F134 head gasket

I am having a rather difficult time with my head gasket. I put two on last year (or the year before it is all starting to run together) but anyhow I finally took my head in to the maching shop and had them go over it. Well I drove my Jeep to work today and I seem to have blown the head gasket again. I did notice the last time I put the head on some of the bolt holes in the block had a bit of a lip on them, and I am guessing that may be causing my problem. Does that sound logical, or am I missing something here? 'Any feedback is appreciated.

 

was head re-surfaced or just checked for flatness (is that a word?)
you could take a machinists straight edge to the block as well.
Comp type F4 gaskets are pretty thick; torqued properly and proper sequence ?
if gasket blown, same place as before ? in other words,example, between cyls 1-2, 2-3 etc ?

 

I also recall maybe the 2 front head bolts go thru to water jackets; may have to use Permatex hightac or other sealant on those threads.
also, don't forget the bolt under the carb

 

The head was just checked for flatness (its a word now if it was not before) but it was OK so not re-surfaced. I used a generic head gasket the first time, but put a fel-pro on the second time and it seemed ok until today. It seems to be leaking around cylinder 1 (that one will not fire at idle anymore) and I 'think' it was in that same area the first time. I think I have a problem with the block but that does not seem to be a common problem so I just want a little feedback before I take it back into the machine shop.

 

are you sure it's the head gasket leaking?
just because #1 is not firing is not proof; lots of "other" possibilities here
do you have water in the oil/oil in the water?
does it overheat ?
maybe a compression/leakage test is in order

 

I cleaned all the bolts and bolt holes with a tap and die and used permatex no. 2 on the threads. Everything was torked in order and to spec, heck I think I have the torq sequence memorized.

 

I think I would recheck the head just to narrow down the possibilities
maybe resurface and check for cracks (magnaflux)
you could take a 4" grinder with sanding disc and touch up the high spots at bolt holes

 

I should have mentioned that I am getting a bit of that typical white frothy stuff stuck to the top of the oil cap. I will admit it could be from condensation as it has been really humid here and cooled down recently.

 

how far a drive to your work?
did it overheat in that distance?
if your not driving far, that could be a reason for the condensation

 

It is only about a two mile drive to work. The coolent gets to normal temp (it did not overheat) but I am not sure the oil has enough time to get to the proper temperature.

 

when removed, what does #1 spark plug look like ?
oil soaked or ?

 

Not really oil soaked but black and sooty (sp?)

 

here's a simple test that might work, if you have compressed air available
bring the F4 up to operating temp
shut it off, bring #1 up to TDC
remove plug
thread in compression tester hose; they make them with air fitting couplers on the gauge end; introduce compressed air into the cylinder with rad cap removed; check for bubbles or rise in coolant; CAREFUL, coolant will be hot !
not a surefire way to tell, but one of many checks you might be able to perform

 

or drive the wheels off it and recheck the plug!
warm that F4 really good

 

Thanks Jim, I will run the heck out of it tormorrow and see if it improves. If it does not I belive we do have a compression tester at work.

 

The radiator level seemed to stay ok but I am not sure I drove it long enough to notice a difference. The froth could very well have been from condensation, it did cool off here for about a week and conditions were probably prime for condensation to form.