PeteL

Ok - Here's the deal. The car runs like crap when cold. Once it is warm it runs fine. But when cold, it feels like it is running on 3 cylinders. Sounds like a harley. Just pulled the plugs, one is cleaner than the others, they all look a little white.
What is the definitive diagnosis for Head Gasket? Compression or leakdown? Looked into the cylinders the appear dry.
What do you all think?

jyoon

white smoke coming out the exhaust?

PeteL

Not much smoke at all. If I gun it while idling, there is some. Exhaust is dry.

M758

Is your coolant level dropping or staying constant.

If the level drops it is probably the head gasket.

Peckster

Losing any coolant? How did you look in the cylinders, did you do it while the engine was cold? There might be a little pool on one side down above the rings.

GOBOGIE

Again, loosing any coolant. What's the resevoir look like... any milkshake?

7thStranger

If it is time for a new head gasket let me know.

I'll come and help hold the beer.

RedlineMan

Leakdown.

C/NO2 test of coolant tank.

Top hose gets REALLY hard when you rev it sharply?

Pushes coolant out of the tank (cap off) when started?

Pressurize cooling system and listen in cylinder for hissing sound.

Of course, loss of coolant.

PeteL

I lose coolant very slowly. The car (per the gauge) does not run hot. The upper rad hose gets really hot and is pretty hard.
Will a HG leak make the car run rough until it comes up to temp?

yellowline

I just had one let go, and I've had similar symptoms. I'd also lose about a quart of coolant a night. However, it never went down more than that.

Car ran like that for about 3 months...it'd run on 3 cylinders for about 5 seconds after startup. It'd be fine after.

Yesterday, I drove it, and it didn't get better. Not wanting to mess around, I took her home after about a mile of driving. Pulled plugs and took a compression test. #2 is shooting water out of the plug hole. Finally starting to blow a little white odorless smoke, too. It's on a "don't drive" basis.

At your stage, it'll go like that for awhile (I wouldn't do it, though). Get the parts on hand and plan some time when it's convenent for you to do it.

Peckster

Yes, until the coolant is expelled.

A quart a night would produce instant hydrolock. You must have been burning it during the day, that's a huge number.

yellowline

Well, what I mean is that I'd top it off, drive it, and inspect it the next day. You can't check the coolant when it's hot, nor is it accurate when hot. So yeah, I meant that it burnt off, and perhaps leaked a small amount into the cylinder at night.

It wouldn't go lower than a quart, though. Strange. Oh well, it's getting taken care of.

Mark-87-951

This makes me wonder if I have a blown head gasket. My coolant level was a bit low but the car temp was fine all summer. However, yesterday the car overheated by the time I got to my gf's house. A twenty minute, mostly highway drive. Fans were working but I had to add 1/2 gallon to the reservior tank, so far. Im going to keep an eye on it. I do not have an external leak, but maybe I didnt purge air from the system correctly when I changed the reservoir tanks? My old one started leaking.

PaulStewart

Why guess, yank the plugs and do a compression test.

apierce918

i have the same problem, im gonna finish tracking it down after im done painting (delayed been in OK for a week) i kinda hope it is a head gasket for the sake of me tracking the problem down for a reasonable price