K241 - Head Gasket?

[mikemc53 10]

Not much of an engine guy. I've always done just enough to keep em runnin but no major work.

I don't run the Horse much but in the past few years, when I do/did, it has always run pretty good though I noticed late last year that it would seem to run richer as it ran longer. This spring I had carb and float issues - it was actually flowing gas out and it wouldn't even start - so I did a rebuild on the carb. Put the carb back on last weekend and also noticed that the head had quite a bit of carbon on it and thought that maybe it was a bad fit at the exhaust manifold (kind of jerry-rigged set up) so I just put the carb back together and went on with it

After a bit I got it started and it was running pretty good, though there was a ton of hot air blowing from the top of the engine, in time with the piston stroking...figured this was not good. After the engine warmed up it seemed to start running rich, again, getting black smoke from exhaust and some backfire through the carb. The longer it runs the more pronounced the sputter/rich run condition seems to get.

Head or head gasket maybe? The hot air puffing from the head area really seems like a hint of some kind.

Any help appreciated.

[Fordiesel69 233]

Not hot air, but pulseing air that makes an exhaust leak sound would indicate a head gasket failure.

You cannot do a compression test, however it is cheap to check it out and replace anyway. It will be a good idea to decarbon the piston and head anyways.

[woodchuckfarmer 333]

Be tter check the head to see if its warped before you put a new head gasket on it.

[Kelly 1,028]

I like to replace the head gaskets on all my keepers, clean the carbon out, check the head for flat, be sure to torque the head correctly and re torque it after a hour or so of use, but after it has cooled.