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318: water blown out of spark plug holes!

Fish Stix

Fish Stix

New member
Feel free to laugh - but I'd like hear some of my options

1 - it's an easy fix
2 - that's a massive screw up
3 - 360s are the way to go - buy two

After a truly extended maintenance period - I finally got the heads back on my port motor. The port motor is a FWC 318 with center risers and an unusual coolant route. The engines appear to be standard LA 318's but were marinized in the 1980s and confound many mechanics - I always wrote these mechanics off as non-chrysler guys.

As stated - I got the heads on using the Victor Reinz full gasket set. Since the heads were redone at a shop with their own parts - there were a few left over parts from the gasket kit.

The Seacock for coolant system is closed right now, but fresh water coolant system is full and not leaking (no change in a week), valve covers are on, distributor and spark plugs are the only task left.

Today I wanted to do a compression test to verify all was well. The engine turned over great, without spark plugs, and out came a blast of water from #2 that was really surprising! All the even side were spitting large drops of water with the starter engaged, and most likely the odd (port on port motor) were spitting water too.

The water level in the heat exchanger still hasn't changed - and the water ejected is not salt water. Oil still looks like oil and hasn't changed level.

Any idea where this water could be coming from? Any guesses? What part of the gasket set is/was critical to blocking water from traversing the mainfold / water inlet to the head?

The PO might have done some creative patching on the manifold - if that's broken internally, would water come out though the spark plug holes?

Thanks everyone one - feel free to chime in here.
Brooks
 
You mentioned that the Port Engine was FWC.... and I'll assume by that you meant fitted with a Closed Cooling system... yes/no???

If so.... and short of a bad exhaust manifold... or exhaust gas reversion....., why are you seeing any water in the cylinder at all???
This would normally be E/G.... (i.e., ethylene glycol).



Did you check the block deck for straightness???
Were these cylinder heads checked and/or machined for straightness???
Did you use the correct cylinder head bolt tightening sequence???
Were the cylinder head bolts torqued down properly???




What ever you do.... get this engine fired up ASAP, and evaporate the water from behind the piston rings.
Disconnect or disable the raw water pump, and give this engine a quick/short 10 second "dry start".

Pressure test your Closed Cooling sytem.
Perform a cylinder leak-down test on all cylinders.


P of E ..... (process of elimination) ..... is your friend!
One item, and one item only at a time.




.
 
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Was some fresh water is left in your risers, & manifolds from a garden hose? If so, maybe your manifold bolts are bottomed out on the threads, and the manifolds, & gaskets are not as tight as they should be?
 
I suspect you have a water leak into the motor from the exhaust system. Either a bad gasket, or bad exhaust parts. You might try removing the parts to pressure test them.

Jeff
 
As always - I value the information you guys all have - I went with the KISS principle and tore the intake manifold off. I did this because the Victor Reinz gasket kit never seemed right - see the attached picture which shows a pure metal "gasket" (no rubber, no silicone, no nothing). I didn't understand why it was all metal, but put it in thinking it would comptress and work perfectly. Yesterday, I saw the proper one, and the bells went off.
Why I blindly installed the "wrong" one I'll write off as a being a big dummy.

I put in a new / proper felpro gasket kit and cleaned out all the water and milky oil - two changes so far. I put come rust preventative oil in the cyclinders and the motor turns over fine, and I think I avoided a big big problem.

Anyone know what the "wrong" / metal gasket is for? You can see the wrong one on top of the right one in the attached photo.

I should have known better...
Brooks


ahah.jpg
 
X 2 Rick's question?

Should be able to use the plain metal with silicone sealer and/or fiber (paper) gaskets.

Did you install the heat cross over restrictor plates on the new gaskets?
 
daves69 said:
X 2 Rick's question?

Should be able to use the plain metal with silicone sealer and/or fiber (paper) gaskets.

Did you install the heat cross over restrictor plates on the new gaskets?
Click to expand...

"Should be able to use the plain metal with silicone sealer and/or fiber (paper) gaskets." I'm sure that was specified in the installation instructions,,, NOT!

Yes, restrictor plates need to go in.
 
You gotta be kidding me - I read all over the place that colder = better and thus no restrictor plates are needed.

Is this is physics thing or theory? Sorry to be obstinate, I'm just getting tired of opening this poor old motor up every week.

My manifold had 4 open ports - both sides in the center and both sides on the one end.

