Massey Furguson 50

I rebuilt my Z134 engine after about 8 hours on the engine it backfired a couple of times and that was it, the head gasket blew, antifreeze all over the pistons and cylinders. Cleaned everything up and replaced the gasket, torqued it down (had to use a wrench on the side nuts) I got it running pretty good everything seemed ok. It was idling a bit high so I shut it off to let it cool down so I could get my hand between the block and carb to turn the wing nut to lower it. It started up and was idling low so I idled it up a bit then it popped and died and would not crank.
I pulled the plugs and looked into the holes and it looks like the gasket blew again. Does someone know a way to prevent this from happening again on these wet cylinder engines. I would appreciate any input. thanks

Did you re-torque the head bolts after you had it warmed up like your suppose to do??

No but I will next time thanks

O all the tractor engine I have ever done you are suppose to re-torque the head bolt/nuts after you have run one till good and warm. If you do not do so it is likely to blow the head gasket like your has done

this is my first wet cylinder engine I've done cars and motor cycles and never had a problem. I am a little aggravated with it mostly about the parts it took yesterdays three tries to get me the gasket and 5 weeks of waiting for it. the first one they sent was bent across the first cylinder you can tell they grabbed it on the end and it bent, the second one was folded in half the third was sent by the customer service guy in a nice rectangle box . thanks for the info didn't mean to vent so much.

On a tractor it does not matter if it is wet or dry sleeve one is suppose to re-torque the head on either type. I too have done many cars and trucks and motorcycle and lawn mower engines and never re-torque but a tractor well they need to be for some odd reason

A few things to check:

Has there been any over heating issues? If so, that is the quickest thing that will blow a head gasket.

Was the head surfaced? If not, have it machined to clean up, get a good flat surface to work with. Might even have it magnafluxed, especially if there are overheating problems or it has been overheated.

The cylinder sleeves and block deck, clean, clean, clean! Remove the studs, scrape and polish with scotch-brite. Were the sleeves replaced? If not, check them for cracks or pits or channels burned across the sealing surface. Lay a straight edge across the deck surface and the sleeves. The sleeves need to be as high as or a few thousandths higher than the deck.

Wire brush the stud threads, do not run a die over them! If this has been done, replace them, if in doubt, replace them. New grade 8 nuts are a plus, and grade 8 flat washers under the nuts will give true torque pull, keep the nuts from digging into the soft head. Run a tap in the threaded holes in the block. If any of the holes go through to the water jacket, seal them before putting them in. When torquing the nuts, start in the middle, work out in a circle pattern. Take them to about 20 ft lbs first, then 40, then 60, then 75. As said, retorque when warm. I always start up with the valve cover just sitting on, then I can watch to be sure the rockers are oiling, retorque the head, then reset the lifters. It's a pain dealing with the gas tank, but worth it in the end.

This is sort of unusual, the 134's don't have a history of gasket problems. Look it over closely!

I had all new sleeves pressed in, new pistons, new grade 8 nuts, no over heating issues, the only thing that wasn't done is surface the head, machinist said it didn't need it and I did not re torque, I cleaned it real good, Im going to try it and see what happens. I ordered the gasket today should have it by next Tuesday. I will let you what happens

One other thing I forgot to mention, the liners are not a press fit, they only sit in the block with the
friction of a oring holding them down when the head is off. Might want to check the heights, if any have come
up, rust will get under the seat and hold the liner up. A royal PIA to deal with! Good idea to bolt them down
with a couple of bolts and washers to prevent this.

What do you think about raising them up a bit and cleaning under the lip and sealing with green Loctite before torqueing it down. I have not pulled the head yet since the back fire , before I put it on the last time they appeared to be raised like the IT shop manual said.

"What do you think about raising them up a bit..."

No, the object is to not let them raise up any at all.

Since there has been coolant in the block, which naturally has rust and calcium and grit and all things nasty
in it, if the liners come up, that gunk gets under them and down in between the oring and the block, holds
them up and lets coolant leak into the pan. Then if one is held up, it won't let the head gasket seal
properly on the ones next to it or on the deck surface.

since the head gasket blew do you think I should pull the sleeves and clean them before I put the head back on. I put fresh antifreeze and water in it before I started it. Going out to drain it now and maybe pull the head later.