CO951

The only reason I've driven it at all is to try to diagnose the problem, since there is a lot of the white smoke. I just really want to make sure beyond reasonable doubt that it is the HG, before I go to replace it, since that's a big job for me and funds are very short right now. It sounds like what you are saying is that I might not be seeing some of the typical issues, because it could be a very small failure and I haven't driven it much.

CO951

Thanks OnSpeed. I think I'm feeling pretty comfortable that the HG is the issue now.

ehall

Me Too! Eventually it deteriorated enough to guess that it was the HG.

onspeed

For me it started with a stuttering at high RPM, with no other symptoms and it stayed like that for a few months. Then one day I had LOTS of white smoke. And car was struggling to idle. Shut it down, pulled the plugs, cranked the engine, and the coolant shot out of one of the cylinders.

To the OP, rent a compression tester from autozone. It plugs into the spark plug hole. Pull fuel pump fuse, pull the plugs, and pull the distributor cable. Crank the engine with the tester hooked up, record the value. HG leak should make one cylinder be low on compression relative to the rest.

ehall

I never got that far, but under boost, which wasn't great, I could tell I had a problem. Then I noticed the white STEAM, not actually smoke, coming form the tail pipe. The real test came when I got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and the car wasn't able to stay cool. UH OH! Now, the dude who posted this may just need to change the oil cooler seals, BUT, usually you see some milkshake, at least in the oil filler cap. I had it there when my hg went, but the oil looked great. I think a bunch of folks have marginal HG's and dread the work so much that they talk themselves out the inevitable. If you are running the cars original HG, it's almost a certainty that it isn't long for this world and likely in the process of giving up...especially if you run hard here and there.

docwyte

I have a compression tester you can borrow if you want...

MooreBoost

I can help you do the headgasket. Won't take us very long

CO951

I borrowed a compression tester from autozone and got the following: 69, 58, 64 & 74psi.
I'm not sure what they are suppose to be and they are all about 5psi from the closest one, so I wouldn't call one much lower than all the rest. What do you guys think?

docwyte

Those are universally too low.

CO951

What should they be? So if they are all low is there another problem that is more likely than the HG?

docwyte

They should be twice what they are. Not sure, could be the head gasket is leaking in all cylinders. Might be time to see if you can borrow a leak down tester.

CO951

I know how the leak down works, but what can it tell me about the problem that the compression test doesn't?

docwyte

It'll tell you where the problem is, whether it's the head, rings, etc...

MooreBoost

Probably not the rings because its blowing white smoke. Unless all clyinders are cracked or your head is cracked around every cylinder... Its most likely your headgasket

CO951

MooreBoost: So, your opinion is that it is most likely the HG and I really don't need to do the leak-down? I appreciate your offer to help with the HG. Dave Novak had offered a while ago, to help me to my cam tower gasket because it is leaking, so now he's going to help me do the HG.