cylinders when removing
the heads.

Randy

The coolant has been sitting in the cylinders for two months because each cylinder wall had corrosion on them from where the coolant has been sitting.
 
arizona88 said:
I am also concerned that the coolant has ruined the rod, crank, and cam bearings since the coolant was also in the oil.
Here are the pics of the head gaskets.

I would definitly take a look at the bottom end. If there was coolant in the oil and it has been sititng for 2 months, it doesn't sound good. If the intake manifold gaskets are good, and the coolant was drained, i can't think of a reaosnable explaination for coolant in every cylinder. If you are regasketing the entire top end, i wouldn't really worry about it, you're bound to replace whatever was wrong:p
 
I had coolant in the back two passenger cylinders when mine blew, no big deal it turns out, but I got lucky.
 
That little crack or line you talked about could be a cylender wall crack and would let alot of antifreeze into the cylender. Look at it very closley as you might be looking at a total rebuild anyway.
 
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