Good day all,

Recently dealing with an issue on my fresh motor build where the installer pressure treated the cooling system at 15psi before ever having started the motor.

It leaked coolant from the head gasket.

Motor was returned to fabricator for inspection and everything was perfect - including head gaskets. The builder questioned why the installer ran the procedure.

Is it normal/advisable to pressure test the cooling system before startup on a new motor like that?

Total newbie here.

Thanks

 

It's foolish to test a cooling system that has no coolant in it, but testing it properly is ok. They probably did it because they suspected a problem with the gasket after they finished the engine.
I think it is still a good idea though, because you wouldn't want a bad radiator to spoil the new engine.

 

if it pushed water, everything is not ok. do not accept the motor or attempt to install it if thats the case.