Head Gasket ?
Head Gasket ? Would oil around the head gasket and a bad hesitation that comes and goes be an indication of a leaking head gasket? When I take the radiator cap off when its at operating temp. just a little antifreeze runs out but didn't see much bubbling.
Thanks
Thanks
when my gasket was leaking/seeping it didnt have any water in the oil but under the valve covers there was some white sludge build up. it wasnt a bad leak but would hydro lock sometimes on cold start. im not too sure how oil would be leaking around the head gasket, maybe coolant. i noticed some oil around one of my head gasket areas but tracked it down to a valve cover leak. you lose any coolant? my coolant was being burned out the exhaust which was hardly noticable as it barely smoked. you take the cap off when its warm? another thing i noticed when it leaked was that when id cold start it with the cap off there was a slight constant bubbling that would come and go. after i replaced the head gaskets there wasnt any bubbling on cold start. if you think there may be a leak you could try to pressure test the radiator
On The Tree
Joined: Dec 2001
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come again? it would hydro-lock "sometimes"? ok... and what exactly did you do with the broken con rods and piston crowns after it would "hydro-lock".there's a difference between a dead starter not turning an engine and hydrolock. That white sludge is normal... it's just condensation and heavy deposits being pulled out of the oil at high temps. Unless its WIDESPREAD its not a problem.
im not too sure how oil would be leaking around the head gasket, maybe coolant. i noticed some oil around one of my head gasket areas but tracked it down to a valve cover leak. you lose any coolant? my coolant was being burned out the exhaust which was hardly noticable as it barely smoked.
you take the cap off when its warm? another thing i noticed when it leaked was that when id cold start it with the cap off there was a slight constant bubbling that would come and go.
after i replaced the head gaskets there wasnt any bubbling on cold start. if you think there may be a leak you could try to pressure test the radiator
Last edited by Steve in Seattle; Jul 12, 2008 at 05:34 PM.
On The Tree
Joined: Dec 2001
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white steam in the exhaust is a pretty good indicator if it's a big leak (it'll look like a damn KISS concert with all the white steam kicking out), but at really low leakage it could look like normal condensation in the exhaust pipes.I'd check the dipstick and go from there if you're concerned.
the leaking oil is just a indicator of a bad oil seal, nothing else. Unless it's "pooling" oil you should be fine... though it could be fixed depending where it is (i.e. valve train cover gaskets are easy to replace, intake manifold seals are a PITA but doable in your garage... HEAD gaskets are ugly, but not a likely suspect here).
Hesitation can be various things... dieing fuel pump comes to mind, and that usually won't throw a code either. Have to tested the fuel rail pressure at idle and after stabbing it to WOT? Do you have an codes in the PCM? (not all codes throw a service engine soon light)
