Is it possible

[GatorMike]

Is it possible to get water in the lower cylenders by a leak where the powerhead sits on the midsection of a crossflow v4?

The reason I am asking is I have been trying to locate where water has been geting in. It is not a lot of water but just enough to rust the cylender when she sits. The problem first apeared a couple of years ago when I started finding the lower left spark plug rusting up. Then one day I went to crank the engine and it was froze up solid. The two lower pistons were rusted in ther bores. I rebuilt the engine and the problem did improve a little but I was still getting a little bit of rust on the lower left spark plug. The past couple of trips out she wasn't running just right so I did a compression test and got just 60 psi on the lower left cyl. I tore the engine down again and the inner piston ring on that cylender is rusted in it's groove.

I have spent hours looking at the block and the inner exhaust cover and can see no obvious place water would be getting in. However there is some major pitting on the surface where the powerhead mounts on the midsection of the motor. Could water be getting into the exhaust there? Just curious if any of the mechanics have ever seen this and is it a possibility?

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: Is it possible

I'd be suprised if the pitting is the problem. Unlikely any water could migrate upward into the cylinder. The most common water leak is a leaking head gasket. You've overhauled your engine at least once, so unlikely that it's a head gasket. Another less common leak is the inner exhaust manifold. They can leak if they are not torqued properly. Best to retorque them after the engine has gone through it's first few heat/cool cycles after overhaul-same as is recommended for the heads. It is also possible (rare) that you have some porosity in the inner exhaust manifold casting. If that casting has any holes in it, the water can leak into the exhaust cavity and will tend to collect in the bottom cyls. You can check for porosity by shining a light through the manifold. Or, layer some water on the manifold and check for leaks. If you find any, have someone aluminum weld the leak/spot and reuse the manifold.

 

[Haffiman]

Re: Is it possible

Which mod and year?
On the early versions of the V4 60 loopers they had this problem and a change of gasket was recommended between block and exhaust collector. I have even seen it on engines mounted so low that the exhaust relief hole on the leg has been under water.

 

[boobie]

Re: Is it possible

I think the OP did say crossflow V-4 not 60* V-4 looper. And yes, if you make a submarine out of a crossflow V-4 you can have probs.