Allis Chalmers WD45 Diesel project

55,

If you go with ARP bolts I got the part number and sizes of all of them.
I had to cut some of mine so the rocker wouldn’t hit them.

Talk to your cousin, who has 50 yrs experience. On Jan 23rd, you said you've already "killled" two regular head gaskets.  How much run time were on them??  100 hrs ??  or just as bad as the copper gasket.....leaks upon startup ??  Have you raised the compression on this "pulling" engine ??  That's probably a bad idea.  On Jan 23rd, I told you it wouldn't work and that it would leak coolant, just a matter of when.  The OEM fire rings are thicker than the OEM head gasket. They are made to crush down to the thickness of the composition gasket while putting a very tight seal against the sleeve flanges, as long as the sleeve stand-out remains where it should be, .002" to .005" ABOVE the block.  They eventually settle down to flush and below flush and that is the inherent flaw of that engine.You are obviously getting compression squeaking thru the tops of the sleeves. I have to assume it's because your copper gasket isn't squeezing tight enough at the sleeve flanges and never will be able to the way your going about it. Your cousin has done this without issues ?? Then, he's the man to call I think.

So, you'd have to admit that you have "failed" the copper gasket repair twice in less than 1 hr run time ??  When you used the OEM gasket, did you run it for an hr or two at high idle, let the engine sit overnite and then retorque the head bolts COLD ?? Was the OEM gasket painted with copper coat ??

3 hrs ain't the same as overnite and copper coat (a couple layers) is better than dry. I don't know what else is going on here. They are known for doing this, but not at the rate you are failing them. Copper isn't the solution.

Would it be better if I put fire rings on this copper gasket?

Yes they are fine on top and course on bottom. I did some research and the factory 45d was that way and they was put at 100ftlb. I haven’t went past 105ftlb.

I don't remember what OEM gasket thickness is. I thought he said he has the copper gasket a little thinner (.063"), so that might cause fire ring thickness issues ??

Edited by DrAllis - 21 Feb 2021 at 7:51am

A copper fire ring of any design will fail. IT'S COPPER!!!

Should I go with copper or a different metal fire rings?

Go with annealed steel. Copper is too soft. With steel, start at 20 ft lb torque, increasing 20 lbs until you reach the 100-110 torque.             MACK

MACK can supply what you need. PM him
.

Would it work to have custom made fire rings per cylinder?

You have two sleeves that "are a bit too low".  So, exactly how low are they ??   This is exactly what those engines are known for....sinking sleeves. When they are new, they should be .003" to .005" ABOVE the deck surface (this is from memory). If you have any flush or below flush, you'll need thicker fire rings to "patch" it up. I think Mack may have some that he has made up that could help this situation. BUT, if you have two sleeves that are obviously lower than all the others....that is a problem. The correct fix is six new sleeves that have a taller flange on them and recut the block ledge to make the new sleeves sit at the correct height.

From what I know from talking to the late forum member, Don(MO), sounds like it's time for a complete overhaul to me.Don was the best when it came to the Budas.Unfortunatley Don passed away last year.  Until all the counter bores are recut, the block decked, and sleeves replaced this will never hold a head gasket. Proper sleeve stand out must be achieved for head gasket to hold.Once that is done I would recommend a set of Mack's fire rings and an agco head gasket properly torqued. There is no cheap way to go about these Buda engines. Hopefully your block hasn't been decked too far already in the past.With two below the deck and the rest flush,they have all dropped. This is my 45 diesel that Don overhauled the engine in.It's one of the best starting and running 45 diesels around these parts.It starts with no preheat at 60 degrees or warmer I'm lucky to have one of his Buda builds.                                                                   

Edited by ac45dave - 02 Mar 2021 at 10:48pm