2 replies to this topic

[ADRay]

I was out and about yesterday morning and somewhere along the way, my head gasket sprung a coolant leak at the front right corner. Doesn’t seem bad, it was spraying out when it was hot but didn’t make a huge mess. towed it home.

The car has been on the road, off and on, for about a year again after I refurbished it. I rebuilt everything from the head gasket up on the motor. I blew another head gasket last fall (oil between piston heads that time) and had the head skimmed. My theory is the thermostat didn’t open and the coolant had to go somewhere… luckily there is no “milkshake” in the oil.

My question is, aside from checking (and most likely replacing) the head gasket and thermostat, anything else I need to check while dealing with this?

Thanks.

Edited by ADRay, 14 June 2026 - 12:21 PM.

[Spider]

If the Thermostat jams closed, it won't cause anything like enough pressure to blow the head gasket. The Pumps are a centrifugal design and the correct way to shut off or throttle flow on these is to close off the outlet. The engine will however quickly overheat.

 

It's more likely that your issue here is related to surface finish or possible warpage of the head and / or block deck, though I am finding that the Payen gaskets are very poor quality now days.

[ADRay]

thanks for the clarity. New Payen (upgrade from blown one) head gasket ordered.