Cadillac Repair: 95 cadillac sadan deville 4.9, coolant leaks, head gasket

Question
got my coolant flow to work correctlly.now coolant leaks threw the exaust
pipe.what do i need to replace to fix this prob. and how can i chase the prob
down?

Answer
Hi Nathan,

       Having coolant come out the tailpipe isn't a good thing. It could mean you have a cracked cylinder head or bad head gasket. Along with the gasket though I have been finding that threads in the block for at least 1 bolt strip out and that is the reason for the gasket failure. They do make a heli-coil or better yet a time-sert kit that will repair the threads. It can be gotten from kent moore tools at 1-800-345-2233 unless your local parts store or machine shop has them.

    What I would do is remove all the sparkplugs and using a light determine what cylinder the coolant is getting into. Then remove the rockerarm bar with the rockers still attached and try to tighten all the headbolts to the final torque. If even 1 is loose then a decision will need to be made to replace the engine or if spending for the repair kit and doing the repair is worth the time and money. It is a good idea to replace both head gaskets even though 1 is leaking now.

      If you do decide to do this yourself DO NOT turn the engine with the head(s) off because the cylinder liners rest on o-rings that won't be able to seal anymore and the engine will need a professional to rebuild. Cadillac recommends that anytime a head is off there is a special tool/bar that bolts across the head to hold the liners in place. While repairing the threads or replacing the gasket the liners should stay in place but if you need to have the head off for more than a day then making a piece of wood that will go across all the cylinders and held in place with a bolt on each end would be a good idea. Or buy the tool from Kent Moore.

     Hope that helps. Bill