Cylinder liner gaskets leaking?

Hi all,
about 2 years ago I replaced the cylinder liner gaskets in my 1951 TED20. This was because the liners were sitting too low causing head gaskets to keep breaking.

Everything has been fine since then, until recently I noticed water getting in the oil again, so I assumed it was the head gasket again. No big deal, so I took the head off ... but I could not see any break or burn in the head gasket.

After a while the water level around the cylinders dropped ... the water was leaking into the oil pan! I can only assume that the cylinder liner gaskets are leaking.

How can that have happened? What could cause the cylinder liner gaskets to dislodge or warp? Could there be anything else causing the leak? Being a standard engine I am assuming it is *not* a cracked block!

- TS
 
On Continental engines the head bolts will leak around the threads in block and let water in. To prevent this we always use permatex #2 on threads when rebuilding. Don't know about your Standard. Just a thought.
 
I don"t know much about the Standards but do they have sealing rings at the bottom of the cylinder liners. I know the Continental engines use big o-ring to seal the liner bottoms. Is that what you think is leaking? the best way to find out is to pull the pan and fill the cooling system. Put a sheet of cardboard under the engine and watch to see where the drops land and then look above the drop marks for the leaks. If you see water around the bottom of the liners then you"ve found the leak.
 
If the Head is removed you MUST always fit large washers and spacers to prevent the Liners moving. Never turn the Engine over unless you have the Liners locked down or the Liners will move and the gaskets will be damaged. Have you checked just how much the Liners are standing proud of the Block surface, they should be standing out between .002" & .008" unless they are within this tolerance they will almost certainly leak. New gaskets will usually stop any leaks.
It may not be the Liner gaskets of course, if it is the Head gasket you should be able to see the marks where the leak is on the Head Gasket, don't touch the Head gasket surfaces with your hands or it will destroy any evidence there may be. We have already had a similar water leak this week and it was found to be cracked where one of the studs is screwed into the Block. It is difficult to see this as it doesn't open up until pressure is applied to the Head Nuts. You should also check that both the Head and the Block faces are perfectly flat using a steel rule across all angles of both parts, even being slightly out could cause your problem. Is there any chance that the Engine has been overheating as this could cause it as well. When did you last wash out the Radiator Matrix, this should be done as often as 3 or 4 times per day in really dry dusty conditions when you are mowing and grass is floating around in the air. This is sucked into the Radiator by the Fan and it acts like a fur coat for the Radiator. The Radiator should be thoroughly washed out from the Engine side towards the front with a medium pressure water hose or compressed air. You may be surprised just how much crud will come out. Be sure to cover the whole of the Radiator surface, get into all the corners. The Cooling system only holds a about 2 gallons of water and it needs as much cooling air as it can get when the weather is hot and the Engine is working hard..John(UK)[email protected]
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm pretty sure I didn't turn the engine over while the head was off. I am also pretty sure it never overheated, although my temperature gauge seems to have stopped working. The liners are just proud of the block, so I am pretty sure they're in the right position, but I'll do the check for flatness.

I will try and find out exactly where the leak is this weekend. I am still assuming no crack in the block, and will continue in such a state of denial until proven otherwise!

- TS
 
The tolerance of the Liners above the Block face is important and should be within the limits I gave last time or they will often leak. It is not enough that they are proud of the Block face, the measurement is important and you should check it carefully or expect the problem to continue....John(UK)
 
I filled the water chamber and can confirm that the leak is below the block, probably between cylinders 1 and 2... so I will need to replace the liner gaskets again. :-(

- TS
 
That is the usual place that they leak, they are not prone to this, we have some very old ones that still have the original gaskets. Check the Block below the Liners for cracks before you rebuild the engine. Make sure 100% that the seat for the gaskets are clean on both the Liners and the Block. It is possible that the Seat for the gasket on the Block is corroded and that is why it is leaking, that will take a bit of getting around if it is...John(UK)
 

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