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Coolant in engine oil head gasket repair

Tiny
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  • 1997 MAZDA 323
  • 1.3L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 175,848 MILES
This car is the LX model. I am going to be replacing the head gasket on this car and I wanted to know how to go about cleaning and flushing the engine since the old engine oil has now been contaminated with coolant. Also, what is the torque specs for the intake manifold, exhaust manifold and valve cover bolts? Thank you!
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Friday, August 24th, 2018 AT 3:43 PM

38 Replies

Tiny
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In addition, I already started the break down to remove the cylinder head and I came upon an issue. I cannot get to the two nuts in the middle of the intake manifold. Is it okay to remove the intake manifold still attached to the cylinder head?
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Friday, August 24th, 2018 AT 10:20 PM
Tiny
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Good morning.

Sure, that is the way I pull the head and then remove all the externals on the bench.

When you get it off, have the head checked for being warped and cracked.

When you reassemble use only new head bolts as the ones you have are torque to yields.

Roy
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Saturday, August 25th, 2018 AT 5:36 AM
Tiny
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Okay thanks Roy. After I have put back everything. Do I just do a regular oil change and hope that there is no more coolant residue left in the engine? Do I also clean the radiator or just put in new coolant? What are the torque specs for the manifolds?
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Saturday, August 25th, 2018 AT 4:39 PM
Tiny
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Yes, change the oil and filter and also flush the cooling system. Replace the thermostat as well.

Why did the head gasket fail?

Can you verify the year and engine? I see no 323 in 1997.

Roy

Roy
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Saturday, August 25th, 2018 AT 4:43 PM
Tiny
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The car overheated because the radiator fan connector was removed from the thermo switch. Year model is correct. The engine is a b3p with carburetor sohc.
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Saturday, August 25th, 2018 AT 10:01 PM
Tiny
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The intake and exhaust manifold volts are 22 lbs.

Roy
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Sunday, August 26th, 2018 AT 6:29 AM
Tiny
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Thank you so much for your respond. The repair is paused for now since I do not have a 13mm 12pt socket for the head bolts. I will make sure to keep this thread updated.
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Sunday, August 26th, 2018 AT 11:49 AM
Tiny
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Sounds like a plan.

Roy
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Sunday, August 26th, 2018 AT 3:36 PM
Tiny
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I ran into another obstacle again. When I was checking for the socket size for the head bolts I used a 6 point 13mm and it fit well so I assumed that I needed to buy the same size socket but a 12 point. No when I tried the 13mm 12 point socket on the head bolt it was loose. What is the correct socket to use to remove the head bolts on this engine? Should I just use the 13mm 6 point socket or buy another socket 12 point socket with a smaller size? I did not know that 6 points and 12 points have different 13mm socket sizes.
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Monday, August 27th, 2018 AT 12:19 AM
Tiny
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If you used the 13mm 6 point to remove it then use the 6 point to install.

The 12 point does not have the grip of the 6 point.

Roy
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Monday, August 27th, 2018 AT 1:47 AM
Tiny
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But the bolt heads of the bolts look like 12 points. I did not remove it yet as I am contemplating on what socket I should use. It looks something like this (pls image). Is it safe to use a 6 point socket on a 12 point bolt head?
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Monday, August 27th, 2018 AT 4:31 AM
Tiny
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Nope. Check and see if a 1/2 12 point is any tighter. Otherwise, you may need a different socket for the 13mm.

Roy
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Monday, August 27th, 2018 AT 4:42 AM
Tiny
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Thanks, I will try a 12mm 12 point tomorrow if I find one at the store.
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Monday, August 27th, 2018 AT 5:51 AM
Tiny
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Sounds like a plan.
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Monday, August 27th, 2018 AT 5:53 AM
Tiny
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Already removed the cylinder head. How do I clean all of these? Thanks!
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Wednesday, August 29th, 2018 AT 5:03 AM
Tiny
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Okay, you will need an air drill or electric drill with an adapter to use what is called cookies. They are nn abrasive discs that will remove gasket material without damaging the block surface.

You can get them at a parts store. Get a box of the cookies. They are cheap but you will need to get the adapter to fit the cookies.

Roy
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Wednesday, August 29th, 2018 AT 6:07 AM
Tiny
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Okay, I will try to look for those. I noticed something about head bolt number 5. Is this something to be worried about? My guess is that coolant seeped in its bolt holes and left some sediments on the threads when it dried up. Am I correct? Please see picture.
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Wednesday, August 29th, 2018 AT 10:33 PM
Tiny
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Yes, that is correct.

I would run a tap down and clean up the threads. Take one of the bolts with you to get the exact thread pitch for the tap.

The 5 is most likely a production line number.

Roy
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Thursday, August 30th, 2018 AT 1:22 AM
Tiny
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Okay. I wll do that also.

As I was cleaning the cylinder head surface I came upon a big pitting. Will this be an issue?
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Thursday, August 30th, 2018 AT 3:58 AM
Tiny
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Clean the top of the entire block and then we will take a look.

Roy
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Thursday, August 30th, 2018 AT 4:11 AM

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