Death of an M42, Last night... :(

[MrSalumi]

Hey everyone. So what I mean to say is that I couldnt see any leaks in the cooling system. I'm thinking maybe a leak sprung and the coolant evaporated? I didn't have a trail (as far as I could see). And when I pulled over there was zero coolant in the vehicle. I filled it after the swap. I drove for almost a week after the swap, so there was coolant at some point in the car. The smoke was black and there was a lot of it right as it died, like the last few combustion cycles burnt or something.

[Jean]

Ok, so did you watch the temp gauge and it was not overheating until that moment?

[3bvert]

I wouldnt give up yet
unless your looking to justify a swap
first, when switching a head, or something, I check fluids almsot daily for a few days, but thats me
you already had an issue wiht "cream" in your oil and intake manifold after the rebuild so somthing was up
I have seen these things give false readings on the temp gauge with no water in them, its like they need the water to make contact to determine how hot, its like your radiator temp relay for the fan, if the cooling system is not bled correctly, and it is not in contact with water, it wont work no mater how hot your engine or radiator are

ir it was my car this is what I would do
first walk around and kick every rock and cuss like shit
then get my composure and check fluids again. is it oil or a milkshake, ok then next step
see if engine spins over
then fill radiator and such. dont start it, look for leaks, none move on
pull fuses for fuel pump and ignition,
do a compression check, while spinning the engine over , water will circulate, check for leaks, all good so far, next step,
if you cant find any leaks, if miracles happen and you have good compression, try starting
heat it up, bleed system correctly ( did you bleed it correctly on first rebuild)
do another compression check and leak down test, it will be different hot and cold
by this point you know your answer, if you made it this far

let us know results, if you were nearby, id help out

good luck

[KenC]

Have you started to pull it apart?

[MrSalumi]

3bvert, Thanks for the help. I did bleed it per specs when I filled it. The cream went away after I replaced the intake boot. All fluids were at good levels, I've been checking them about 3 times a day.

I'm going to start working on it Monday and see what I can come up with, I'll keep you all posted.

Cheers

[jeff_b]

Sounds to me like your coolant drained out before you started the car. Were you parked on grass, or a downslope/sideslope so you wouldn't have noticed a puddle?

[bloodshot-e30]

sorry again your so far away man... shipping on my motor would be more than its worth