do I have blown head gaskets

[jers36]

I hadn't started my truck since sometime around thanksgiving so about 2 or 3 weeks ago I went out in the garage and started it up, a cloud of white exhaust came out the tail pipe for quite a little while then cleared up. Today I started it again and there was no white smoke or anything visible coming out the exhaust so I guess everything is ok. However while I let it set there and idle and come up to temperature I noticed around one head stud a little liguid foaming very slight on the drivers side hardly noticeable. I checked the passenger side and one head stud had what looked like black oil around the stud just a drop. Could I have blown head gaskets or worse yet a cracked block. Last summer on a drive it over heated and was spewing antifreeze out the over flow onto the engine and lost quite a bit of fluid till I could get to where I could get off the road and call AAA for a tow. I checked my oil on the dipstick and it looks normal no contaminants.

[VeryTangled]

jers36, are you losing coolant or is it staying constant? Smoke-ish at startup is not a super concern.

[tubman]

Sounds like excessive moisture in the system. It's pretty normal with the temperature changes involved.

[jers36]

I have been having a problem with overheating and lose coolant out the overflow.

[Ggmac]

Try just filling the radiator about an inch over the cooling fins . If you fill it too much it’ll just expand and come out the overflow. What temp does it run at ?

[jers36]

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I have the original temp gauge in the truck with no numbers just a normal line and from it 1/2 way to the top another short line. Driving it will stay at the normal line and when I stop at a light or in slow traffic it will heat up and spit coolant out the over flow. So eventually it gets low on coolant and starts over heating before you know it. You can't see the coolant in the radiator when you take the cap off because there is a metal panel with a small hole in it so you can't see the fins.

[Flathead Fever]

When I was at work, a leaking head gasket that would cause white smoke out the tailpipe when it was first started would almost always have a cylinder misfire until the smoke stopped. The water or steam in the cylinder prevents combustion. If it's a really small leak, once the coolant is burned off it will run fine the rest of the day. The temperature could even be normal. The leak might even quit as parts heat up and expand. Overnight the coolant will seep into the cylinder again. It's hard to tell in cold weather if the smoke is just condensation or a coolant. If your running coolant the exhaust will have a sweet smell. Check your coolant level to see if it is going down with no sign of where it went. See if has a misfire when you first start it. Pull the spark plugs and see if one of them is shiny like new. At work we used to let the engines cool down, pull all the plugs. Then we would use the Stant tester and pressurize the system to 14 lbs. and let it sit a few hours. Then we stood out of the way to see if it shot coolant out of one of plug holes when we cranked it. You can't pressurize your flathead radiators that high only to 4 lbs. You might also try retorquing your cylinder heads. If you have not been running coolant electrolysis could have eaten away the gaskets or heads. Very important to run a 50/50 coolant mix, it not just to prevent overheating.

[Flathead Fever]

Originally Posted by jers36

I have the original temp gauge in the truck with no numbers just a normal line and from it 1/2 way to the top another short line. Driving it will stay at the normal line and when I stop at a light or in slow traffic it will heat up and spit coolant out the over flow. So eventually it gets low on coolant and starts over heating before you know it. You can't see the coolant in the radiator when you take the cap off because there is a metal panel with a small hole in it so you can't see the fins.

Don't overfill it above that metal plate when it is cold. That area above the plate is there for expansion when the coolant is hot. Old cars do not have separate overflow tanks, they are built into the radiators. That coolant needs room to expand when it gets hot.

If its overheating at a stop its most likely because there is not enough air flowing through the radiator. On a modern car it could be an electric fan not kicking on or a thermostatic controlled fan slipping. If the radiators were plugged, they would usually cool okay at idle and then overheat as the demand on the cooling system increased, like when climbing a grade. A lot depends on the outside temperature. If you can see the tubes are plugged in a radiator, then you know that's the cause but when you can't see the tops of the tubes, like when there is an expansion plate or it's a crossflow radiator then I would road test them up a mountain road. If they ran okay on level ground but started to get hot climbing the hill, I knew the radiator was probably plugged.

You can carefully put your hand on the radiator core and see if there are cool spots which means the tubes are plugged or use an infrared gun.

Is everything original, the radiator and fan setup.... We know originally it worked so then what has changed?

[Lawson Cox]

What FF said, however, if the radiator is plugged, it will usually puke water out of the radiator.

[47Monarch]

Did the exhaust have a sweet smell. If it did could be a problem antifreeze smells sweet .

[rockfla]

Have you pulled your plugs to see what they look like right after the issues you describe above? It would seem like IF you have an issue with the head gasket THAT would be one spot as a source for your white smoke issue.....Potentially!!! That would also tell you a lot more about the engine has a whole. ALSO "IF" coolant and or oil are getting into the cylinders, spinning the engine with the plugs out "should" show evidence of such, as well!!

[deuce_roadster]

Have you looked into the radiator while it is running at idle? Constant bubbles coming up is a good indication of a blown head gasket or worse.

[jers36]

Thanks for all the advice guys I really appreciate it. I had already pulled the plugs last week to see if they were all firing they looked good. I checked the torque on the heads today and for the most part they were fine a couple needed snugged up a bit. I use prestone 50/50 coolant and today I got some more and carefully refilled the radiator so that I didn't fill it above the plate in the radiator. I started looking all over the place for leaks and found a slow drip at the water pump shaft on drivers side. I would imagine driving down the road there is a spray of coolant flying out of there and evaporating on the hot engine parts and other places. So now I guess I better find some new water pumps they mount on the heads.

[VeryTangled]

Originally Posted by jers36

So now I guess I better find some new water pumps they mount on the heads.

Many people have found sending their cores to Skip Haney to be a good solution. Search a bit and you'll find his contact. He's in Punta Gorda. Help him out and pack your pumps really well and he'll be able to use the same to send it back. I'm a several-time satisfied customer.

You might send your coil and condenser too for a refresh and proper test.

He also has a 3lb pressure valve you can fit on the overflow tube that gives a touch more boil over protection, which you didn't really report, but the 35 and 36 I have took a while for me to get used to their cooling personalities. Overfilling is a thing.

[richard crow]

buy a cylinder pressure test kit. there not expensive follow the instrustons. it will tell you eng. conditon valves rings & head gasket

[Jeff/Illinois]

One of our Model A's will do that slightly after it has sat all winter. After about a minute it clears up and never does it again all season. No loss of coolant no oil in the radiator no coolant in the oil. Nothing leaking.

Been doing that for about 30 years runs fine!