Your leakdown test indicates you have plenty of life left in the engine. 10% isn't the "greatest", but its not terrible either. I'd suspect the oil cooler seals before I would the head gasket (and its a lot easier job to do, too!), altho if coolant sat in your oil for an extended period of time, you may have significant bearing corrosion, which could be *very* bad news. I'd flush the heck out of the engine and coolant system, change out the oil cooler seal, start it up and run some seafoam through it, change the oil, run more seafoam, change the oil one more time and then see what you have got. You may be pleasantly surprised. If its running okay at that point, I'd change the front belts/seals/water pump and call it good.

Regards,

 

Maybe the leak down tests were performed in 1990's? Things *were* good in the 90's!

 

if the headgasket were blown, you'd most likely get combustion (pressure) in the coolant while the motor is running, which will cause the coolant cap to blow.

although it is possible that the other areas of the headgasket (seperating oil/coolant) has deteriorated to allow mixing, coolant in the oil is more likely caused by the oil filter housing gasket being worn/blown.

i'd definitely change the headgasket and also the oil filter housing gasket while you're there.

 

hmm, it will be very demoralizing to tear this thing down and find out its just a oil filter housing gasket. I have put about 5 hours of work into it so far and i just got the cam housing off tonight. i know i am slow, but i dont wanna screw this **** up. If anyone here lives around Quantico, va, I will buy them alot of beer if they come by the shop and school me up a little bit.

 

i just did a headgasket on my car, and on a friend's car the past two weeks. be careful in there.