[FASTCHEVY]

Hi guys.

I've got this 89 Silverado 305 in the fleet (highway crews) that I keep up
and the night before it got down to 15F I filled the rad with antifreeze but did not crank the engine due to the muffler being blown off and it being after
midnight. Got to keep the neighbors happy right?
Well I get it roadworthy that week, and me and the owner are moving it
around right, and just before it leaves out i check the oil and it is full of milkshake.
It took on alot of water for how little we ran it, 10 min max. There was no
antifreeze in the block, just straight water cause freeze/water would leak out
so fast.
So how bad could this be? Intake gasket? or cracked block?

[Da Hellion]

Depends It might just be a blown head gasket. Pull the spark plugs and check for one or two that look like milkshake as you call it If there two together then the head gasket blew inbetween them .Ether way you should take both heads off and replace the gaskets if that's all it is but make sure you locate where the water came in and If it is a head gasket check the head and the block where the gasket blew to see if it tunneld.While the heads are off look in the cyl and see if you see any fine lines that would indacate a crack. More often then not they will leave a little rust trail Good luck

[STATUTORY GRAPE]

I doubt if it's a head gasket, freezing won't effect a head gasket. My bet is a cracked block or head. Take a light and shine at the side of the block in the area where the 3 digit number usually is, you might have a cracked block, if it is you should be able to see it or at least see water running down the block when running the motor. I've seen many of these crack a block and the stupid #!@%^$ frost plug won't pop out. I seen a block freeze and crack open so far you could see the outside of the cylinder wall in the water jacket. If you pull the heads, it is an absolute must to have them magnifluxed to see if they are cracked. Just my .02 . I was a dumb *** once and didn't winterize my boat soon enough because I was in the middle of a paint job, when I finally got around to it the block had froze and busted right open. I could have bit a hole in the bottom of the milk bucket, I was so mad Incidentally we pulled the motor apart and found that it had been rebuilt recently, there were still cross hatch marks in the cylinder walls. I'm so dumb

[FASTCHEVY]

I forgot to say that is does seem to run on all 8cyls with no steam cloud.
It was running weak before, but is not any worse.

[deno]

Hi, this is deno, if you can do a leak-down test before you take the engine apart it might save you some time. go on Google ,they will show you how to do this test.If you think that you have a cracked cyl or a head, you would have to change the test.loosen the rockers all the way to test for the head leak . set one cyl at a time at tdc and check for leakage in the head. You will hear the leak. If not, set each piston at bdc you will hear the air out of the dip stick. eather way liston to the radiator at the same time TDC could be the head. And BDC would be the engine block

[docvette]

Doc here,

Just prior to pulling the engine down, get a can of K&W block seal, follow the directions (to the letter) and run a can through it.

The object here IS NOT to seal it up , or a snake oil fix, but K&W has suspended copper in it...when you go to pull the engine down, you will notice GOLD STAINS everywhere it had a leak.

Don't rule out the manifold and bolts..the bolts go through the water jacket and if they back out, or no sealer was applied to the bolt threads, will leak big time..305's are notorious for this. If the manifold is aluminum, It too may have warped.

What ever you do..be sure to run the parts through the local machine shop for magna flux, and warpage checks.

Doc

[johnsongrass1]

You are going ot find the crack about 1 inch down from the deck right between the center cylinders. Sometimes they break but aren't really visible. You see the water running from what looks like the head gasket area. It's tough to see under the manifolds too. If you can't find anything on the outside the it's probably broken in the lifter valley about 1 1/2 inches below the deck on either bank on the cylinder "bulge". Alot of times they break through the head into the intake port's. Evidence of water on one of the plugs can verify. You might also verify by running engine to temp and letting it cool. Remove plugs and crank. See if water comes out the plug hole.

Will somebody stop Docvette? He's outa control again!

[Hippie]

Originally Posted by STATUTORY GRAPE

I've seen many of these crack a block and the stupid #!@%^$ frost plug won't pop out.

Contrary to popular belief those are not "frost" plugs, they are "core" plugs from the foundry where they remove the sand from the casting cores. They are not meant to push out, they will but only when you DON'T want them to.

Another place small blocks like to crack if you let them freeze is right down the center of the lifter valley along the top of the inner water jacket. My buddy bought a street rod with a fresh 355 and took it right away to get an interior put in it expecting to get it back by the end of the summer. The upholstrey guy took his sweet time and had it over the winter. My buddy got it back in warm weather and started driving it and noticed it smelled funny. He started checking things out and his oil was all milky. He pulled the heads and checked them and the gaskets and all was well, then he noticed a very fine "milky" line along the lifter bores. The block was cracked from one end to the other. The uphosltrey guy had assured him his car would never sit outside, well guess what? It sat outside.

[Da Hellion]

Well if in fact it is hitting good on all eight and not putting out any white smoke + the fact it is a 89' 305 truck (I can't believe I'm advising this but) If it where my truck I would throw a can of stop leak in it . The thing is if it is a cracked block you can spend all this coin on rebuilding machine work magnaflexing and so-forth but is it worth that expense? bear in mind if it froze and cracked from expansion even if you find a crack and repair that spot IE sleeve or whatever . The block and heads could have other thin spots from expansion which magnaflexing wont pick up . So instead of going threw all this throw a can of radiator stop leak in it (no more then two) and change the oil . If that dosen't do it then call the local bone yard and get a used 305 or a 350 would be better . That's one of the cool things about Chev small blocks arn't really scarce and you can pick up a good used one 2 or 3 hundred dollar's

[docvette]

Originally Posted by johnsongrass1

Will somebody stop Docvette? He's outa control again!

Doc here,

Johnsongrass1,



Bad Gaphics....Or was it something I said..?

Doc

[FASTCHEVY]

I would think the way water is going it so fast that Stop leak would not fix it.

Could the freeze have busted the intake gaskets? It did crack the water neck.

[johnsongrass1]

Possibly, but the block is still broken.

[FASTCHEVY]

Originally Posted by johnsongrass1

Possibly, but the block is still broken.

Yeah this is what my neighbor is telling me(worked at junkyards 25+ years)
"It's prob cracked cyl wall, just drop a another engine in it."
But I just can't get over how that much water got in it that fast, for it to be
coming out of a crack.

We don't have much exp with blocks cracking down here in Texas.

[Hippie]

Originally Posted by FASTCHEVY

I just can't get over how that much water got in it that fast, for it to be
coming out of a crack.

We don't have much exp with blocks cracking down here in Texas.

The cooling system is under pressure when the engine is running, that is going to force the water through any cracks or holes. I'm sure you're familiar with getting a pinhole in a hose or radiator, imagine the same scenario inside your engine. Depending on the size of the crack you can lose a lot of coolant in a short period. I've seen a frozen engine with a chunk the size of your fist pushed out of the side of the block and that was a 60's block not one of the thin wall castings.