94 RT-10 Engine Problem (head gasket?) Question...

[Evanguil23]

Hey all! I believe I'm in a bit of a situation. So here's the deal. I took my 94 RT-10 out for a cruise around the tropics of Minnesota (almost 100 degrees here this past weekend, not to mention the humidity) and everything seemed to operate normally, except that once in a while, when I'd first start the car, I'd hear a little missing on my driver's side pipe; one cylinder possibly two. But it'd clear in about 10-15 seconds. I found it unusual, but didn't pay it much mind. I thought it might have something to do with the weather. So when I was done, I brought it back to the garage and put her to sleep for the night.

The next day I had a good drive planned with the main squeeze. I hopped in and turned the key, but it BARELY made a turn before it stopped. THAT had NEVER happened. So I tried it again, and the same thing. My buddy was in the garage and thought it sounded electrical. My heart told me otherwise. So I pushed the issue and tried it one more time. It popped over and started... again on 9 of 10 cylinders. Pretty soon it was firing on all 10 and there was an excessive amount of white smoke coming from the drivers side pipe. It was like that for about 2 min before it cleared up and everything was running fine again.

So here's my theory. White smoke just SCREAMS coolant problem. So I check the oil to see if it was milky at all. NOPE, not at all. Then I check the coolant to see if it's low; just a hair low, but nothing too noticeable. So it doesn't seem to be burning coolant all the time. My guess is that it's leaking through the head gasket when it's sitting after a drive and is cooling or something, but once it's running up to temp it's fine. And the reason it wouldn't turn over is because there was too much water in the compression chamber to compress easily, so I hope I didn't damage anything else by forcing it over. I suppose it could be a slow leak, but I went for my cruise anyway, and it didn't blow smoke, miss, or overheat the rest of the day, even when it sat for a while.

So like I said, this sounds like a head gasket problem, but I'm not totally sure. Any suggestions? Anyone else had a problem like this? And if it is a head gasket problem, any clue what the repair cost would be? Can you do only one side, or should you just take care of both in the process?

You're help is appreciated, thanks!

Happy cruisin... but I think I'll take a break.

 

[Jeff Torrey]

If you want an answer right away. Pick up the phone, dial 411. Ask for South Salem, New York / TATORS Dodge (Chuck). He has a 94 and advise you how to proceed.

 

[RonC]

Get underneath the car and look for this...

Good luck

Ron

 

[Evanguil23]

Ron, thanks for the reply, but I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to be looking for from your picture.

 

[Viper Wizard]

Erik you have mail.

 

[garolittle]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Evanguil23:
Ron, thanks for the reply, but I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to be looking for from your picture.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


You should be looking for the "seeping coolant tracks" as seen in that photo. The tracks show that coolant has been seeping out from the gaskets and trickling down the engine block. If this is the case then you should have ALL gaskets replaced with the new "Gen II" head gaskets. Call Jon B. at Parts Rack for more information (360-837-3937). Also, have the Viper technician check to see if the cylinder liners have shifted. These problems are very common with older Vipers. Good luck.

 

[Lee Dove]

Word of caution. Do not try to start it again with water in the cylinder. Liquid does not compress and you can get an hydrostatic lock and can bend rods.........

 

[XS TORQ]

I have the *exact* same symptoms (not including the "hard start"). I checked, and don't see any colant tracks on the engine. My Tech changed the plugs to check them for fouling (still misfiring on the driver side after plug change, same white clouds). Checked the oil and coolant to see if they were contaminated (no signs).
Let me know what you find out - I'm taking my car back to my tech when I get back in town next week.

 

[Flexx91]

Sounds to me like a head gasket problem. I went through the same thing a few months ago and most Gen I owners will at some point in time. You will definitely be better off doing both sides at once because the entire intake has to be removed at access the heads. As far as price goes, mine were done under warranty so it only cost me fifty bucks. Any dealership with a Viper tech who has performed these repairs before should be able to quote you a price. If you're willing to do without your car for a couple of months, you may want to opt. for an Arrow rebuild (that's if your car is under warranty).

 

[davem]

Hello,
If your getting white smoke, you have coolant in the cylinder.

This could be from a bad head gasket or crack somewhere that you don't want one. Have someone do a leakdown test on the cylinder in question. This allows you to "hear" where the leak is.

Good luck,
Dave.