Attached is a photo of the cooling system - MINUS the top hose which has since been rebuilt with a bleeder valve it in (highest point in the system), and the connection of the port exhaust to back of heat exchange (old photo).

Thanks again for any additional opinions - I'd like to know if I really have to put the plates in...
Brooks

coolant.jpg

MikDee said:
"Should be able to use the plain metal with silicone sealer and/or fiber (paper) gaskets." I'm sure that was specified in the installation instructions,,, NOT!

Yes, restrictor plates need to go in.
Click to expand...
 
I was just flushing the motor out with hose water - must have been higher pressure than the system expected, but good that it blew though my silicon sealant and metal gasket mixup. The felpro gaskets are in and appear to be working as anticipated - even after a flushing.

Thanks for the help!
 
"You gotta be kidding me - I read all over the place that colder = better and thus no restrictor plates are needed."

You have three possibilities........
No plates (open) may make the manifold too hot and cause vapor lock and or overheating of the fuel in the carb.
Restrictor plates will limit the crossover heat flow to a degree.
Block off plates (closed) will result in a slow mechanical choke warm up but cooler manifold temps.
 
Great - now I get it. I thought that was a water passage! DoH

http://www.marineengine.com/boat-forum/showthread.php?409082-Intake-manifold-exhaust-crossover

daves69 said:
"You gotta be kidding me - I read all over the place that colder = better and thus no restrictor plates are needed."

You have three possibilities........
No plates (open) may make the manifold too hot and cause vapor lock and or overheating of the fuel in the carb.
Restrictor plates will limit the crossover heat flow to a degree.
Block off plates (closed) will result in a slow mechanical choke warm up but cooler manifold temps.
Click to expand...
 
Fish Stix said:
I was just flushing the ENGINE out with hose water - must have been higher pressure than the system expected, but good that it blew though my silicon sealant and metal gasket mixup. The felpro gaskets are in and appear to be working as anticipated - even after a flushing.

Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

Caution:
Our seawater pump (and seawater flow) is governed via engine RPM......, meaning that for a given exhaust flow (RPM), a pre-described amount of "spent" seawater is being introduced into the exhaust flow simultaneously.

So...... when using the garden hose to flush out the seawater side of your system (engine off), be aware that you may possibly introduce water beyond the mixing chamber and in the wrong direction.



When storing your engine, give it a quick 10 second dry/start with the seawater pump disabled!
This will blow your exhaust system dry.




.
 
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UPDATE: I truly love these Chrysler motors!

Obviously I've abused them to no end, and yet this motor, even after coughing up water in all the wrong places, continues to perform! After a myriad of issues, upgrades (Pertonrix ignition, Edelbrock 1409 carb, port mid-ship fuel tank), the boat performs wonderfully.

I'm sure something else will break in the meantime, but I did want to thank all who chimed in and helped me out.

Thanks again - Brooks

PS - we're in California, so our boating season has a few months months left.



Fish Stix said:
Feel free to laugh - but I'd like hear some of my options

1 - it's an easy fix
2 - that's a massive screw up
3 - 360s are the way to go - buy two

After a truly extended maintenance period - I finally got the heads back on my port motor. The port motor is a FWC 318 with center risers and an unusual coolant route. The engines appear to be standard LA 318's but were marinized in the 1980s and confound many mechanics - I always wrote these mechanics off as non-chrysler guys.

As stated - I got the heads on using the Victor Reinz full gasket set. Since the heads were redone at a shop with their own parts - there were a few left over parts from the gasket kit.

The Seacock for coolant system is closed right now, but fresh water coolant system is full and not leaking (no change in a week), valve covers are on, distributor and spark plugs are the only task left.

Today I wanted to do a compression test to verify all was well. The engine turned over great, without spark plugs, and out came a blast of water from #2 that was really surprising! All the even side were spitting large drops of water with the starter engaged, and most likely the odd (port on port motor) were spitting water too.

The water level in the heat exchanger still hasn't changed - and the water ejected is not salt water. Oil still looks like oil and hasn't changed level.

Any idea where this water could be coming from? Any guesses? What part of the gasket set is/was critical to blocking water from traversing the mainfold / water inlet to the head?

The PO might have done some creative patching on the manifold - if that's broken internally, would water come out though the spark plug holes?

Thanks everyone one - feel free to chime in here.
Brooks
Click to expand...
 
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