Leaking head bolt

[truckinman466]

Just got my engine running for the first time. After I shut it off a head bolt seeps water. Question is- can I pull that bolt and seal it or, do I have to pull the head and start over? It's the bolt just above # 5 plug.

[Chryco Psycho]

There is no way the head bolt should be leaking , the holes are blind & do not enter into the water jacket at all so something is very wrong

[truckinman466]

So, I have a bad gasket or a cracked head?

[Chryco Psycho]

Seems so if you are 100% sure it is coming from the bolt . 

[Chryco Psycho]

What kind of head gasket did you use , iron or alum heads ?

[truckinman466]

I didn't build the motor. Not sure what gasket was used. I just pressurised the system. It's coming from that area. Gonna have to pull the header off to get a better look. There's no water in the oil that I can tell but I only ran it for a few minutes.

[Chryco Psycho]

with Alum heads I Only use Cometic MLS gaskets & if the surface is not perfectly smooth they will seep a little at first , adding some Irontite sealer can help , but if you are using a FelPro composition gasket you have a bigger problem as they should never seep but they will not last long if you have a Iron Block Alum head combo as the expansion rates are so different it will rip the fibers apart

[truckinman466]

Just looked at the build sheet I got with the motor. It has Mopar 452 heads. Looks like he used a felpro gasket set.

[1 Wild R/T]

Is it aluminum heads or iron heads? If iron heads look at the exhaust studs, just above the head bolt & they can leak coolant..

[Cuda Cody]

@truckinman466  Sure it's not the exhaust stud?  The outside ones need sealant because they go in to the water passage.

Also, I learned from @1 wild R/T when my Hemi was leaking water from the head gasket that it's best to use some special loctite (#518) around the water passages.  When I ordered my new Head Gasket I went with "Best Gasket" and they come with the sealant already in place.

[truckinman466]

Could be exhaust bolt. I just used whatever I had laying around since it's a temporary setup. Didn't seal any of them. I'll try that first. Maybe get lucky.

[Chryco Psycho]

That will be the issue for sure the exhaust bolts have to be sealed

[LinceCuda]

I put the wrong head bolt in the wrong hole on my race car stroker engine and torqued it right into the water passage. It had aluminum heads and the water came out the exhaust port if memory serves me right and cost a bunch to get it welded. I hope this isn't your issue.

[Strawdawg]

With iron 452 heads, it is a miracle that only one header bolt is leaking if they were not sealed....they go straight into the water jackets

[truckinman466]

I want to thank all of you for your input. It turned out to be the header bolt(sigh of relief). Got that one sealed up and one on the other side started to leak. Think I got it whipped. Sure glad I joined this group. It has helped me so much!