Originally Posted by slow.8

i had a misfire on cylider 5, and i have been losing a lot of coolant. the place i took it to said they "found coolant passing by head bolts and into crankcase,would require valve job,recommend replacement engine due to mileage of current engine" which is 174k. ive read about coolant leaks with aftermarket heads, that they put rtv on the bolts and it stopped leaking. i asked the mechanic about this, and he said he wouldnt recommend it, because of the way the bolts need to be torqued down on the head. i dont know about the water in the crankcase, ive passed about 10 gallons through this thing the past couple of months, wouldnt it be full of coolant? the oil is dirty but it doesnt look to me like its been contaminated with water, while the guy says it shouldnt look like it does. he said he removed the valve cover and found a bunch of contaminated oil.as for the misfire he says its water getting into the cylinder. the plugs are dry.it wont hold water but for a few days, now. im wanting to know about the rtv on the bolts, is he right? if that doesnt work, i guess its gonna sit for a while....(yet again) until i can find an engine for it. now i gotta see if i can get my beater running. anyway, comments on putting sealant on the bolts would be appreciated.

thanks