Brand new to the site. Good to have the resource as l’m mechanical enough to be dangerous. Quick history. Bought a complete restoration of 53 3100 w/ complete 216 rebuild approx. 8 years. Probably drove average 300 miles year. Started missing at low idle and spitting wet soot from one tailpipe. It has duel zenith carbs and Header with dual exhaust. Figured long overdue for valve adjustment..found valves pretty close but more light black sludge than I’d wished to see. Anyway, compression check.. 2 & 3 holes @ 0. Rest around 90. Have got to the point to remove head with the help of your forums, thank you very much.. I need to recruit some help to lift out. One thing I can’t figure out though. There is a solenoid looking thing with one wire where the oil filter canister drains back into the engine. Anyone know what the idea is behind this.. ?? Any guesses what the failure is? I’ll should know shortly after I bribe my son to help me lift it out. Thanks
Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet. The three main causes of blindness: Cataracts, Politics, Religion. Name your dog Naked so you can walk Naked in the park.
Quite a lag in posting time as a new member, I’m being moderated. But attached photo shows the obvious culprit. Didn’t realize a blown head gasket could mimic what I thought as a stuck / burnt valve. No smoke, no overheating, no coolant loss, no milky oil. Going to get the head checked. The motor has 7,000 miles since major rebuild in 2010. I’ve always ran non ethanol᠁. Any ideas what may have contributed to this? I plan on keeping the truck (I’m second owner) and putting more annual miles on it. Any thoughts would be appreciated.. Thanks
Quite a lag in posting time as a new member, I’m being moderated.
Not any more. You just became a full-fledged member with instant posting privileges, the ability to see our member lists and send private messages, and the right to create a signature for your posts.
Just got a response from Jerry (Hotrod Lincoln) on the head gasket. His first idea is coolant loss from a cracked or warped head. Mill the head and check the block with straightedge and feeler gauge.
I want add that the 216 is bad to have build up of sludge, around the rear cylinders, that can be hard to clean out. This area can overheat and head warping is know to happen. How to clean the block in the truck has been discussed before.
I would first take the head to a shop and have it checked as well as check the block. See what you have to work with first.
"Adding CFM to a truck will only help at engine speeds you don't want to use." "I found there was nothing to gain beyond 400 CFM."
I just went through the same exact thing (zero compression on 2 cylinders, no start) on my 216. It was a combination of stuck valves and tappets out of adjustment. If you have a fouled valve seat it may be giving you a false tappet measurement (i.e. valve not seating appears to be proper lash setting). I pulled my head and valvetrain, polished all the valves and seats, and reassembled with a new head gasket. Be sure to torque the head in the appropriate pattern (basically outward spiral from the center) to the appropriate spec (75-80ft-lbs) or your head gasket won't seal. I only know because I screwed it up the first time.
Rizzo Would look for cracks and straight surfaces,then would use pretty rough emery cloth on block and head,that scratched surface hangs onto the gasket. Learned on big John Deere modern tractors,lot of compression .
OK. Update on what I found᠁᠁᠁warped head. Took .012 milling to get flat. Head components very worn. Sludge in rocker shaft. Rebuilt head, cleaned. This thing is fun to drive again᠁᠁What a huge difference. I’m sure the bottom end is a little tired but for less than $500, the ‘ol gal came back to life. Thanks again for all your advice.
