coolant leak from cylinder head studs on Dodge enginel

[panelvan]

hi

i wonder if i can ask if any one on the forum has had this problem and what is the cure?

after doing a lot of work on my Dodge T215 engine when checking on the sump gasket after re fitting sump pan i noticed droplets of coolant on the sump lip. tracing it back i realised it was dribbleing down from above , in the area behind all the stuff on the left of the engine.   (drivers side)oil filter ,hoses and bracket, starter motor and lead, steering column etc. after removing filter and bracket it became obvious that the anti freeze was leaking up the 2 cylinder head studs that the oil filter bracket attaches to. i wonder is it going to be a cylinder head gasket problem or something more sinister like a crack in the block ? i am attaching a photo showing the trickle of coolant that had formed overnight after clearing flaky paint and crud that had built up behind the bracket.

any suggestions or advice would be gratefully appreciated

regards Mike

 

[Richard Farrant]

First check the cylinder head nuts for tightness. Could be leaking across the gasket and up the stud holes. Have you had the head off recently?

[panelvan]

hi there and thanks for the response. no i have not had the head off but you may have hit the nail on the head so to speak !

when i was doing work a couple of weeks or so ago i removed the oil filter unit itself from the bracket fastened on to the head . to do so i removed one of the nuts to get better spanner access to the filter clamps. i did not torque down the nut when i refitted it,  i just tightened with a spanner thinking that it was not necessary as the bracket itself and the 1 remaining stud which i had not loosened, would hold it ,and this may possibly be the cause of the problem. I will refit the bracket and torque down the nuts on the weeping studs and redo the rest of the studs and report back here. cheers Mike

 

[Gordon_M]

Drain down below that level, double-nut the studs, withdraw them, clean, blow out recess, refit with sealer using double-nut again.

It is also common to find these engines running with a higher pressure radiator cap than originally specified.  I think the original was 4psi.  Make sure the one you have fitted isn't too high, and "it has been there for forty years" isn't an excuse.  8-)

[panelvan]

Hi Gordon, 

Something else you mentioned made me think ....

After doing the earlier work on my radiator ,  i fitted a new radiator cap. On checking it properly i saw that it seems to be a 7 psi rating ! Although i have only run the engine for about 20 minutes maximum in total since then,  it could be that the higher than 4 psi pressure, if thats what it should be , may have been a contributing factor along with the 2 nuts that i did not re torque down properly , to the weep of coolant up the studs. I will discard that cap and refit the old one for now. I will try to get a new old stock one from Dallas as the old one is a bit worn and minus gasket.

regards Mike

 

[Gordon_M]

No problem Paul, but do confirm the correct rating before buying another, 4psi is just what I remember.  I have seen weeping radiators and core plugs that I think may have had something to do with caps that had too high a rating.  I used to run my trucks with that radiator caps fitted but a quarter turn back from locked down - basically unpressurised.

[panelvan]

Update... A couple of weeks ago after first dropping the coolant, i slacked off in sequence all the cylinder head stud nuts and this of course included the two suspect nuts,( the ones that i had removed when i took off the oil filter bracket). Then i torqued them all back down in the correct sequence to the correct torque settings .refilled with the coolant at started it up.  At first it seemed like it had cured the problem, but the next day the little weep of coolant out of the 2 stud nuts was back. The next step now is to get a new cylinder head gasket to see if that cures the problem. I will check out the cylinder head whilst it is off unless its plainly obvious the gasket was the problem.

regards Mike

[Richard Farrant]

Mike,

That is bad luck. When you get the head off, check it with a straight edge for any bow in the face. A engine machining shop should be able to face it for you if it needs doing.

Not sure if the studs go straight in to the water jacket,, if so it is possible they are leaking around the threads.