Head Gasket

[fordZ]

Hey guys
my brother bought a g200 engine to put in his gemini, but before we bother putting it in we want to make sure it doesn't have any major problems or nothing. The previous owner said that the engine overheated a fair bit, even continuously on a bad day. Now, how do we check if its the head gasket? Checked the coolant; No bubbles. Checked the oil; No water in oil. Oil isn't milky coloured either. So we arent really sure, is there any other way I can most surely tell if its got a blown head gasket? Oh, and also, Compression is all equal. If not a head gasket, what do you guys reckon it is? The engine has a bigger cam, and a 32/36 weber. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks :worship:

[RealizE]

If the compression is the same in all cylinders and it doesnt use any water either, chances are it is fine. You can get your cooling system pressure tested pretty cheaply - this will reveal a leak if there is any.

But - if it isnt using water, then it is probbaly a waste of time.

You might want to give the radiator a flush in case it is full of gunk, see if the water pump still has blades on the impeller and check the thermostat is opening (stick it in some boiling water)

A dodgy cooling system combined with a bigger cam could be causing it to run hotter than normal.

[fordZ]

thanks
I'll try that out this arvo
Anyone else got any other suggestions?

[Alspos]

Make sure the timing is set correctly. If this is out it can run hot.

[Raynman]

Check the condition of the fans. I had a falcon that over heated/ran hot all the time. After much fiddling I found out that the clutch fan didn't work and it span too freely. Check it and replace if neccesary. Also fluching it is a good idea too (but I can't recommend any flushes)

[fordZ]

Hmmm Ok, the car hasnt had a tune for a while, has been sitting there and its running rich as fark, needs a tune badly.

Thisevening we reversed it back and forth on the driveway, and after doing so for about 2 mins and turning the car off, a strange hard to describe smell came out, it was like the smell of carbon burning but not as rich, hard to explain. But it only does this after been driven in gear, If you sit there in park and rev it for a while, doesn't happen. Also I should mention the unijoint between the tailshaft and gearbox is ****ed, Maybe this might have something to do with it?

Sorry for the long questions, its just we are hoping to do the engine transplant this weekend but we want to make sure nothing major in the engine needs replacing.

Alspos are you sure about it running hot if the timing is out? I bet it is way out, might go check tomorow.
Anyone else have any idea's of what it could be?

Thanks

[fordZ]

Oh, Its an auto if that helps.