Follow up after head gasket removal and replacement

t has been a little over a month since my head gasket change and I am pleased with the results. I had a coolant leak at the back of the head at the fire wall. The engine runs much more smooth, the coolant system holds pressure and quantity and pulls to red line as it should.

After the first few test runs, now with the top end tight and engine pressures where they should be, the oil seep behind the SC / alternator bracket became an annoying leak. It took me a while to pinpoint the leak. There is a small indentation on the timing cover where you can get some leverage when removing the cover under the bracket. This is where the leak was.

I had originally thought that the long bolts that hold the bracket in place were weeping oil past the threads, these bolts do not enter an oil area. Over time, the oil entered the bolt head and past the threads leaving me to believe the oil was leaking past the threads. Needless to say, I was getting frustrated after removing everything on the right side of the engine (3 times!) to access that area. I prepped and sealed the leaking area with some 8802 B1/2 and now the bottom of the engine is bone dry.

The direct benefit from finding and repairing the leak was my SC / Alternator belt is not slipping under high load and RPM. A thin film of oil would affect the belt and would slip when I had the leak and boost fell off at about 4600 RPM. Now she pulls like a train!

Hope this helps some members.