Hi I'm new to this forum and I am from the Netherlands. So please excuse me for my bad written english.

I am helping a friend with his 1959 Ford F100 truck. It has a 292 Y-block.

The problem is that he is loosing cooling water. I found no leaks to the outside of the block. Pulled the valvecovers and they were full of white sludge. So the water is leaking into the engine.

The engine does not smoke when started so I think it is not leaking into the cilinders but into the block itself. So i pulled off the cilinder heads because I thought of a blown head gasket. But the (composit)gaskets show no signs of blown thru at all. The fire rings are all okay. I do not see any traces between water and oil holes either. Head gasket looks like it was clamped evenly at the whole surface. I can not find any evidence for the water leak.

I have to admit that I am not familiar with the ford Y-blocks because I'm more of a Mopar guy. (okay, please don't shoot me)

Are there any other posibilities of water leakage into the block? Is there a chance of a cracked head? Do these heads crack easy? The engine did not run hot according to my friend.

The only thing that I can think of is a leak between the water passages and the pushrod holes. But no signs of that on the old gaket. The head bolts were really thight. I had to loosen them with a 3 feet pipe on my breaker bar.

Do you guys have any idea where to search the leak?

Kurt, I think your written English is better than a lot of peoples on here, including mine...lol (there I go, making enemies and new friends at the same time.



But on to the problem. Start simple first, so have we checked the timing chain cover? heads? block? Not much else I can think of.




BOB

Kurt: First, welcome to the site. Secondly, you should get a commendation for your written English!.. I don't know what the problem is likely to be, but a cracked head is a possibility. Check the area between the center exhaust valves. And what about the cooling system, frost plugs or heater core? Also some of the sludge problem could be a result of the crankcase venting being completely plugged up. Often the intake vent which is through the Oil Filler Cap is completely plugged with dirt & oil residue. And some Y-Blocks have a canister exit vent on the side of the block which has a horse hair filter inside it, which can be totally plugged up.. Good luck with your problem search..

Paul

Kurt: I forgot to mention, we don't shoot Mopar guys here...now Chevrolet guys that's another matter!...

Paul

Hmmm, I do regret I did not do a pressure test before i pulled the heads. I will see if i can get the heads pressure tested seperately at a machine shop. I took off that vent canister on the side of the block. It was empty. Nothing like a filter or so in it. I was wondering about that canister. There is a pipe at the underside pointing down. That should be for the draft. But there is also this thing on top of the canister which looks like some sort of a hose adapter. Inside this adapter is something like a small orifice or maybe a one way valve. Should there be a hose connected to the canister? The canister is a chrome piece so i doubt it is the original one.

There is also a chrome breather on the oil filler tube. Clogged with sludge also. Too much to be from condensation only. My friend had to refill the radiator reguraly but never found any puddles of water underneat his truck. So we do not think it leaks to the outside. I thought about the water pump and timing cover. But could not think of a way for the water getting in the engine there. Unless the timing cover is cracked behind the water pump maybe?

I did a search on the forum and read about head bolts bottoming out in the holes. Maybe that's why the bolts where that tight? Also there were no washers underneat the bolt heads. I will get new head bolts anyway. Do you guys know where to get a set of new head bolts? I was planning on getting a full gasket kit. Is Fel Pro a good choice for this? I have used Fel Pro for all my mopars with succes.

I read somewhere here that a big block chrysler thermostat should fit the Y-block?

Sorry for putting so many questions for e newbie. But this seems to be the only right place to gather information on my problem. There are no Y-block specialists in the Netherlands. And no replacement parts on stock either.....

Kurt:

Welcome to the site.  I hope we can help you resolve the problem with the truck.

The long head bolts along the top row.  There are 4 bolts that are 1/4" longer than the other 6.  These longer bolts go at the ends of the heads, front and rear.  If they are installed in the center 6 holes, they will likely bottom out.  There are no washers on the head bolts.

How about the oil in the pan?  Is it milky looking like under the rocker covers.  Does the oil level increase as water is lost from the radiator?  If it is, then water is getting from the cooling system to the oil.  If it is not milky, then the stuff under the rocker covers is probably condensation.  Are you having wet/humid weather there?

Fel Pro gaskets are good.  Also, John Mummert (you can link to him from this site) sells Best brand gaskets, also very good quality.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Now that the heads have been removed, examine the combustion chambers and spark plugs in detail for traces of coolant being burned or passed through.  Pressure testing the heads at this point is a good idea just to insure that they are not the root of the problem.  If all looks good here, then pulling the pan and/or timing cover may be the next step.  If the engine had antifreeze, then leaks are hard to spot whereas if the engine had straight water, then some rust trails may be evident.

 

Grade eight bolts in the correct lengths will suffice for replacements.  Hardened washers under the heads are also a good idea.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)