Exhaust manifold removal help
- Thread starter Aaronlux
- Start date
Well I figured out how to remove/replace the gasket when its needed to get to a broken bolt. Now I've got what looks like it might be a major problem. I removed the upper radiator hose so I could remove the fans. This caused coolant to leak out and I used a solo cup to catch it, the coolant wasn't the radioactive green color we are all used to. It was reddish brown. I looked in the radiator and it looked to be green but Im not sure. I just had the radiator replaced after my car overheated causing the radiator seams to split. The shop did a full flush and replacement with a full size P5 rad, car was only picked up on Friday. I drove the car maybe 25 miles and now I'm working on a few other things that needed to be done(exhaust mani gasket, valve cover gasket, and belts) I've got my fingers crossed I don't have a bad head gasket. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Pics attached.
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I'll do that soon, I just changed the oil right before the whole radiator incident and it didn't look bad from what I remember. I guess for peace of mind I'll do it again once I'm done with the manifold gasket.
If you have coolant in the oil pan, thats a pretty sure sign its the HG since its not sealing the water jacket and cylinders. Unless i change the coolant frequently, it gets darker like that. but, its hard to tell from the picture if there's oil in there.
luckily we have a multi layered steel HG, so they dont blow super easy unless it overheats, the head warps, or just too much boost (detonation, too hot cyl temps, etc)
Less than a week ago. This is why I'm concerned. The car overheated when the radiator seams split.
did you shut it off right away? overheating is very bad for heads. if its warped, you will need to get it decked true or no new gasket will help.
Yeah I saw it was overheating I pulled off the highway and called a tow truck. I was towed right to a shop we goto and they took care of it. I got raped on the price since apparently the full size radiator is on national backorder(or so said the shop). If it is a warped head there is a good chance I'm gonna drop this car like a bad habit. What would it cost to replace the head gasket if thats the issue(ballpark)? I start nursing school in the fall and need a reliable car. No time for overheating or major repairs.
as long as the needle didnt peg all the way and you shut it off, it should be ok. I had a blown radiator and mine got pretty hot but my hg didnt blow. its when the needle gets to the very top of the gauge thats its no bueno.
the gasket itself isnt too expensive, its the labor that will kill you cause you have to remove the cams to get the head off, so itll have to be retimed and reassembled. Bothe the manifolds will have to come off too, so new gaskets there as well.im not sure how many hours its booked at but expect to pay 500+ (thats a low guess, ive seen it upwards of 1k), just depends on the shop
the gasket itself isnt too expensive, its the labor that will kill you cause you have to remove the cams to get the head off, so itll have to be retimed and reassembled. Bothe the manifolds will have to come off too, so new gaskets there as well.im not sure how many hours its booked at but expect to pay 500+ (thats a low guess, ive seen it upwards of 1k), just depends on the shop
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43975
Well sadly enough you got fail of several things. That brown color looks exactly as it did in my suzuki when I blew the head gasket. You could be luckily and it be rust but is that really lucky??
Swapping from the MSP to full P5 radiator is another fail. You just downgraded in radiators. The P5 doesn't seem to hold the added pressure like the MSP one....
For the price you probably paid you most likely could have gotten a Corksport full radiator....
But it's too late for that at this point.
Swapping from the MSP to full P5 radiator is another fail. You just downgraded in radiators. The P5 doesn't seem to hold the added pressure like the MSP one....
For the price you probably paid you most likely could have gotten a Corksport full radiator....
But it's too late for that at this point.
I see no evidence of the tell-tale milk shake that occurs when you get oil in the coolant. Looks to me like the shop used water straight out of the hose, not distilled water, and used very little coolant, if any. If I were you, I would drain as much out as I could and then refill with mostly fresh coolant, run that for a week and then drain and fill with the proper 50/50 mix. That reddish looking color could be rust or even, pink, GM style coolant.
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43975
I didn't even consider the hose water!!! My s*** looked just like that though!! I thought about the GM style coolant as well, since I had a Cutlass that used that stuff. but what idiot would put that stuff in a MAZDA???
I just called the shop because I was concerned about it and the guy I spoke to on the phone assured me that the color I described orange-brown is the color of the universal coolant they use. Once my dad gets home Im probably going to have him drive me over there so I can see this universal coolant for myself. I only let the shop do it because my dad wanted me to have someone to goto if anything broke afterwards. I definitely feel like I could have done more to the car for less than I paid them.
the universal coolant is orange, i think prestone makes it. right on the bottle it says any make and model, ive used it before. if that gives you piece of mind. i dont really see any oil in the coolant, usually its a different color and you can tell teh different fluids. I dont think its the HG. I could be wrong but it doesnt look like it from the picture.
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Yeah thats definitely a little bit of a relief. I showed my dad and he's fuming. Says I need to call and demand my money back because it looks like I got taken advantage of.
littlemimus
fear the mighty sandvich!
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- Mazdaspeed protege 2003
just be like you deal with this! you wanted me to go there!!!
get that s*** out of your radiator now. unless its ethylene glycol based, it should NOT be in your radiator and coolant passages. ask miguel about his block for more details.
go to your local mazda dealership (ford sometimes has it too) get 2-3 gallons prediluted at $15-20 each, drain that s*** out now. take out the tstat, disconnect the hoses, ****, even disconnect your turbo coolant feed/return... get as much out as you possibly can. rinse the rad out with mineral free water until it comes out clear.
properly fill it with fresh coolant, (i.e. dont seal the rad cap until the tstat opens) maybe add about a quart of water per gallon coolant and run it for a couple weeks. then dump that and put fresh coolant in again. but do the first change ASAP, or it could rust your block.
