i see head gaskets in my near future

[jtate]

well i climbed under my truck the other day to see if i had any leaks and found three small drops of antifreeze on the starter. at first i thought that maybe the radiator had a small leak and the antifreeze was getting blown back towards the rear of the truck and somehow gathered on the starter. i looked all over the back of the engine where the heads meet the block and also checked the block heater and everything was dry except for a litle oil on the back the head. i dont see where it is coming from and its not much if it is leaking. i did a second observation today but this time with the engine running, this is how i found out that my 85 needed head gaskets. now for my findings i can see a little compression seeping out from between the heads and the block at the back of the engine. it is very little air bubbles that are showing up in the oil that has drained down the back of the engine where the heads meet the block. the funny thing is there are no signs of antifreeze coming out of the leak. at least with the 6.9 when the head gaskets where up for changing you could see the compression pushing small amounts of antifreeze out on every compression stroke. i wonder if i could buy me some time until after the winter months by doing a retorque on the head bolts? i doubt it though thats just the way my luck goes and i dont have the money to do it right now. what is yalls opinion on the retorque?

 

[turbo elk]

Can't hurt, I would try it.

 

[Knuckledragger]

You could try a retorque, but the area you describe is exactly where 6.9 head gaskets fail. I have two 1985 f250s and both had failure at 100,000 miles or less.

My guess is that the leak means it is too late, but you also need to remember that if the coolant goes into the engine, you have considerably more than gaskets to replace.

 

[jtate]

You could try a retorque, but the area you describe is exactly where 6.9 head gaskets fail. I have two 1985 f250s and both had failure at 100,000 miles or less.

My guess is that the leak means it is too late, but you also need to remember that if the coolant goes into the engine, you have considerably more than gaskets to replace.

yes i understand what you mean. i dont like doing half arsed fixes on my truck i just need it to give me a litle bit more time if it would lol. im surprised this 7.3 went 233,000 miles without head gasket problems sooner. the funny thing is i never have to put antifreeze in the radiator and i dont see any different colored smoke in the exhaust and no sweet smell also.