Super A Head Gasket Problems

HVFDfirefighter · Sep 9, 2017

I had to fix a stuck valve in the SuperA. Got that fixed.
Ordered new head gasket, installed, tighten all nuts to 65 ft
lbs. That was a few weeks ago. Got it all primed and painted.
Installed the radiator today. Started filling radiator. At about 2
3/4 gallons I heard a drip on the tarp I have on the floor. I
looked and I have antefreeze leaking ALL around the head
gasket. What do I do? Should I try tightening the nuts more?
If antifreeze is leaking out, is it mixing with the engine oil also?
Should I tear it apart and use copper rtv seal and put all back
together? Or should I just start over with a new head gasket?
I thought I had everything right done to smooth shiny bare
metal. If antedreeze is leaking out, I do not see how it can
hold any pressure from the cylinders. PLEASE HELP!
THANK YOU.

Wisconsin Cowman · Sep 9, 2017

Did you check that head was flat with straight edge or have it machined flat. Did you torque down the head correctly.

rustred · Sep 9, 2017

first of all.. what did u use to clean surfaces all shiny? if you got the idea to use a blending dic on a machined surface you just screwed the surfaces up. i am sure the torque is 85 lbs on that engine, i believe gene even said so if i remember. i spray permatex high tack sealer on both sides of gasketand let get tacky , many use copper coat also.
if all was cleaned properly retorque to spec and try that with coolant drained. myself i would start it without coolant for no more than one minute. sure am curious how you cleaned those block and head surfaces. also what type of head gasket do u have? metal or composite?

old · Sep 9, 2017

New spec for that engine is 85 ft/lbs. Plus you need to start it up run it till good and warm then re-torque the head bolts. I use copper coat on most head gaskets but when I did my BA I used 6 coats of aluminum paint but I also used a used head gasket when I did that one

mite-help · Sep 9, 2017

if its not going into engine oil, before another teardown, you have nothing to lose to retorque to specs, warm-up,recheck.

HVFDfirefighter · Sep 9, 2017

Bought a new torque wrench. Checked four of the. It's that I could get to without removing valve cover. They were o my on about 52-54 foot lbs. My question now is, can I retorque all nuts to correct ft lbs (which I thought was 65 but will now go to 85 ft lbs) or should I take it apart, clean it up, and spray both sides with cooper coat before trying to retighten? Right now there would be a little coolant between the gasket, head, and block? Can it still seal now if using the correct ft lbs. I did pull oil drain plug (I do not have any oil in engine yet). There was no coolant in the oil pan.

My old torque wrench was a needle style which I thought was suppose to be pretty good. It's max value was 65 ft lbs. My new one is a 1/2 inch drive, click type with a max value of 150 ft lbs.

HVFDfirefighter · Sep 9, 2017

Gasket is a FelPro, looks to be metal, not composite.

old · Sep 9, 2017

If it where me I would re-torque them and take the gamble. Only thing you loose if it does not work is a bit of time. If you do not try then you loose the cost of the head gasket and oil and antifreeze and time

rustred · Sep 9, 2017

yes by all means do the proper retorque on it. warm it up and retorque and set valves again. standard procedure. even going to 90 on final torque wont hurt a thing. do you have the threads lubed with copper coat or never seize? important also.
you did not say if you had the head checked for warpage, or what was used to clean head and block as that is a big deal if you have a leak. a composite gasket will seal itself.

HVFDfirefighter · Sep 10, 2017

I did use antisieze on threads. I did check both halves for straightness. Used straight metal edge and .01 thickness feeler. didn't have .001. I used wire brush to clean all. Did not have any scratches in it.

jimg.allentown · Sep 10, 2017

One thing that occurs to me is that if coolant is leaking all around, there has to be something major wrong. Even if you put the head on with NO gasket and torqued the bolts/nuts, it should not do that. This leads me to believe that there are some more drastic problems than a 20 ft-lb difference in the torque.
How clean was the head and block before you reassembled? Leftover material from the old gasket could cause this problem.
Did you put the head gasket upside down? A good possibility on many engines.
Did you check the block and head for flatness?

In my lifetime of experience of working on engines, I have never seen a head gasket leak like that. I highly recommend that you take it apart and find out why you are having this problem. I just don't see retorqing bolts will fix this. Keep in mind that those engines ran just fine for years at the 65 ft-lb torque and did not pour out coolant. The higher torque value came along later after engines had been in service and began to "show their age" later in usage.

HVFDfirefighter · Sep 10, 2017

So I bought a new torque wrench(click style). I had set all nuts at 65 ft lbs with old wrench. Checked with new wrench, one was less than 50, others were as high as 56 none were 65. I lossened all 8 nuts, put a little more anti seize on all threads, tightened in a crisscross pattern, each from 50 then 60 then 70 then 80 and finally 85. NO LEAKS! I still have to finish putting a few parts back on, rebuild carb ( I have the kit), put some oil in crankcase, start it, and warm it up. I'm guessing 15-20 minutes of running and then retorque to 85 again. Thanks to all of you who have replied and offered advice. I love this forum. It has gotten me out of a bind more than a few times. Thank you!

rustred · Sep 10, 2017

nice,get her running and run for about an hr. with rad covered as needed so it get to operating temp... if you have nothing to drag around with it. dont forget the final valve adjustment as that will change after head torque.

HVFDfirefighter · Sep 12, 2017

I have very little vacuum at the carb. Checked oil pan, it did have antefreeze in it. upon further inspection, I see there are two different head baskets available for a super a. The one I got is metal and has all round holes. I see the other one that is available has mostly all round homes and four bigger holes shaped like a loaf of bread. My tractor is a 1952 without a water pump. I ended up taking the head back off. Are the bolts suppose to be able to come out too? I cleaned both halves using wire brush. There are no scratches. Both halves are level to within .01. Thinking of getting new gasket, spraying with copper coat and starting over. Not sure which one to get though. Not sure if I can reuse the one I just put on and now took off. Like I say, maybe it was the wrong one to start with. Did go out and get a can of copper coat.

HVFDfirefighter · Sep 13, 2017

thinking of getting the other gasket. I see they have it on here but it does not say if it is metal or composite. Anyone know?

Hobo,NC · Sep 13, 2017

The first one I did leaked out the sides, I re-torqued it several times, it did help but no more problem than it was I went ahead and changed the gasket got a Fel-pro torqued to 90.

It was a farmall 100 gasket #hs7900s dunno if it fits yours.

https://www.fmmotorparts.com/fmstor...l-Pro-Head-Gasket-Set/p/RHS7900S#.WbmQjVWGOM8

BTW NO anti seize on the head bolts....

Super A Head Gasket Problems

HVFDfirefighter

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Wisconsin Cowman

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rustred

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old

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mite-help

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HVFDfirefighter

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HVFDfirefighter

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old

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rustred

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HVFDfirefighter

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jimg.allentown

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HVFDfirefighter

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rustred

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