Thread: Head gasket problem, 25 miles on new gasket

Okay so heres my problem im running into.

got my motor back in the car and all the little issues worked out, that happens after taking the engine apart.

So heres last problem to be worked out.

I was having a P0171 code and rough idle, figured out s/c bolts were a little loose. Tightbed up, no more code and idle problem seems to be fixed.

the car is getting hot, has new cooling system, i have noticed a small coolant leak on the back head towards the middle of the head. And this morning had the car started and gave it some throttle while i was under hood, and noticed a poof of white smoke coming from the back head area, and it had a coolant smell to it.

Is it possible my back head didnt get torqued down properly causing a "breach".

When i put the engine back together i torqued everything down to spec.
My neighbor said i should pull of valve covers and re-torque head bolts. He said its good to re torque things after a running it for a couple miles.

Soubds about right cause i had torqued that S/C down and it was a little loose causing that engine code & idle issue



What do you suggest

I did not spray copper spray on the gaskets, i have never done that before and never ran into this issues. I am hoping that its just not fully torqued down.

So you know the torque sequence and pattern to torque the heads down?

Heads were bought used and i had them resurfaced, new valve stem seals, and pressure tested

I did all the work myself, i know i torqued the S/C down but its possible i could have missed a bolt or two

How possible is it that the block is warped? Have u heard of that happening before?

I orginally bought the car with cracked heads and the engine dissamembeled already

I never had the heads that came with the car tested. I know he had it at a shop and they told him heads were cracked and he decided he didnt want to shell out $$ for new heads & paying a shop to fix it.

I noticed some marking on the old heads inbetween the valves that it looks like the machine shop was trying to point out where the "cracks" were.

It was a small hairline crack. And what i've been reading is alot of these heads have those cracks and people run them w/ no issues

Hope not. Ive put too much time & money into this thing.

Would a warpes block be causing running/performance issues?

I would think so, but im not an expert on these engines

Cause it idle's and runs great. Just that coolant leak and it getting hot

And no coolant in oil

Would a compression test on the rear head help?

Im going to keep fingers crossed that somehow torque was off and not a block problem.