BOTLFED

So, I was running the car last night and I noticed the left side pipe was still smoking a little after it was warmed up.. I looked at the other side and it was fine, and then upon closer inspection, the inside of the exhaust pipe was coated with the oil/water slime of a blown head gasket.... doh!

That's what they all say... They all say doh....

I kinda had an inkling on the weekend when I popped the rad cap and it was pressurized after only 45 seconds of running...

Anyhow, gonna pick up another fel-pro gasket today and stuff er in this week.. Should only take a couple of hours, but what a PITA...

<---disgruntled..

Damon

Sorry to hear about that. Don't replace the head gasket like you're going to a fire. Disassemble carefully while inspecting EVERYTHING. Finding out WHERE the head gasket popped is important. Diagnosing WHY is even more important.

I know the temptation to "thrash" and get it fixed but I guarantee you'll be glad in the long run that you ttok a lot fo notes and check everything.

Is the block deck slightly warped?? Borrow a straight edge and find out. How about the heads? Look at the piston faces for signs of detonation. Look for small cracks in the heads and block. Inspect the head gasket- did it maybe not have enough torque on it in the first place or did it clearly suffer a "blowout" in one small area? Etc, etc.