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chevsen
Mark Basile
Woodland Hills, CA
(7 posts)

Registered:
02/19/2020 04:18PM

Main British Car:


Buick 215 heads--water jackets?
Posted by: chevsen
Date: February 19, 2020 06:56PM

I recently revived a Buick 215 that has not been run in I believe 17 years. It actually started right up with gravity fed fuel into the float bowl. I could hear lifter issues and compression was down a little on two cylinders. Upon inspecting the valley, quite a few cam lobes are wiped (one shows only .170" of lobe lift) and all the lifters look like soup bowls, but....here's my question--are the taped bolt holes at the rocker arm towers blind or do they extend into the water jacket of the heads? I had some coolant seepage from somewhere near the towers (could not tell where, engine is caked with sludge) on both banks (at the #7 and #8 cylinder adjacent towers) immediately upon de-torqueing those bolts. So....is this a normal release of coolant due to designed bolt hole penetration into the water jacket or are these heads cracked? Interestingly, there was no coolant (other than crystallized muck) in the motor after 17 years, odd that something looking like green liquid coolant came out. I somehow didn't think to check the bolt holes while I was working on the motor, so that's why I am asking now. The car is about 150 miles away as I write this, so I cannot just have a look. Really trying to avoid pulling the heads, just want to get the 215 running for now with a fresh(er) cam prior to a likely 3.9 conversion in a few months.


MGBV8
Carl Floyd
Kingsport, TN
(4511 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 11:32PM

Main British Car:
1979 MGB Buick 215

authors avatar
Re: Buick 215 heads--water jackets?
Posted by: MGBV8
Date: February 20, 2020 03:02PM

My Buick 215 is still assembled & installed in my MGB. I do have 2 sets of Rover heads & a set of Buick 300 heads. The rocker shaft holes are blind. I am confident that the 215 heads are, as well.


MG four six eight
Bill Jacobson
Wa state
(324 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 02:15AM

Main British Car:
73 MGB Buick 215, Eaton/GM supercharger

Re: Buick 215 heads--water jackets?
Posted by: MG four six eight
Date: March 05, 2020 12:35PM

Carl is correct, the holes are blind on the 215 heads also. If they are leaking coolant they are likely cracked or corroded. Excessive corrosion in the water jackets was somewhat common on engines that did not use proper anti-freeze ratios (straight water) or lacked proper cooling system maintenance.

Bill


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