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Coolant leak from back of head?

Old 01-21-2010, 02:38 PM
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Default Coolant leak from back of head?

This is not from my turbo, but from my MaX5 racer 91 1.6 NA. Too much very clear coolant is coming from the back of the head, going down near the clutch area. Hints/pointers?

I wanted to post this to M.net, but feared the 'is your radiator cap on' reply.

Thanks,

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Attached Thumbnails Coolant leak from back of head?-21012010656.jpg   Coolant leak from back of head?-21012010657.jpg   Coolant leak from back of head?-21012010658.jpg   Coolant leak from back of head?-21012010660.jpg  
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Old 01-21-2010, 03:14 PM
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if it's not the rear gasket for the heater core outlet, that rubber nipple, or the IM gasket....then it's the head gasket. Which, by the pics, is what I'll guess.
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Old 01-21-2010, 03:19 PM
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HG crossed my mind too.

Looking for pics of back of stock 1.6 NA head so get some idea what Im looking at. Got any?
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Old 01-21-2010, 03:21 PM
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not in stock form...

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Old 01-21-2010, 03:22 PM
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rear gasket for the heater core outlet
Uh, where is that? Its not the heater core lines.

that rubber nipple
Doesnt look like if, nor does it drip from there when runnin

the IM gasket
That would be from the side of the head right. That is very dry there.

then it's the head gasket
Bummer.
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Old 01-21-2010, 03:24 PM
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when my little nipple failed over the weekend, it was very apparent that it was the issue...the large splice in it was gushing coolant:



yours is dry, and it really doesn't seem like it's coming form the IM gasket, which would drip down the side of the motor...so unless that water neck gasket failed, or the heater hose attached it it is leaking, I'm still sticking with HG.
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Old 01-21-2010, 03:28 PM
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My guess is water neck gasket for now. Or I fucked that looping up.
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Old 01-21-2010, 03:42 PM
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It's hard to tell what's water and what's oil from those pics, but it looks like the spray is too high to be HG. Can check your oil to see if there's any coolant in it. It doesn't look like the water neck gasket since that whole assembly looks dry.
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Old 01-21-2010, 03:43 PM
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Originally Posted by TrickerZ
It's hard to tell what's water and what's oil from those pics, but it looks like the spray is too high to be HG. I would think the water neck is the culprit. Can check your oil to see if there's any coolant in it.
There is clear coolant on the garage floor. It's coolant. Ill check that water neck.
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Old 01-22-2010, 08:34 PM
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its prob the back seal of the HG
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Old 01-27-2010, 03:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Spookyfish
My guess is water neck gasket for now. Or I fucked that looping up.
It WAS the water neck gasket. Removed, cleaned, replaced. Not too bad of a job and the cooling is perfect now.

Thanks for all the input.
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Old 01-27-2010, 03:25 PM
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yay, my first initial guess.
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Old 01-27-2010, 03:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Braineack
yay, my first initial guess.
You win this picture of a clean rear water neck attachment point on a B6 engine.
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Old 01-29-2010, 07:50 AM
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This is a nice picture for future reference:
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Old 03-08-2010, 10:06 AM
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Having the same problem right now... thanks for creating this thread with such good pictures!
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Old 03-08-2010, 11:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Newbsauce
Having the same problem right now... thanks for creating this thread with such good pictures!
No problem. Do drain enough coolant so that that water neck can really dry before you put the new gasket on.
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Old 01-08-2011, 01:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Spookyfish
No problem. Do drain enough coolant so that that water neck can really dry before you put the new gasket on.
where did you get the gasket from?
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Old 01-08-2011, 02:56 PM
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this dont look good i pulled it off to inspect and this is what i found.
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Old 01-08-2011, 03:01 PM
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this
Attached Thumbnails Coolant leak from back of head?-006.jpg   Coolant leak from back of head?-007.jpg  
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Old 01-08-2011, 04:30 PM
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Now would be a good time for a coolant reroute.
http://www.etdracing.com/m-tuned/pro...products_id=85
You can also fab one up cheaper too, via the picture in the 4th post.
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