head gasket replacement

[ystephen]

About a year ago, I replaced many oil seals and gaskets throughout my '77 Fiat 124 Spider including the head gasket which appears to be leaking again. I see two drips running down the passenger side of the block that look like they begin beneath the 1 and 3 cylinders (beneath the exhaust header 1 and 3 pipes). I did see some oil on the second/top exhaust stud and have used sealant on it and the fourth/top stud and don't see oil there any longer, but still have the leaks. Last time I replaced the head gasket, I didn't adjust the valves, but I removed the head without taking off the cam boxes. I would appreciate tech advice on how to proceed to find the cause of the leak and if it is the head gasket, the cause of the failure and how to replace the gasket and any thing else that needs to be done to keep it running right and from leaking again. Also, are there substitute tools for setting the valves/changing the shims if that is necessary? I'm on a limited budget. (Also, about five years ago, I had a burnt valve caused by a manifold leak and had a valve job and the head resurfaced.)
Thanks for any help coming.

[majicwrench]

Leaking oil or coolant? And how much?? A drip of oil is not, in Fiat terms, a leak.

[vandor]

First step would be to clean the area then run the engine to see where the leak is originating.
The most likely culprit is the #2 and #4 exhaust stud. When you put sealant on those, did you put it on the threads before you screwed the studs into the head?

[RRoller123]

Csaba, should it be standard practice to seal the #2/4E studs when building an engine? Or is this just a repair technique in the event of a leak?

[So Cal Mark]

I use sealer on all of them and ensure the studs are tightened to the shoulder

[vandor]

What Mark said. It takes so little effort to do when things are apart, there is no reason not to.

[RRoller123]

Thanks, got it.

[ystephen]

It is leaking oil...two steady drips that reach the bottom of the block in about 15 minutes. I put high temp sealant on the threads of the studs before inserting and let seal for three days before starting the car. No oil on studs, but same two drips.

[ystephen]

To end the story: after coming to the conclusion that I would probably be replacing the head gasket, I decided to let the car run for a bit after it had been sitting for several days and take a couple of pictures to post to see if I could get confirmation from someone that it was, indeed, a leaking head gasket. After several minutes--no leak. I have driven it a few hundred miles since and still--dry as a bone and no oil loss. The only conclusion I can reach is that after three days, the sealant used on the exhaust header studs still hadn't sealed, but they have now. I'm pretty surprised and more thankful.

[Walkerroofing]

How can I tell if I have stock valve springs. I have double springs on 1976 fiat spider

[So Cal Mark]

double springs are stock