Is this a blown head gasket give me your opinion

[Towu4free]

I bought this 1990 vette which the seller a young kid claimed thats what it had.

I ran the car on a cold rainy day and yes there was alot of white smoke (keep in mind this car has no cats) but today was sunny and considerably warmer car went to about 230 degrees fans running all the time (however that is believed to be a stuck thermostat) but anyways I saw no visible white smoke this time except a little at first startup.

Now when I do start this car I always have to depress the accelerator to get it to cold start and the car has a very strong fuel odor to it (maybe the coolant temp sensor for the ecm) I've been told if this is bad it could cause the fans not to operate as normal either. so I will change that as well.

It looks like the some sort of head work was done on the car at some point due to how clean everything is on that part of the engine. once warm the engine idles at about 800rpm and idles very nice (motor doesn't seem to stumble or shake) real crisp throttle reponse at all times.

Sorry but I have never had a car with a blown head gasket so I'm kind of confused on this car. Is there anything to test for a blown head gasket available? And would I need to completely flush the cooling system prior to doing this?

The kid also stated coolant contaminates the oil which I haven't noticed just looks like normal clean oil but as much as I've run the car I would have thought it would have started to change to a darker color by now. Car has straight water in it now or if the head gaskets are leaking would that be why the oil always seems clean? I would have thought even just plain water would turn it a milky color.

He also claimed a severe battery drain whiich I found to be a dead cell in the battery so I am wondering if his version of blown head gaskets to be a just a car thats overheating because of a bad thermostat and fans not working.

so how can I be 100% positive of the head gaskets not being blown guys?

Hey, and congrats on the vette, i was reading through your post and found something that looked familiar, i used to have to depress my accelerator pedal to get it to start and had that smell....my problem was the Fuel Pressure Regulator...just check your fuel pressure and see if it drops off fast or slow..when you turn the key on it should jump up and hold (even after you hear the fuel pump stop) if it drops fast this could be a faulty FPR, maybe even a fuel pump, or pulsator....its easy to pull the sending unit out you dont even have to drop the tank.. Happy Vetting!!!

 

[topless82vette]

another question ..... Is that black resovoir by the firewall always supposed to be filled to the top? I noticed mine is down maybe 3 inches so maybe it does have a leaking head gasket ..... you think its best to just do the gaskets then avoid a problem? How hard is it to do that on this car?

 

[topless82vette]

as for the fans I have no idea why they wont run like they are supposed to. I know when I ground the wires at the relays the fans come right on .. If need be I will just by a F-body fan switch and screw it into the other head this way both fans will run at same time and dont have to worry about the ecm triggering the fans to come on.

 

[GO_VETTE]

you have a few issues to resolve)
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Here is what I would do. worry about it at 1 thing at a time.
Sometimes trying to diagnose multiple problems just makes things more complex.
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clean your driveway from any fluids. Pressure wash your chassis, around oil pan, around valve covers, and safely clean your engine.
after it is clean park it in ur driveway, ensuring that is also clean.
start your car, let it run to 200. check to see if car overheats. If no. shut off, and check to see if you have any leaks around motor, on driveway or garage.
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If yes, I would correct those problems first (minor leak jobs that require no major expense).
If no, proceed w/ compression test. If you cannot do it, have a professional tech just do a compression test only.
do not give em any ideas about doing a motor swap or any suggestions or clues! keep ur ideas and thoughts 2 ursefl.------------------------

get results. your cylinder pressure should be between 10-15lb varaiances. if so ur good
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now
I would also, just do a tune up, regardless of anything,
ensure your timing is correct, ensure your fuel pressure regulator is not pumping fuel above 38-42 psi-
Just get it to be tuned right.
you will be surprised to find out-your motor was not even bad to begin with.
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Motor oil becoming darker w/ usage is normal. After 500 miles of operation, do not be surpised to have drak brown oil. at 2000 miles do not be suprirsed to have light black oil.
I think you start w/ basics.
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I highly recoomend having EGR, and Cats. THIS IS FOR YOUR HEALTH and cars performance> I dont think that a car w/out Cats is necessarily a power vehicle.
Look at Callaway, M Benz, they produce power w/ all emissions hardware.
I ordered thru Summit-
I have a DYNOMAX Catback Exhaust. They are worth it.
hi Flow Cat=$150.69
Catback Y pipe$125.99
Super Turbo mufllers and pipes=299.99
total catback system=$576.67 -----------------------------------------------
===================================
I have over 151k miles and the car runs. Dont be misled by the notion that over 100k miles the engine is shot.
I drive for a living, I ran a 485k miles Cadillac 5.7L.
-----------------------------------------------------I have an 84 Vette, 1 bad injector began to mix fuel into motor oil.
I had black smoke out of tail pipe.
I had some unscrupulous mechanic tell me how my motor was gone.
I did compression test,-all okay.
did a TPI swap, that car fires up, and drives like a brand new engine.
no smoke.------------- JUST POWER, and I am about to TURBOcharge the car.

