Michiganshooter

I replaced the water pump, harmonic balancer, and timing cover, and on first start something is waaaay wrong... see video for noises... massive rattling / smacking almost immediately... it wanted to die so the engine revving is my dummy move. Smoke started coming from the rear of the motor after about 20 seconds, and coolant came out of the tailpipe and 2nd from last/rear spark plug. And the fresh oil is now showing milky white on the dipstick after this 30 seconds of running the motor.


So coolant is getting in at least the one cylinder, right? This truck had no issues with head gasket, etc, at all before I messed around with the front of the engine. Could it somehow have overheated enough in 15 seconds to warp the head and cause a new head gasket leak so quick?

Things I might have screwed up: a buddy gave me a new/used water pump from supposedly the same year but it has the smaller fan nut (36mm) and shallower screw/bolt housing (for the 4.9s built in the second half of the year?). The bolt pattern matches but I was stupid stupid stupid and kept trying to force the old longer bolts in, until noticing the new water pump flange is an inch shallower. So I was trying to force the right two bolts into the front cylinder wall (just behind the h2o pump). If I cracked that cylinder, letting water in there, could coolant have somehow transferred down to the rear cylinder?

Also - I slowly filled the radiator over the course of a couple days after doing all the work, instead of putting in a couple gallons, and topping it off as the engine pulls it in. I ended up putting in almost the whole 4 gallons before starting. Possible I overfilled it somehow and the excess forced itself into a cylinder?

Any thoughts are much appreciated - I hate to junk this thing after all this work!

Michiganshooter

Drained oil and coolant, refilled oil and started again without coolant. It's usually a smooth engine:

memoniz

I would say you probably did do something to it if it didn't sound like that before and now coolant is getting in. I wouldn't think the head or intake warped in that short a period of time. I have had my truck overheat several times and drove it till I got home, stopping for more water. My head gasket leaks, could be warped, but it's small enough that it would burn it out and sealer took care of it. Not knowing how hard you cranked on those bolts, that's probably what did it.

Once water gets below the rings, it can travel any where in the block.

Michiganshooter

This is wrenching on the right 2 bolts (with cylinder behind) before realizing something's wrong and backing them off

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

Doesn't sound good - at all. Compression test on #1 cylinder to start with. May want to tear everything you did apart on the off chance you installed some part wrong.
But it's not looking good.

Michiganshooter

Well, didn't even get to compression test - tore off h2o pump, sure enough, I'd made a nice big bolt sized hole in the cylinder head behind the upper bolt... don't suppose a little chewing gum would plug that..

kd3pc

Wow! Would not have thought the liner was that fragile.

Wow!

memoniz

Sorry to see that.

Michiganshooter

Yeah it didn't feel like punching through what I'd think an engine block / cylinder would be. More like a membrane of butter or something. Since the block is now toast anyway, I might see just how "bulletproof" these motors really are, and try to plug that hole with the tip of a grade 8 bolt (with some kind of super high temp rtv on threads?), or spring-loaded little plug on a plate (pushing against the front inside of block, retained by the h2o pump bolt)...

kd3pc

you might try some JB Weld...the 5 liter mustang group at my Drag strip used to get the rest of the season on small holes like yours...