Head gasket help

[mydogsname]

Has nobody noticed the deep pit in the photo or is it just normal corrosion?

[So Cal Mark]

you really need to clean that surface first before making any decisions. You can't accurately check flatness unless the head is clean

[mydogsname]

you really need to clean that surface first before making any decisions. You can't accurately check flatness unless the head is clean

sorry. I'm not being clear. I'm not talking about flatness. Im talking about the hole right above the coolant passage. Maybe its hard to see in the pic but its a fairly large pit corroded away.

[So Cal Mark]

yes it's visible but doesn't show any signs of leakage around it. Compare that area to the rear of #4 where you can see the impression from the fire ring is missing right into the water jacket

[mydogsname]

Ok here is the latest:

I got the head back from machinist, nice and spiffy. Everything has been put back together under the hood, as far as i could tell, but Im having some trouble starting the engine. Timing marks seem to be properly aligned, but most it will do when i crank it is a weak putter for a few seconds, if i floor the gas. The vacuum line on the distributer is disconnected because i wasnt sure about it; could that be the culprit?

Any ideas would be helpful.

[RoyBatty]

When you timed the cams and crank, was the distributor pointing at cylinder #4?

[mydogsname]

When you timed the cams and crank, was the distributor pointing at cylinder #4?

Yes. Pretty sure it was. I marked the dis. body and cam housing before removing. Ill check it again when I get back at it Saturday.

[So Cal Mark]

sounds like the ignition timing is way retarded

[spider2081]

Any chance you swapped the cam timing belt gears? The intake and exhaust timing belt gears are not interchangeable and must installed on correct cam.

[mydogsname]

sounds like the ignition timing is way retarded

Indeed it was.
Im properly timed and running but now im getting a serious knocking! sounds like from the head. I found that i was using the wrong mark on the aux shaft . Did i screw this situation up totally by cranking the motor with the aux shaft misaligned? Any reason to think the knock might go away?

[So Cal Mark]

the knock won't go away until you re-time the aux shaft, and you should do that right away before any serious damage occurs

[mydogsname]

the knock won't go away until you re-time the aux shaft, and you should do that right away before any serious damage occurs

I did get it timed properly yesterday when i took off the belt and realized i was on the wrong mark and before I advanced the distributor and got it to run. So it was only like that for a few failed attempts to start it.

[So Cal Mark]

that's good, a broken block is a possibility

[mydogsname]

Ok so I used seafoam on the motor and the noised seemed to go away for the most part. Next I took the car out to try and burn the rest off and it was running great but the noise came back the same as before. As im getting close to home something happened; the motor stopped all of the sudden without any hesitation or sound. I have no idea really

[mydogsname]

I guess im hoping to hear it could be something else besides a broken rod