51 kaiser 226

[ken taplin]

Just finished a total rebuild on my 226. Put in 5 qts of oil and 14 qts of antifreeze. Checked the oil again. Way over full. Much antifreeze in the base. Can this be anything but a cracked block or head? There was nothing wrong with them before the rebuild. Ran fine until it developed a severe rod knock.

[superk226]

If it did not leak before you removed the head, it is probably leaking at the head gasket. Was the block surface and head surface clean and smooth prior to installation? What type of sealer and how much torque did you apply to the head bolts? The recommended procedure for torquing the head is to start in the middle and work toward the ends.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

If you don't have the factory information with the bolt sequence identified by drawing, let me know.  I can scan material and send it to you.

[ken taplin]

I torqued the head to 35# and used the sequense in the shop manual.  Can coolant get from a cracked head or leaking gasket to the base without getting into the cylinders? There is no sign of coolant in the cylinders. Thanks for responding.

[Doc]

This happened earlier this year on the 226 rebuild on my Early Special.  The engine shop didn't find anything suspect after disassembly but this time around made sure enough gasket sealer was used. They essentially believe it just didn't seal well enough with the amount of sealer they used. We are still in the re-testing mode of the car.   It is peculiar the service manual only shows a torquing required one time; I would think a retorque after a few hundred miles would be called for.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Thanks for indicating the torque used...

Willys Motors Service Bulletin #320, issued 7/25/56 covered all prior specs for the L6-226 engine in service manuals or Service Standards booklets.  They list a range of 35-45 ft/lbs for the bolts.  My own follow-up is to also replace the head bolts (if you were using the originals) as they can fail due to normal metal oxidation/deterioration over time, especially if tightened in the 40-45 range.

Jack Mueller

[84RabbitGTI]

You definitely want to re torque the bolts after a few hundred miles or so.  Mine were loosened to just finger tight.  So were the manifold bolts.