Farmall 560 head gasket frustration

I have a Farmall 560 gas that I recently tore into due to it fouling plugs. Found multiple issues. Ended up sending the head in to the machine shop after first head gasket attempt failed.

I installed the head- all new gaskets, torqued to spec, etc.- I ran it up to temp, retorqued head bolts, and ran it some more (was planning on setting rocker arms once I knew it was good to go). After an hour or so I bumped the rpms up to 2000.

It started spewing oil out from around the cylinder 3 spark plug, and began to blow smoke. Rolled my eyes, and turned tractor off. Oil and antifreeze all over.

I did not use the copper coat, which may solve the issue- but also noticed something else. The head gasket, with the out-of-round fire ring, was sitting on the ever-so-slight lip of the cylinder sleeve on one side. This doesn't seem right to me, but correct me if I'm wrong. Would this cause leaks (as it is not flush?)?

Long story short, having issues, and looking for suggestions. Never had a problem with head gaskets in the past until now. Thanks.

The gasket must be correct, and the cylinder sleeve protrusion must be in specification. If a sleeve is sticking out it can cause major issues. if the gasket is incorrect again sealing issues. Jim

do you know if there were more than one option for head gasket? got the gasket through Steiner's

I would say defective head gasket if the seal was out of round when you put it on. The ring must be round and sit on top of the liner. If they replace the gasket, be sure it is round and fits, possible if it came from the same batch it will be made wrong also.

As Jim says, the height of the liner above the deck surface is critical. If any liners came up, they now have debris under them and will need to be checked for proper height.

How much deeper did you go? Rings? Just doing a top end will not fix fouling plugs and oil consumption.

i talked to the machine shop, and at the point we were at he recommended doing the head, first, and then look into going deeper. I took a compression test and all cylinders were over 100, but i believe they are supposed to be quite a bit higher. However, ive heard of motors running on less (probably not the greatest tho, lol). due note this is after the machine job (resurface, valve job, springs, etc.) before the machine job i had cylinders anywhere from 30 to 100 psi We considered the fact that worn guides and/or valve seals could allow oil by, and allow it to go into combustion chamber, and i also knew there was 3 valves and a spring that needed replaced, so we started there.

Im also puzzled because the new gasket is identical to the old one i removed when i took off head, and it didnt have the issues near to the extent im having now. The liners being within spec is also a good point, but how would they move after being pressed in?

im also puzzled why some of the head gasket fire ring lays on the sleeve, and some of the gasket lays over the block face. The images i see online show it being out-of-round, you'd think it would need to be round to go around combustion chamber?

I looked up the IH head gasket number in the CNHI online catalog for the C 221 for the 460, the C-263 for 560, early 706 and 656, and the C-301 for the 806, they all show 164418R1 which subs to A182162 with a nice price of $275!! I have no idea if the replacement aftermarket gaskets cross to this number or not that would need to be checked out with the vendor. I know a gentleman that used to post here did not like anything but IH or Victor brand gaskets and called out the FelPro brand as junk. I personally have no opinion. In the mechanical repair part of my career I installed a lot of Victor gasket sets and really had no problems, but in my experience I can say the same for FelPro. Now this next part I am not real certain of and in your case you do not say you had the sleeves out and your picture does not seem to show new sleeves. But I am not certain but I think the sleeve protrusion only comes into play on the D-282 and other diesel variants of that engine. I am pretty sure in the gas engines the sleeve retaining lip installs into to machined relief and bottoms out so that the top of the sleeve is flush with the head surface. Now I would not take that to the bank,
Pete23 would be able to answer this correctly. However, checking the sleeve height to be nearly flush is important in this case. Next did you run a tap in all the head bolt holes in the block and blow them clean. Then place a few drops of oil in each and blast it with an air blower and rag over it to disperse the lube on all the threads? I also like to buff the bolt threads on a wire wheel, this smooths out any jagged places on the thread faces that may catch under torque. In a case like yours where I have an issue I would run a bolt down in each hole just to assure there are no thread in issues. Then always lube them with clean engine oil and make sure the under side of the bolt head is lubed well where it mates to the head. I do not think it is possible but are you sure the gasket was installed with the right side up? Only way I could tell you for sure would be to see the gasket dry fit both ways. I also agree with what was said about thinking oil consumption issues will be alleviated by working the head, that is probably a false hope. Unless by chance the valve guides were so worn you could stick a number 2 pencil lead between the valve and the guide. My 2 dimes worth.

I live about 15 miles from Steiner's. Not saying they are bad or anything like that. I just can't afford their prices when I have priced parts there. I would suspect the gasket if setting on the sleeve if it protrudes enough to hold the head up any at all.

I had a head gasket fit problem with one of my Fords twenty years ago. It seems that the head bolt size had been increased during production, so of course the holes in the gasket were made larger too. The problem was that the early smaller hole gasket was eliminated, so using the one with larger holes on a motor with smaller bolts made it necessary to take great care to get it lined up just right------------If you had any idea that you were working with a gasket designed for the bigger bolts.

(quoted from post at 20:25:40 06/12/22) I would say defective head gasket if the seal was out of round when you put it on. The ring must be round and sit on top of the liner. If they replace the gasket, be sure it is round and fits, possible if it came from the same batch it will be made wrong also.

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I seem to recall a discussion on this not long ago, and the out-of-round fire ring was deemed to be "normal" and "correct."

I don't Know the answer. The parts listing for that engine should show serial number breaks and years. Jim

I missed this discussion but will add, the shape of the head gasket has to match the combustion chamber in the head and that is why hole is not round.

IH did this forever on older tractors like H up to 450. Was a caryover because the 560 engine was adapted from the truck engine that no sleeves.

This makes the sleeve flange protrusion over block critical so fire ring can seal where it crosses off the flange. A little sealer like Indian Head in those spots help a lot.

As for the lower spot between cylinders, common and may or may not cause a problem. Again a little sealer does wonders in right places, not all over gasket.