89AZ944

Took her in for A/C compressor replacement, asked shop to look at why it has a rough idle when cold (just started 2 weeks ago).

During fluid level check mechanic found it was down about 1 gallon of coolant and upon closer examination found the blown gasket.

Boing!

I'm not too upset because I did have a weeping oil leak (only under pressure) at the head gasket near the firewall, I was going to have the head pulled and work done in June (budgeted for it). I'm acutally more upset that I am going to have to go the weekend without it.

I went ahead and having the valves redone since the head was pulled. I'm just glad it was caught before warping the head or further damage was done.....

It just seems strange that so many gaskets decided to blow the past week...

Brad E.

sillbeer

mine is at stuttgart's right now with a bad headgasket

Mighty Shilling

I'm actually thinking after reading everyone's rough idle when cold thing... that mine may be blown too. I have a very slight coolant loss, and when cold, up until it's run for about a minute, it seems kinda rough, and when coming down from high cold revvs, (3K RPM) it stutters a bit... if I revv it and hold it, it stutters... but it still runs like a bat outa hell... wierd..

89AZ944

That's very close to what I was experiencing......

Jfrahm

You guys change your coolant? I've seen corrosion damage to these heads.

-Joel.

89AZ944

Yup-

Have had it done twice in past 18 months - once at timing belt change when I first got the car and 8 months later when the radiator was replaced. And the correct antifreeze for the alumninm (sp) block was used.......

chitown928s4

So if you have rough idle at start up you have a head gasket blown. I always thought it was weather related. Mine has done this since Ive had it. When the weather warms up no more rough idel at start is this correct.

xsboost90

well it should be smoking some too if its making it into the cylinder- should be able to smell it. Usually a blown headgasket will pressurize the coolant tank some too, so itll be full more than usual or have alot of pressure even when the motor is cool and you just have started it up. Not ALL stuttering problems are automatically coolant related. Sometimes the head gasket will blow and itll just leak cooland and never get into the cylinder-which is better than the latter.

Dave in Chicago

Brad - I feel your pain. Good to catch it before really bad things happen. In my opinion, it's just an age thing. That's a lot of years, regardless of mileage, to get out of a head gasket.

My 968 had about 140k miles on the clock when a strange oil leak lead to the head gasket discovery. I also had the head done while it was off, that was a good call.

In the 'what's good about this' column, it should breath a little stronger in the top of the RPM range when you're done. Mine seems to.

Calmchaos

Well if this doesnt scare the living crap out of me.....

-Brett

cjeckert

I have slight coolent loss but a compression test and leak down test has always been fine, every couple mounths my car pukes about a gallon of coolent but i've never found the reason.

PeteL

Should there be a "whoosh" sound when you remove the cap on the coolant expansion tank? Mine does that, also having terrible idle when cold.
Of course, right now the car is in a million pieces, as I reassemble after replacing the HG.

MyBlackCar

My HG leak caused my car to overflow coolant because gas kept getting into the cooling system. I am about 1/3 of the way in disassembling the engine. Very disappointing considering I got all the way to the camshaft housing to replace the gasket 8 months ago.

yellowline

Not when cold. Maybe a quick pst, but not a pshhhhhhh. Mine did that and one day, the entire car lost power when I needed it most.

MyBlackCar

The wooshing sound depends if the leak can hold pressure in the cooling system. My cooling system could hold pressure even when cool. The leak took 60+ PSI injected into the cylinders to leak into the cooling system. Any less caused no change.