I did a head gasket job a couple months back and I can't seem to get it right. I have had it apart twice now, the first time I had the heads measured for warpage and the machanic told me they were within spec. I followed the instuctions in the rave manual exactly. After reassembly it seemed to run okay. I put a few hundred miles on it and it began to get worse. I notcied it was low on coolant. I refilled and checked the spark plugs. Sure enough the driver side spark plugs looked great as I replaced them when I did the HG job. The passenger side plugs were blackened badly. I figured there was only one thing the could effect those for cylinders...the head. I got a professionally remanufactured head for that side and did the job all over again. As it stands I am in the exact same position as I was before. The passenger side spark plugs were blackened and I have a bank 2 O2 sensor that is throwing a code I am assuming for the steam in the exhaust.

What could I be doing wrong? Could there be a problem with the block? I have read up on some other threads but just can seem to match my problem with anything else.

Prior to the HG job it was leaking coolant on the end of the head out on the front of the block and was not leaking into the motor at all. Silly me I thought I could make the problem better not worse. All I had to do before was add coolant every 2 weeks but I wanted to get it fixed.

Any possible solutions would be great!

 

Is it leaking now anywhere? When you pull the plugs is there water in it? What was the O2 code you were getting? You might want to do a pressure test on your cooling system 1st to determine where the leak is.

 

Post all the codes you have from the OBDII scanner.

Blacked plug is usually too rich.
If you crank the engine in the morning then when it starts, shut it off asap.

Pull the plug.

Smell the plug.
Lick it.
Taste antifreeze?

Yes, then you are back to square 1.

No antifreeze?
Plug wire maybe.
Plug itself.

If you have O2 codes - you need to deal with those.

The antifreeze going down the exhaust pipe headers and into the cats - ruins the O2 sensors and the cats.

See

http://jeffreyfall.com/landrover

 

Sounds electrical to me..

Can you install a HG upside down or backwards on one of these fine little Buick v8's??

Nothing wrong with the heads...your not going to get all 4 plugs to foul due to a head...

Some ideas.

 

I will take a few pictures of the plugs and post them. I'll also report the obd2 codes this evening when I get home.

It seems like I can smell coolant in the exhaust and I keep adding it and it doesn't seem to be overfilled. I don't think I installed the HG wrong as it is pretty clear which way it goes. It has 'UP' stamped on one side of it. Also it is not leaking any fluids externally right now. Doesn't seem like there is coolant in the oil either.

 

'It seems like I can smell coolant in the exhaust and I keep adding it and it doesn't seem to be overfilled.'
"Also it is not leaking any fluids externally right now. Doesn't seem like there is coolant in the oil either."

theses are never promising statements

 

Usually coolant added and being consumed and not going on to the ground is going out the exhaust and the cats.

You'll smell a really strange smell in the garage - a burning smell about 10 mins after the discovery is shut down.

IN my case - meant the head gasket was gone on my 1997

http://jeffreyfall.com/landrover

I would put two cans of Barr's leaks into it to tide you over.

 

Check the adaptions between banks I'll bet you have bad o2 plugs and they are full of oil.

 

Yep.
LandRoverMastertech has good advice as always.

Just plug your code scanner in and put it on live mode
and see if you can see the O2 sensors working or not.
The volts go between .1 and about .9 on the two front bank 1 and 2.

The back sensors just go to about .235 or so from memory when you are going up a hill under load.

I documented some of this at

http://jeffreyfall.com/landrover

From a different life I had back then!

 

I have given up on salvaging the O2 plugs, Get some new Bosch o2s and butt connect them right to the harness.