C3 Tech/Performance V8 Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Basic Tech and Maintenance for the C3 Corvette
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Head Gasket question?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old May 29, 2003 | 09:24 PM
  #1  
conway62's Avatar
conway62
Thread Starter
Pro
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 546
Likes: 0
From: Pinellas Park FL
Default Head Gasket question?

Whats the best way to find out if my 454 has a blown head gasket.

Reply
Old May 29, 2003 | 10:37 PM
  #2  
conway62's Avatar
conway62
Thread Starter
Pro
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 546
Likes: 0
From: Pinellas Park FL
Default Re: Head Gasket question? (conway62)

Come on guys, someone must know how to determine if head gaskets are blown!!
Reply
Old May 29, 2003 | 10:58 PM
  #3  
bigvette1's Avatar
bigvette1
Drifting
20 Year Member
All Eyes On Me
Liked
Loved
 
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,645
Likes: 11
From: Schaumburg IL
Default Re: Head Gasket question? (conway62)

Run a compression check and see if two cylinders beside each other are low.

Do you spit out coolant when you rev it - exhaust in the water

Reply
Old May 29, 2003 | 11:04 PM
  #4  
79VetteMike's Avatar
79VetteMike
Melting Slicks
 
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,804
Likes: 1
From: OKC Oklahoma
Default Re: Head Gasket question? (conway62)

Check your oil for water and/or milky substance. Car may sputter from water getting into the combustion chamber. Compression check.
Reply
Old May 30, 2003 | 01:32 AM
  #5  
tnt76vette's Avatar
tnt76vette
Drifting
 
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,428
Likes: 0
Default Re: Head Gasket question? (79VetteMike)

Gray, "Milky Crap" on underside of Valve covers let me know in a hurry! :eek:
Reply
Old May 30, 2003 | 04:18 AM
  #6  
boredsoIstrokedit's Avatar
boredsoIstrokedit
Racer
 
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 440
Likes: 0
From: Sanford Florida
Default Re: Head Gasket question? (conway62)

what symptoms do you currently have that makes you suspect that? There are MANY MANY MANY different manifestations of a blown head gasket.
Reply
Old May 30, 2003 | 08:34 AM
  #7  
conway62's Avatar
conway62
Thread Starter
Pro
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 546
Likes: 0
From: Pinellas Park FL
Default Re: Head Gasket question? (boredsoIstrokedit)

When the car gets hot, I start to hear bearing noise. Coolant seems to be dissapearing slowly. White smoke out the exhaust when cold. Clears up when hot. I have a feeling that exhaust gasses are getting into the oil creating a high oil temp condition. I had 500 Miles on Penzoil 30w. I just changed it and is smells a bit burned and is very black. I dont want to start tearing everyghing down without proper testing. What else can I look for?
Reply
Old May 30, 2003 | 08:53 AM
  #8  
Pete79L82's Avatar
Pete79L82
Drifting
25 Year Member
Active Streak: 30 Days
Liked
Loved
 
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,825
Likes: 56
From: Shawano WI
Default Re: Head Gasket question? (conway62)

When the car gets hot, I start to hear bearing noise.
If you can actually hear a bearing noise the bearings are too far gone for anything but replacement to fix.


A head gasket can leak in four ways:

1: combustions to coolant (most common) You will get white smoke and lose coolant. A leak down test and a cooling system pressure test will verify this condition.

2: Combustion to oil (very rare, as the path is long) You will get exessive blow by. Oil will discolor and smell bad. (same symtoms as a burnt piston)

3: water to oil (more common with intake gasket but will occur on head gaskets) oil will get milky very quickly.

4: compustion to combustion. Head gasket will fail between two cylinders. You will get popping back through carb and exhaust.


The fisrt thing I would do is a leakdown test and a cooling system pressure test.
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-4

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-6

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
story-9

2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

 Joe Kucinski
Old May 30, 2003 | 09:51 AM
  #9  
mvftw's Avatar
mvftw
Melting Slicks
20 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,330
Likes: 6
From: Long Island NY
Default Re: Head Gasket question? (Pete79L82)

EZ way first...Take off radiator cap, look for foam and chocolate milk...next chage the oil in a clean pan. Water is in the radiator or oil pan or both.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Head Gasket question?





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:34 PM.

story-0
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-1
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-2
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-4
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-5
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-8
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE
story-9
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette lineup vs the world.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-24 16:12:42


VIEW MORE