Drive with a cracked head?

[olds307 and 403]

Another thing to try is throw on a lower pressure rad cap. Going from a 13 pound to 7 pound cap has eliminated many small leaks on both my Olds. That and block sealer should do the trick.

 

[Bonnewagon]

i never pay for head.jobs.

Badump bump- I walked right into that one!

Why not just yank the head where it sits?

Grassy yard, mosquito factory, no tools, no electric, no water, buttinsky old cranky owner, none of the things needed for a decent job. Might as well be in the middle of a desert. I'd end up killing him.

Why not take a free tow

Ever deal with stupid OLD people? Won't even allow a flatbed. Nothing will change his mind. I even thought of driving it away out of sight then right onto a flatbed. May still do that.

Jeep 4.0...2000-2001ish?

Yes, the infamous 0331 head strikes again. I think my 175k '00 is overdue.
This in one of those situations where if I just say FU and walk away the "family" will torture me forever because I "know about" cars. Reminds me of the line they used in 'Nam- "I'll surely go to Heaven because I've spent my time in Hell".

 

[TURNA]

Leave it where it lies if the guy is that stubborn. Let him fix it himself.

 

[Neill]

Hypothetically: If you had a cracked head, needed to move a vehicle that otherwise ran well, and towing was not an option, could you drive a vehicle a short distance with a cracked head? The drive would be less than 100 miles. The crack is at the top of a straight six head, between two exhaust valves, not affecting compression in any cylinder. Coolant is leaking up out of the crack and into the valve cover area, draining down and mixing with crankcase oil. The crack is small, and the leak is small, taking a long time to ruin the oil. You could remove the radiator cap which would stop the coolant from building up pressure. You could remove the thermostat too which would help relieve pressure. And finally you could drop the coolant level down to below the crack. Theoretically that would keep the coolant from leaking up into the valve cover area since that is the highest point of the cooling system. Without saying just tow it, do you think this would work?

Hypothetically: If you had a cracked head, needed to move a vehicle that otherwise ran well, and towing was not an option, could you drive a vehicle a short distance with a cracked head? The drive would be less than 100 miles. The crack is at the top of a straight six head, between two exhaust valves, not affecting compression in any cylinder. Coolant is leaking up out of the crack and into the valve cover area, draining down and mixing with crankcase oil. The crack is small, and the leak is small, taking a long time to ruin the oil. You could remove the radiator cap which would stop the coolant from building up pressure. You could remove the thermostat too which would help relieve pressure. And finally you could drop the coolant level down to below the crack. Theoretically that would keep the coolant from leaking up into the valve cover area since that is the highest point of the cooling system. Without saying just tow it, do you think this would work?

Just drop in a package of G.M. #12378255 cooling system seal tablets. Some G.M. dealers still have some and you can now order them on Amazon. Long ago my brother bought a '62 Olds Jetfire the with its' new alum. V-8 that came with head gasket coolant leakage problems, as I recall. G.M. averted, I believe, a recall by rediscovering the unmatched utility of finely ground walnut shells to seep in cracks and then expand, effectively locking the seam, even against anti freeze. It has always worked for me in sealing cracked blocks caused by freeze damage.

 

[melloelky]

Just drop in a package of G.M. #12378255 cooling system seal tablets. Some G.M. dealers still have some and you can now order them on Amazon. Long ago my brother bought a '62 Olds Jetfire the with its' new alum. V-8 that came with head gasket coolant leakage problems, as I recall. G.M. averted, I believe, a recall by rediscovering the unmatched utility of finely ground walnut shells to seep in cracks and then expand, effectively locking the seam, even against anti freeze. It has always worked for me in sealing cracked blocks caused by freeze damage.

I've gotten those @ napa before,i used them in my brothers north star way back.

 

[Bonnewagon]

I think I have a pack of those tablets somewhere. They do a good job as I recall. Sadly, the stubborn old b*st*rd is now fighting me on any help at all. I may just steal the damn thing and fix it in spite of him.

 

[pontiacgp]

I think I have a pack of those tablets somewhere. They do a good job as I recall. Sadly, the stubborn old b*st*rd is now fighting me on any help at all. I may just steal the damn thing and fix it in spite of him.

once you finished repairing his I hope my Jeep is next in line...😀

 

[Turbo Zach]

once you finished repairing his I hope my Jeep is next in line...😀

Do you guys see the pattern with these Jeeps? I got rid of mine after a couple years. Lost seven grand on that thing, but somehow think I came a head.

 

[Ribbedroof]

I've had pretty good luck with them, traded an old DJ5 that they gave me (for free!) at work for daughter's first Cherokee (93 2wd), and after she got run off the road by a neighbor, replaced it with a 96 (4wd)

Aside from a crank sensor wire issue, no real trouble, especially given the mileage these things all seem to have on them.

 

[MrSony]

Someone say crack head?