7.3 IDIT Headgasket?

[nitroguy]

Hopefully . this was your unexpected find, but many times coolant can cross from the heads to the intake manifold runners and fake you out BIG TIME . A leak there can even cause a false positive for a HG leak or cavitiation on a combustion gas leak test if you dont block off the CDR inlet to the intake manifold.

A bit of a thread revival, but I'm doing some self ed-u-ma-cating before I tear the heads off my truck this Saturday. Could you expand on what you mean by this? (I apologize if it's a common-knowledge thing, I'm still figuring these engines out - tearing it apart will certainly help teach me a few things). Also, I'd be interested in knowing what are some common or simple things do to to check for it?

Thanks!

 

[79jasper]

A bit of a thread revival, but I'm doing some self ed-u-ma-cating before I tear the heads off my truck this Saturday. Could you expand on what you mean by this? (I apologize if it's a common-knowledge thing, I'm still figuring these engines out - tearing it apart will certainly help teach me a few things). Also, I'd be interested in knowing what are some common or simple things do to to check for it?

Thanks!

I think he was actually talking 6.9, but I don't know for sure.

 

[icanfixall]

Some 6.9 heads have coolant passages to an intake manifold and some have been plugged off. Just depends on what heads you have. What Robert is explaining is a coolant leak at this gasket area can appear to be a head gasket. Hence the term Fake out head gasket leak...

 

[jaluhn83]

Can't think of any good way to for sure isolate it to that though, and pulling the intake is a pretty decent job to do just to try replacing that gasket in case it helps.

Leaking oil cooler O-rings can also be confused with a bad gasket as you'll get oil/water mixing, though no coolant in the combustion chambers.