Intake manifold water leak

Jim Obrien, et al; Jim, you're right again. Cork valve cavity gasket is thicker than the gasket under the intake ports/exhaust ports, resulting in probably .020" clearance over the intake water drain hole above #1 intake.

Today I'm gonna make a thin "O" gasket of electrician's tape placed around the drain hole to compensate for the different gasket thicknesses, and I will slather some high temp gasket goop around the hole besides. I'll torque the inake nuts down to 30 ft./lbs. to squash the gaskets to even thickness.

This should solve the water leak. BTW, I did find a little water in the oil when I drained it- about 1/ 2" on the bottom in a 2 gallon clear jug. I will syphon the oil down to just above the water, being a cheap guy.

My goal is to get this crate running and driveable this summer, without the front fenders (in process) or interior. I'm sitting on a purloined Jaguar seat screwed to a wood buck attached to the old girl while the seats are being recovered. Cash flow issues dictate schedule; next year
it's interior and top, along with top irons chromed. Big bucks, but God, she's becoming beautiful!

Thanks again for your inputs!

Hi Pete,

I think you need a few more checks and thinking before anything. Did you see any water on the top of the engine block by the intake manifold (it sounds like you did)? If you did then it probably came from the drain hole in the manifold.

The next couple of questions then is how much water got into the crankcase? Cylinder? valve guides? You've got a brand new engine and you don't want to screw it up. I'd drain the crankcase to make sure there's no water in it. You also want to make sure there isn't a puddle sitting in the cylinder.

The next item is what happened. There are a couple of possibilities here. The intake manifold sits on two gaskets, a cork gasket that seals the top of the crankcase under the intake manifold and one that seals the intake ports to the block (unless you used one of the new style that has it in one piece) - are they the same thickness?

The other possibility is did you tighten one side of the intake manifold and then the other side. This can result in the manifold being cocked side to side and the one side leaks.

I'd take a carefull look at these two possibilities before you pull the intake manifold and pressure test it.

One final question, then I'll let you get back to work...After this minor set back, are we going to see the Cord in Auburn this year? If you are this far along we at least better see it at the Eastern Spring Meet next year.

Jim

I plug this hole but also plug off water into the intake manifold from the cylinder heads and the water pump. I feel that this takes heat out of the intake manifold to helps prevent heat building up in the carb. causing hard starting after the car sits for a bit on a hot summer day. You don't need heat in the intake manifold unless you drive your car in the winter.

Gents- Progress is being made on 2241H- Got engine/trans. all hooked up, did the bypass of the Startex so only the main solenoid is active, turned the engine over the first time after 4 years....son standing by left front wheel got a squirt of water from #1 plug hole. S__t! There was a leak from under the intake manifold, which we stemmed largely by tightening down the intake manifold bolts. Thought first that the head wasn't torqued down but all bolts were at least 45# so I think water is leaking from under the manifold and dribling down thru #1 valve ports into #1 cylinder, which is now largely stopped.

Good friend Carlton Zeigler says to take off intake manifold and do a leak test on it looking for casting porosity, and that there is a small port which allows the manifold to drain back into the block above #1, and some Cord guys drill and tap this hole and screw in a plug to stop my kind of leak. Question is- is this a good idea, and if I put a plug in how would the intake manifold cooling jacket drain? Do I care?

Can anyone shed some light on this problem?

Thanks for any help!

Pete Rhoads, somewhere under 2241H.