How to test manifolds
 

Hey guys I have a pair of some weird manifolds which I suspect they are leaking because my oil keeps gettin water in it, I changed the headgaskets heads were sent to machine shop to be shaved, and am still getting water in oil these manifolds seem
To have been home made

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...x/IMG_1106.jpg

Friend throw those junk pipes as far as you can . I hope you didn't ruin a good engine with those . You can find good used exhaust manifolds in the swap section cheap . Who ever sold you those should be nutted . :angry-smiley-038:

I know I gotta throw them away for sure but I don't know if I should buy new ones and then the motor still be getting water in the oil

If the milky oil started after installing those abortions then be assured they are the source . :poopoo: Are those water cooled ? i don't see a water inlet . Water coming into cool engine exits via the water cooled exhaust . There is a wealth of information here , study and ask questions before you do anything . Don't be the " Knowledge gained is in direction proportion to parts ruined " guy . Lots of good guys here willing to help for the asking .

Yea , that's what i was getting to . Hope someone didn't plug water dumps on thermo housing to run dry pipes . :poopoo:

The pipes are not dry they are wet also when I took them off from the engine they had water indeed the exhaust part..

That's proof positive right there that's your problem . Check for damaged valves and guides and hopefully it's limited to that .

After doing the heads I only took it out on the water for ashore period of time you think it could of damaged the valves and guides?

Fresh oil and a compression test will tell you about the valves . Who knows , you may be lucky . Water on hot exhaust valves turns to steam , up the valve guides it goes and condensates under the valve covers , water droplets then drip into the oil turning it to milk .

So I guess it's the manifolds leaking then..

Boy! those are old Stainless Marine I think. I have a sm block set on my wall from 74 when SM was in a garage. Junk em.

I just took one of them off and there was some water in the exhaust part, and 3
Out of the 4 exhaust ports on the head were Wet..

Before you turn that engine over remove the spark plugs . You don't want it to hydrolock and bend or break parts or flatten bearings . Turn it over with plugs removed to exspell any water that may be laying on top of pistons . Spray WD or Marvel mystery oil into plug holes and crank over to stop rust on cylinder walls . Get the milky oil out of her . Spray WD on exhaust valves also . Good luck . I hope you can save her .

I will do that tomorrow and ill remove the other manifold as well ill keep you guys posted thanks a lot

Just
Took
The other manifold off and there is also water inside the manifold and the exhaust
Ports on the head are wet

would be better to start the motor, even with no manifolds at all. run about 30 seconds. will blow out all the water (on the top of pistons) and the heat will dry out the little left. drain and replace the oil also. if water in oil, might take 5 oil changes to get it all out...another possibility. this is a big block. i am assuming raw water cooling, not antifreeze and a heat exchanger. salt water? or fresh? the valve guides rot out and pass water direct into exhaust passages.

do not attempt to start the engine,as stated in an earlier post,the cylinders may be full of water,you don,t want to hydraulic the engine,pull the plugs and turn engine over by hand,use a long ratchet and a 3/4 socket on the harmonic balancer bolt.if you found water in some of the exhaust ports,id bet some got in some cylinders.

I've already cracked it up and it starts just fine, you think the valve guides might be rot? They only had around 1 hour of use since the rebuild

I had a friend with an old woods truck with no manifolds on it and he started it and the noise and fire shooting out of the heads put me to my knees I was laughing so hard (with my ears plugged), I can only picture it in an engine compartment!!

Get a set of manifolds and be done with it

Am doing a compression test tomorrow to seehow things are

Just did the compression test and every cylinder was at 118-120, I did had water in the spark plug of cylinder 1

I'd pressure test the manifolds for confirmation. To do that plumb city water to an inlet nipple, plug any outlet ports. Then turn on the water and watch for water to appear in the exhaust gas section of the manifold. It will be obvious if they are leakers.

plug all the water ports, leave one to install a guage and a shrader valve like on a tire you can add water to the manifold just a little so you can see water pressureize with air and watch the guage with air pressure a leak is more to show up because the heat expands any crack while the engine is running, good luck had the same problem with a set it was spraying water on the exhaust valve and bending it only way i found it was with air pressure aprox 13 lbs should do it.....

This manifolds have no way to pressurize them..

Here where the water comes out of the manifold there's no way to plug them

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...psf97ddd26.jpg

You trying to pick a fight? :party-smiley-004: JK of course...

My KEs have held city water with thier thin walled cast aluminum. I will say I was a bit nervous the first time I did it but no problem. My thought is headers may need a good amount of pressure to show a leak cold as they may only leak when hot.

If you cannot figure out how to plug your exhaust then I'd surely try to get a pressure test on the cooling system of the engine. Without knowing either the engine tests tight or the manifolds leak you are just guessing it will be fixed.

It might be easier to pressureize the exhaust side instead of the water side. You can get a good, flat, heavy piece of wood or even better, a piece of flat steel plate, and lay a header gasket against it to mark where the bolt holes would be. Drill out the holes, get a set of header bolts and 3/8" nuts for the back side, and bolt the header or manifold to the plate with a good header gasket (a piece of flat rubber would work well as a seat too). On the other end where the exhaust exits, install one of those 4-inch rubber plumbers plugs that snug up with a bolt or wing nut. A little lithium grease helps with a seal here. Then drill and install a schrader valve in one of the exhaust ports on your flat stock jig, pressurize with air, and listen for leaks. You can put a tire gauge on it to note the pressure, and let it sit overnight to see if it holds. A little bit of soapy water around the flange and plug will tell you if you are leaking air in those areas if it does not hold air.

Worked for me to test my Lightnings!

I've done this before too. The way I used to see if there was air leaking was I put duct tape over the exhaust runners that bolt to the head. Any air leaking at all would presuurize/blow up the duct tape. If the tape stays limp over the exhaust openings you have no leak.

I took the manifolds connected the hose and as the water was coming out of the ports that it meets the exhaust part the water kind of repels back down the exhaust
Part the spraying pattern causes it to create water reversion