i have a Cummins 220nh with a leaking head gasket. I cant afford to fix it right now but besides draining the coolant would it be a bad thing to maybe re torque the head down to try and stop it? It doesn't smoke at all so i don't think it's leaking into the cylinder. Don't want to hurt the engine as it runs strong with no other issues.
Re-torquing it wouldn't hurt.
Re-torquing the heads won't do you any good, just allot of frustration. 220 head bolts pull 450 ftlb on final torque. Those bolts probably have been in there so long you will strain your grapes trying to get them out. If it's running ok right now and is not pushing white smoke out the stack run it. IMO Truck Shop
Ugh i think i will just fix it myself. Is it a difficult job to do? Do i need to deck the head or can i get away with just a new gasket? where can i find a gasket kit for it, everyone i talk to says it discontinued?
Try these folks. http://www.dieselpartsdirect.com/DSNH220
Retorque and use some blue devil block sealer, if the leak ain't internal. Just make sure to follow the directions on the Blue Devil, and use the correct Antifreeze...
It's not a Core Plug leaking is it? tctractors'
Core plug? Like a freeze plug? Not familiar with these motors. When you start it you can see air blow out in between the heads as the piston cycles up.
Replace the gasket then, it's leaking into the cylinder and it's only a matter of time. No experience with cummins heads, but I'd guess it would be a lot less likely to warp bad enough to matter than a single head. Clean it up and check the head and block with a straight edge. No power tools to clean it, scrape with a razor blade. Use brake cleaner and a small wire brush to get the gunk off.