I had a lot more coolant puddling up on top of my water pump than the small drops in your picture. I had bought the whole top end gasket kit thinking it was at least my valley pan, if not worse.

Come to think of it, I had oil puddling up worse than anything, I think the oil was leaking from around the valve covers. I had coolant that was actually "weeping" right thru the walls of the short piece of hose that connects from thecurved metal heater pipe to the port by the water pump. That was why I went ahead and bought the whole upper gasket kit. Then I found the socket (ordered by NAPA and picked up 2 days later) and decided to try tightening the valve cover bolts.

As it turned out, my valve cover bolts were all really loose. I bought a deep well 12 point socket (the necked down 3/8 drive) and that was all it took.

How much pressure did you apply or do you know?

I would check tightness of bolts first. I also would like to know from Eric and the others who recently did HG jobs, which bolts they found the loosest. If the rest of use can avoid big problems by verifying bolt tightness, we would all benefit to know which ones we need to check.

 

All of my intake manifold bolts were loose except the pair most furthest aft. Those were only tight as they had corrosion 'securing' them in place.

My valve cover gasket bolts were not tightened at all. I need to get the proper socket myself.

 

It seems that a lot of the "major" issues all start with or at least share a lot of little things that act like mushrooms and grow in the darkness of the closed hood. If we can avoid that or at least correct them, they are really impressive.

WOW, what a gem of brillance that was.

 

A little locktite goes a long way.... BTW I found those "necked down" 12 point sockets in 3/8 drive by Kobalt at Lowes Home Improvement Store. While you stalk the tool department SWMBO can usually find something of interest in the store....

 

I'd have to go back and check my threads but I believe some of my rocker cover and plenum bolts were loose. Maybe the intake manifold too.

 

After further evaluation today here is what the conclusion is:
I only put 7lbs of PSI on the system! The cap on radiator is 15lb psi cap.
I started her up and nothing happened... NO leaking which freaked me out. So I let it idle for 20 minutes, still nothing. I decided I would run a HG tester on it just to see. It passed the test. At least after 30 more minutes there was no exhaust gas in the coolant... (KNOCK ON WOOD, IF I SHOOT MY MOUTH OFF TO LOUD.... we all know what happens...) I then talked to mr. disco mike to see if there was something else I should check. He told me to look over my hoses and if I still couldn't find it, it is probably a bolt. I then noticed something odd. The heater hose that is on the right side of the engine that goes to the 90 degree elbow which runs along the valve cover was oddly out of shape. It wasn't circular. It had this great big bulge on one side and it is obvious that it is puking out coolant at the end. It looks like brown snot. (wonder why, all coolant is only 3 months old) I decided that I might as well check all my other hose clamps and found the one that goes from the radiator (top) to thermostat to be so loose I could move the clamp around it. Which makes me wonder how in the hell that happened(s)?!?!??!?!? I tightened it down. I drove around the block a couple of times and nothing leaked out, I think I can say this is resolved with a "loose hose clamp" BTW my $600.00 radiator from BP Utah is leaking. I have a new one coming but they are trying to screw me out of $100 for shipping my old one out there and the new one to me. What type of warranty is that???? It's not my problem they sent a defected radiator that cracks down at the weld and works its way up the tank.

 

That little short piece of heater hose that connects from the 90 degree bent rigid pipe to the block by the water pump on mine was severely cracked, allowing coolant to ooze out and collect on top of the water pump. I did not notice it until I had my alternator off. I routed new hose from the block to the firewall deleting that short section of curved rigid pipe as well.

My original vacumn hoses from the valve covers to the plenum were so old the insides were basically dissolving. Replacing those with hose from the local parts store still allowed a bit of a vacumn leak, since that one hose is a different diameter at each end. Ordered those from AB, the new ones fit fine.

I also have the entire upper gasket set sitting on my shelf as I bought it before I found the loose bolts on the valve cover and the above coolant leak. At least I did not jump in and pull the intake since I was convinced my valley pan gasket was obviously leaking. Actually it was not, just the really loose bolts in the valve cover.

 

Could you please take some pictures of that?? I would like to see your routing. I will drive it again tomorrow and see if it leaks at ALL. My valve cover is a little loose but no leaking.. I can see the oozing on the drivers side cover. Just needs a 3/4 12 point socket RIGHT BUZZ/?? I know you know because you tell a lot of people about it! They sell them at lowes as well???? Luckily, I can walk into lowes without a SWMBO...... haha

 

8mm 12 point, 3/8 drive, necked down (slim on business end)

 

Don't you guys have a 1/4" drive deepwell 8mm laying around? How much are you going to torque them?

Sorry, OT.

Back to the BPUT story.