head gasket again?

[wouter86]

It's allready been 3 months since i repaired the head gasket from my mr2 and the engine was running smooth and everything looked like it was a succesful repair, until today probably...

When i was driving to my work today i noticed that if i stepped on the gas, the engine was running on 3 cilinders, i thought it was the ignition leads to blame because they looked kind of crappy when i installed them.I drove to my work very cautious so it would run on 4 cilinders.I ordered some leads and when i pulled of the old lead i was a bit suprised, there was cooling liquid in the spark plug holes, now that it is obvious why it didn't spark it is now the question where did it come from?

It happened to the first 2 cilinders counting the first one on the gearbox side as number 1.I only had a quick look this afternoon, i didnt see bubbles coming up the cooling fluid filling hole when the engine was running and there was no white smoke coming out of the exhaust.

I think the head gasket popped and cooling liquid was being forced between the threading of the spark plugs to the outside of the cilinder head.It doesn't make sense to me though because would't cooling liquid vaporize in a combustion chamber??and from this story i can make a strange conclusion that a spark plug can seal off the gas in a combustion chamber but not cooling liquid?

What also could be an option is that there is a huge crack in the cilinderhead or something.The cilinderhead was checked for cracks though at a specialist.

What more can i say, o yeah, when i checked the cooling fluid level was still at the right level and i didn't see any raise in temperature when i was driving.

If anyone ever seen this how could this happen or what happened?Let's hope it isn't the head gasket, cause it is a lot of work

[Knudsen]

I dont think theres a problem with the headgasket, normally the coolant burns away and results in white smoke, as you already knows.
If the cylinderhead is cracked, you would know instantly.

Theres a possibillity that you got a leaking hose, that has burped a bit of water down between the valvecovers.

Try to whipe up the water, take the car for a drive until the water gets nice and hot, pop the hood and rev the engine. Im pretty sure that you will se a nice little coolant-fountain somewhere

[Ivan141]

Another possibility: those freeze-plugs can also develop leaks..that would be my first guess..

[Knudsen]

When i think of it, ive heard several times that 3S-FE is leaking from those plugs...

[wouter86]

might be a bit late to dig up this old topic, but after that day i was able to tighten the freeze plugs a little bit and i installed the plate that prevents dir from the outside going in.Its where you stick the ignition plugs in.

Never had the problem since, topic can be locked.