Cylinders filled with coolant

[mnrolla]

Well today I finished up replacing the head gasket on the 98 Corolla but when I went to start it, it cranked a couple of times and then went "whumpf" and wouldn't turn anymore. I pulled the plugs and #2 & 4 were very wet & #3 was wet. I looked in the plug holes and #2 was full of coolant, #3 & 4 had lesser amounts. The intake manifold & throttle body had quite a bit of coolant in them too.

I had to replace the head gasket because it was blown between cylinders 3 & 4. What should I be looking for to correct this? Could I have swapped a coolant line for a vacuum line? I thought maybe there was a cracked cylinder, but that wouldn't have let coolant into 3 cylinders.

Thanks for any help.

Bill

[Dave's]

Did you have the heads checked? They can warp enough a new gasket is no help. Sometimes they can be machined (at least this was possible on old cars).

[Raddman]

Did you mill the head down and get it fluxed for cracks Torque it in proper sequence and the right torque Lbs ...Radd Guy...

[mnrolla]

I guess I forgot to mention, that yes I did have the head inspected & done. It was .005 warped and it was machined back to (for lack of proper technical term) proper flatness. He also did a valve job.

I did torque it down per manual specs, in fact I read it 3 three times to make sure 1) I read it correctly & 2) that I understood what they said. I'd never seen or heard of the turning each bolt another 90 degrees after the 2nd round of torquing.

My manual doesn't show the hose routing. When I took it apart I labeled each hose as to where it came off from. Does anyone know of or have a routing/connection diagram?

Thanks again!

Bill

[Flashmn]

I had to replace the head gasket because it was blown between cylinders 3 & 4. What should I be looking for to correct this? Could I have swapped a coolant line for a vacuum line?

Well that sounds like the the cause. Sorry dont have a diagram of the hoses, I'm gonna guestimate them on mine.

[kamesama980]

oye...switched coolant and vacuum...baaaaad baaaaad news...hydraulic lock can blow out rods, split the crank, pop valves, crack head, demolish rings, etc. might wanna check that out.

[Flashmn]

Yeah, hydrolocking can break stuff... but not when you're cranking the car with the starter

[Guido]

Originally Posted by Flashmn

Yeah, hydrolocking can break stuff... but not when you're cranking the car with the starter

Maybe I'm reading it wrong - but how can you mix up a 5/8" coolant hose with a 1/4" vacuum hose?

[Flashmn]

I didnt see sizes anywhere, besides there are small coolant hoses in a carbie.

[Guido]

I didn't know a 98 Corolla had a carb.
Besides the brake booster vaccum hose, I've never seen a vacuum hose the size of a coolant hose - even the carb heater hoses are 3/8".

If the head was machined properly, I'll go with Raddman and guess it was not torqued correctly. Were new bolts used? Were they oiled or dry as req'd? If silicone was used on wet bolts, did it affect torque readings? Is the torque wrench properly calibrated?

If you still think it's a coolant hose, then disconnect all the hoses you're not 100% sure about, dry out each cylinder (remove plug and use a syringe to suck it out, then crank engine a few times with plug out). Clean and reinstall plugs, and try starting it. It may run like crap, but more importantly it should run dry.
If it still gets wet, before pulling the head again I would re-check the torques with another wrench. Just make sure to dry out each cylinder before attempting to start.

[punter]

Must be the hoses on the wrong way, the head gasket couldn't leak that volume of water if the motor was only cranked over "a couple of times"

[Flashmn]

Throttlebody coolant hoses (for the idle up system (if coolant operated) are very small and can be misplaced as vacuum hoses.
Yeah a head gasket failure cant suck that much water in during cranking or you seriously have something seriously wrong, like head totally off.

[Raddman]

Originally Posted by Guido

I didn't know a 98 Corolla had a carb.
Besides the brake booster vaccum hose, I've never seen a vacuum hose the size of a coolant hose - even the carb heater hoses are 3/8".

If the head was machined properly, I'll go with Raddman and guess it was not torqued correctly. Were new bolts used? Were they oiled or dry as req'd? If silicone was used on wet bolts, did it affect torque readings? Is the torque wrench properly calibrated?

If you still think it's a coolant hose, then disconnect all the hoses you're not 100% sure about, dry out each cylinder (remove plug and use a syringe to suck it out, then crank engine a few times with plug out). Clean and reinstall plugs, and try starting it. It may run like crap, but more importantly it should run dry.
If it still gets wet, before pulling the head again I would re-check the torques with another wrench. Just make sure to dry out each cylinder before attempting to start.

I haven't put a head gasket on in some years, aren't you suppose to label each head bolt also to make sure they go back into the original hole or doesn't that matter anymore ...Radd

[punter]

Originally Posted by Raddman

I haven't put a head gasket on in some years, aren't you suppose to label each head bolt also to make sure they go back into the original hole or doesn't that matter anymore ...Radd

I always use new bolts, its only $30 or so.

[toyotaspeed90]

first off.... if you want to get the coolant out (it makes a mess, but very effective) leave the plugs out and crank the motor for, oh, 5 seconds or so.... the compression of the piston will unhydrolock the motor....

to be quite honest (and sorry if i'm sounding like a jerk) i don't understand how to get coolant lines and vacuum lines confused..... the vacuum lines go FROM the throttle body or manifold to their respected places and the coolant lines run FROM coolant lines/inlets/outles to their respected places.... it really should be straight forward....