i need help

[squiggle]

my 1983 tercel sr5 4wd has water in the block and i think the head as well and i was wondering if it was gaskets or something worse.

[dlb]

by water in the block i assume you mean in the cylinders since coolant circulates through the the block normally. what has the car done that tells you something is wrong? judging from what i think you're saying i'm going to go out on a limb and say it's your head gasket but we need more details to help you diagnose it. other head gasket symptoms are loss of power, lots of white smoke in your exhaust, exhaust fumes bubbling up through the rad, uneven compression test results. any of those present?

[squiggle]

by water in the block i assume you mean in the cylinders since coolant circulates through the the block normally. what has the car done that tells you something is wrong? judging from what i think you're saying i'm going to go out on a limb and say it's your head gasket but we need more details to help you diagnose it. other head gasket symptoms are loss of power, lots of white smoke in your exhaust, exhaust fumes bubbling up through the rad, uneven compression test results. any of those present?

its running fine now it was mostly the angle i was looking at it and the water was from when i washed mud out from underneath

[arbskynxnex]

LOL!

Glad it was an easy fix. Was it running rough too? I learned the hard way to keep paper towels in the Tercel so if I hit a puddle too fast, or spray the engine bay out, I will be able to dry where the plug wires plug into the distributor cap. Water loves to gather on top of the cap and it causes the engine to run all sorts of horrible.

[Petros]

Using a dia-electric spray like LPS or CRC or similar (not WD40) spray for displacing water in electrical components helps keep the distributor free of moisture. I regularly spray the inside of the dist (when ever I have the cap off in fact), and the connectors and wires with such spray to keep moisture problems at bay. Here in the PNW, where is is raining hard again (and does regularly), if you do not keep the water problems to a minimum you will not be able to drive much. I also use it in all the important connectors if I am concerned about corrosion or poor contacts. Around here, the amount of moisture in the air alone can make contacts corrode.

Also, when you spray down your engine with either a hose or a high pressure wash, it works better to keep the engine running rather than risk soaking the electrical stuff and you can not start it until you pull off the cap and let it all dry out.

[ARCHINSTL]

The BMC "A" engine, used in millions upon millions of Morris Minors, Minis, Austins, and Spridgets has a dist mounted just perfectly to catch water from (almost literally) a damp spot in the road.
The BMC "B" engine, used in millions of MGs, Metropolitans, and many other badge-engineered BMC cars and light trucks had a similar dist mounting.
I used to to take a large balloon, cut it, wrap it around the dist and the exiting wires and tie it off top and bottom with several bread ties (long before Zip Ties). It looked tacky, but - field expediency.
Later on, some enterprising supplier made a rubber (?) envelope that fit perfectly, all the way down to the block. You had to feed the wires through holes in the envelope. It was pricey, but worked well (I stuck with the balloon).
Tom M.

[squiggle]

it runs fine not even rough not one bit of smoke (using good quality oil helps (castrol magnatec pro 15 40 )) and i wasn't even washing the engine i was getting a ton of mud off from underneath so i could spray the wheel wells. but the oil still confuses me but it runs fine

[tinomobile]

Using a dia-electric spray like LPS or CRC or similar (not WD40) spray for displacing water in electrical components helps keep the distributor free of moisture. I regularly spray the inside of the dist (when ever I have the cap off in fact), and the connectors and wires with such spray to keep moisture problems at bay. Here in the PNW, where is is raining hard again (and does regularly), if you do not keep the water problems to a minimum you will not be able to drive much. I also use it in all the important connectors if I am concerned about corrosion or poor contacts. Around here, the amount of moisture in the air alone can make contacts corrode.

Also, when you spray down your engine with either a hose or a high pressure wash, it works better to keep the engine running rather than risk soaking the electrical stuff and you can not start it until you pull off the cap and let it all dry out.

How often do you have to use the CRC to keep the moisture out? Do you also spray inside the plug wire ends?
Thanks,
Barry

[MR2Di4]

...Also, when you spray down your engine with either a hose or a high pressure wash, it works better to keep the engine running rather than risk soaking the electrical stuff and you can not start it until you pull off the cap and let it all dry out.

I wouldn't recommend doing this. I did an engine bay cleanout on my first T4WD and wound up learning how to replace an alternator. If your car fails to start afterwards it's usually a simple affair to dry out the cap & spark plug wires, but it's a real pain to have your alternator fail. Many mechanics don't recommend washing your motor since you also pose the risk of getting water in other connectors and electronics. If you must, use some Simple Green or Castrol Super Clean and a scrub brush and low pressure from a hose...

MR2Di4