So... I've recently had my heat exchangers replaced becaue my old ones were old and leaky. But, it's still loud! Head Gasket leak!

So, since I need to use this car as a daily driver, I have to know.
Is is safe to drive around with a head gasket leak?
it seems to run fine, it just sounds like a lawnmower.

Didnt you just get it serviced?

Leaking anything in the combustion area is pretty much the same as a plasma cutter. Good things turn bad pretty quick.

plasma cutter...good description

head leaks sound like a wet flag flapping i a storm breeze

i hope they gave you your old parts cuz they most likely have nothing wrong with them. did they tell you it was a head gasket problem?

head gasket problem turns to this in a hurry:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=115794

That plasma cutter comparison was pretty good.

Mine sounds then same btw. It's only once it warms up does it sound terrible. Pretty sure I have a badly cracked head, along with #3 valve sunk. I drive it to the grocery store and back is about it, just to burn up the remaining gas. Kinda want to scatter the motor since it's a bus 2.0. Might be fun.

Totally drivable as long as you consider that the longer you drive it the worse the damage will be and the fact that you may end up stuck somewhere if the cylinder gets really bad.

Before I picked it up from the shop, since I picked it up on a weekend and didn't speak to the mechanic, he told me that there is a head gasket leak that is causing cylinder #3 to miss at idle but that it does fine once you get going.
That is my experience with it, I was hoping I'd be able to live with it for a little while but I guess it's gotta go back to the shop sooner than later.

Was your mechanic AA?
If so, I would trust what you were told.
If not....I would suggest a leak down test to confirm you dont have a valve seat that is crooked.

Rich

Yes it was AA, I didn't get a chance to talk with Sean when I picked the car up, so I haven't really gotten an opinion from him about the driveability.

I got it back and was still driving the work van for another couple of weeks, so I haven't really started driving it again until tis weekend, but I wil be contacting them first thing this week to se what I need to do.

Thinking about cleaning up the Bug!
drive it until I get this fixed...

If you have a head gasket leak, I'd not fire the engine up until it was properly addressed.

If not expect to need a new cylinder head, cylinder and probably a piston.. Drive it to death has a real meaning.

I cant believe they told you it was OK to drive with a head gasket leak. That is just wrong and stupid

well now it's at the office, I'll have to drive it home at least...

I'll have a couple of days off to try to get the bug back on the road, I get the feeling that the head gasket fix might not be cheap.

If you have 2.0 bus heads they will need to be tossed regardless of the damage caused by the head gaskets, unless they are relatively young AMC 2.0 bus heads.
A compression test is easy to do and will tell you if something is wrong, but only a leakdown test will tell you where the leak is.

This is what eventually happens when one continues to drive with a leaking head gasket. This was an otherwise cherry 2.0 914 head. It went on the scrap pile. What a shame!
Click to view attachment

Another angle. I could have repaired it, but once a casting has received this sort of damage it is compromised to severely. I felt it would have been good money thrown after bad and sold the customer a good core.
Click to view attachment

I remember they did a compression test and it was fine...

wow, it just cuts right through...

It should not be fine if you do indeed have a head gasket leak.
The compression test should have revealed one cylinder with lower numbers...
A leaky head gasket and a poorly fitted heat exchanger sound alot alike to most people.

Rich

A combustion leak and an exhaust leak sound nothing alike...

If you know what you are listening for. I don't, and I know more then the average car owner, and maybe even more then the average 914 owner... You do, but you know way more then most - live and breathe the stuff.

What is the difference in sound?

Zach

I got an estimate on repairing it, and I've decided that it would be cheaper to buy a new engine and have it installed.
So thats the plan, and I guess I'll drive it when I need to until then since I'll be replacing the engine soon.

more fun, too. Especially the driving part!

What are you going to build?

Zach

You just love to disagree with me...
To some, as Zach said, it may sound the same.
I know the difference...some may, some may not.

A compression test would reveal the truth...a leak down test would reveal more.

They are both cheap to do and I would suggest you may want to look into having one done again.

If I recall correctly, you brought your car in to have new Heat exchangers installed.
Since that time, you have a new sound.
makes me go hmmmmmmm.

Rich

the ticking/wet flag sound was there before, but I thought it was because of the heat exchangers, turns out it was in addition to them...

Not sure about what kind of engine yet, I think I may try for something a little more fun.

I wonder how much they would charge m,e to put the 3.0 from my 911 in it? Nah, I don't think I'll be doing that.

A baby and a chainsaw sound nothing alike. A combustion leak and an exhaust leak sound slightly different.

So what size engine are you going with?

Exhaust leaks are continual, combustion leaks are always worse under load.

Might I suggest re-torquing the head studs as well as the head nuts. You may (or may not) have a leak because the studs have worked themselves out a little.

Konrad

I'll be getting a newly rebuilt 1.7
should be better than the last engine, which I drove to florida and bought, which came out a rusty car and was claimed to have been rebuilt 30,000 miles prior.

Sweet! Glad you didn't give up on it. And also glad you are leaving it air cooled

It could have been rebuilt 30Kmi ago......right before it was parked under a waterfall and left in a meadow for 10 years

I would never put water in any car!

The fact that we don't have any air-cooled work vans annoys me, I'm sure people wouldn't mind me pulling up in an old microbus hearse...

I think have an exhaust leak which I beleive is causing a load popping noise and I just happened to see a flash when looking through a gap in the sheet metel; I believe it's sucking cold air, I first thought I needed a carb adjustment, but I think differently now, do you think this is the correct assumption? if so, does anyone have the correct torque value for the exhaust nuts[b]. P.S> sorry if I jumped in on your thread. Regards Mike

Sounds like you also might have a head gasket leak... Thats the only way that combustion would be see under the sheeetmetal..

Alright, now I am having a 1911 built!
It'll be nice to have a little more power!

I'm still driving it, it idles funny and makes some noise but it seems to be doing fine when driving.