Several people have asked you ( myself included ) how many lb. ft. did you tighten the nuts on the head. I'm guessing you don't know. I have ruined two
predator non hemi engines doing what I think you just did. Pretty stout builds, much like yours and with high compression and head studs instead of bolts my thinking was well I am going torque these to 30 lb. ft. It will hold
better, RIGHT? Well what it does is stretch and deform the block so it can't
seal. The first time it happened I had the top of the block ground flat. Cost me $100 for that. The 2nd time it happened it did it to 2 karts on the same day ( similar builds ) and this time where the gaskets blew it scorched and melted a channel on both the block and the heads, deep enough that they were junk. Only bare blocks I could find were hemi's and the cam journal sizes are different. Had too buy two new engines and swap over all my good
parts and have the new heads milled and ported. EXPENSIVE LESSON.
It was Eric Adams at O.M.B. Warehouse the Grey Goat that got me straightened out on this. Get the top of your block checked for flatness by a machine shop, and repaired if necessary. Then buy the .045" thick fiber head gasket with the fire ring ( go power sports has them in stock ) and torque the head to 20. No more. And do it incrementally and in a criss cross
pattern. The conversation about venting have NOTHING to do with your problem .
predator non hemi engines doing what I think you just did. Pretty stout builds, much like yours and with high compression and head studs instead of bolts my thinking was well I am going torque these to 30 lb. ft. It will hold
better, RIGHT? Well what it does is stretch and deform the block so it can't
seal. The first time it happened I had the top of the block ground flat. Cost me $100 for that. The 2nd time it happened it did it to 2 karts on the same day ( similar builds ) and this time where the gaskets blew it scorched and melted a channel on both the block and the heads, deep enough that they were junk. Only bare blocks I could find were hemi's and the cam journal sizes are different. Had too buy two new engines and swap over all my good
parts and have the new heads milled and ported. EXPENSIVE LESSON.
It was Eric Adams at O.M.B. Warehouse the Grey Goat that got me straightened out on this. Get the top of your block checked for flatness by a machine shop, and repaired if necessary. Then buy the .045" thick fiber head gasket with the fire ring ( go power sports has them in stock ) and torque the head to 20. No more. And do it incrementally and in a criss cross
pattern. The conversation about venting have NOTHING to do with your problem .