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bigwally2 · 10-14-2019, 05:39 PM

hey everybody,i have an 85 beaver marquis pusher with a 3208t that has heavy blow by and exhaust in the coolant ...was contimplating removing the heads with the engine in place,and my questions are.....1) am i delusional? 2) would i need to remove the faceplate to remove the heads(this would be a first time head removal for me) 3) I should have the turbo rebuilt if im going this far? 4) about how heavy are these heads, i understand doing 3208 heads in a boat is common 5) i figure if the heads are bad i have a chance, if the block is bad im no worse off. $14k for a rebuilt and $6k in and out is beyond me.i thought a couple grand and 2 rebuilt heads i might have a shot....i have changed engines before and could get some more tech help once i get the heads out and assess the causes.....?? engine has 94k miles on it and was well cared for up to its last year or two that i got it, its just to nice to let go

twinboat · 10-14-2019, 06:21 PM

Exhaust in the coolant is a sign of bad head gaskets.

Heavy blowby is a sign of bad piston rings or a hole in a piston.

Check the air intake for a coating of dirt. The engine may have been dusted.

Fkrel · 10-14-2019, 07:09 PM

Its been a while that I have worked on a 3208 so I am guessing your question about removing the the face plate is because of the coolant pipes in the front of the head into the front of the engine There is a retainer held with a bolt that keeps the coolant pipe in place, removing the bolt and the retainer will let the pipe slide into the head far enough so the head can be removed. when reinstalling the head the orings on the pipe are replaced and lubed so after the head is in place the tube can be slid back into place. Blown head gaskets was a common problem.

Cat · 10-14-2019, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fkrel

Its been a while that I have worked on a 3208 so I am guessing your question about removing the the face plate is because of the coolant pipes in the front of the head into the front of the engine There is a retainer held with a bolt that keeps the coolant pipe in place, removing the bolt and the retainer will let the pipe slide into the head far enough so the head can be removed. when reinstalling the head the orings on the pipe are replaced and lubed so after the head is in place the tube can be slid back into place. Blown head gaskets was a common problem.

Yep that's correct. Not too bad of a job.

bigwally2 · 10-17-2019, 03:20 PM

thanks for the replies....so would a compression test isolate the causes between bad piston/rings and bad head or gasket?

bigwally2 · 10-17-2019, 03:25 PM

or is it something i wont know until i pull the head and or the oil pan?

twinboat · 10-17-2019, 04:17 PM

To me, it seems like you have both problems.

Combustion gas in the coolant would be a head gasket issue.

Excessive blowby would be bad rings.

Cat · 10-17-2019, 05:49 PM

You can if you have an air compressor. Screw a 1/8 pipe in to air nozzle, remove the injectors and the rocker arms and pressurize each cylinder using the 1/8 pipe. Leave the radiator full with the radiator cap off. Pressurize each cylinder take note of which one or ones cause the fluid in the radiator to bubble. If nothing bubbles pressurize each cylinder for 5-10 minutes ( this allows the air to work it way to radiator if its a small compression leak. Also take note of how much air is coming out into the crankcase. Beware 3208 had a lot of blowby even new.
But before you go to far take your old engine oil filter and cut it open carefully so you don't contaminate the filter inside. Carefully open up the pleats and see how much metal is in your filter. Again these engine always had some metal in the filter. Normal would be 1-2 pin head size pieces every 3-5 pleats, the more you have the more you need to be concerned. If you have a heavy concentration then you probably have lost your engine. If you have any questions let me know. Hope that helps. Safe Travels