 

[WW7]

The above poster is correct, you have a few issues with the car, not just one.. The hard to start condition could be fuel pressure but it could also be fuel injectors, 89 thru 91 Multec stock fuel injectors were known to be junk and most folks that have these years have or will develop problems with them.The methenol in todays gas eats away the epoxy that the coils are wrapped in and the coil shorts out. You have to check the resistance on the injectors, they have to be checked both hot and cold and to do this set you meter to ohms,then take off the injector cap and put one leed on each of the prongs. You should get a reading somewhere around 16 ohms. If it reads a little higher or lower thats not a problem but you don't want it below 13 ohms or above 17 ohms.If it is above or below this the injector is bad.When mine were replaced on my 89 they were way off, something like 8 ohms.Also if you have a leaking injector it can cause the gas smell when you first start it up.
If you would later find out you do have water in your oil it is not always a head gasket, water can also get into the oil because of a bad intake gasket, as a matter of fact this is much more likely to happen than a head gasket..I read all the other posts and I don't think anyone else has mentioned this but if an intake gasket leaks, it can either leak inward or outward. Outward leaks will puddle on the ground, inward leaks go into the oil. The first thing you have to do is like many have already told you, get a compression test done and if that doesn't show anything get a coolant gas test done to check for exhaust gas in your radiator coolant.A coolant pressure test will let you know if its a head or intake leak....WW

 

[topless82vette]

the car doesn't have multecs in it. they obviously died long ago, they have some orange top injectors in it now. I did replace the CTS yesterday but yesterday while running it I did notice the check engine light coming on, so that could explain why it has been having cold start issues.

Also yesterday while running it it ran out of fuel even though guage said 1/4 tank and I have no idea how old that gas was that was in it.

the mileage on the car is I believe 189,000 (something) but as stated inside the valve covers looks like new, even the head bolts appear to have been hot tanked or sandblasted or they are newer bolts. I'm not overly concerned about doing a compression test at this point since the car blows (no blue smoke) and seems to have quite a bit of power (it can torch the tires with ease) and once warm egine will start up afer a second or two of cranking over not like it struggles to build compression before it starts.

while the motor is running you can clearly see the oil building up through the oil filler cap and it definately looks like normal colored oil so I am not sure what this kid meant by it leaks coolant into the oil.

but I surely would think this engine would be running a lot hotter then it does if it had blown head gaskets for one but it can be run at 2,000-2,500rpm for 1/2 hour and be idled for a hour at a time and show no signs of ever wanting to get hot. Time will tell I guess but if need be I think the car is worthy of a new engine at any rate I just wanted to get by cheap is all on this car.

 

[topless82vette]

well since it was rainy and cold out decided to start the car and it fired right up without pumping the gas pedal like it used to. so I guess even though the CTS wasn't throwing a code it still was the problem. the car even idles down now and all.

 

[GO_VETTE]

the car doesn't have multecs in it. they obviously died long ago, they have some orange top injectors in it now. I did replace the CTS yesterday but yesterday while running it I did notice the check engine light coming on, so that could explain why it has been having cold start issues.

Also yesterday while running it it ran out of fuel even though guage said 1/4 tank and I have no idea how old that gas was that was in it.

the mileage on the car is I believe 189,000 (something) but as stated inside the valve covers looks like new, even the head bolts appear to have been hot tanked or sandblasted or they are newer bolts. I'm not overly concerned about doing a compression test at this point since the car blows (no blue smoke) and seems to have quite a bit of power (it can torch the tires with ease) and once warm egine will start up afer a second or two of cranking over not like it struggles to build compression before it starts.

while the motor is running you can clearly see the oil building up through the oil filler cap and it definately looks like normal colored oil so I am not sure what this kid meant by it leaks coolant into the oil.

but I surely would think this engine would be running a lot hotter then it does if it had blown head gaskets for one but it can be run at 2,000-2,500rpm for 1/2 hour and be idled for a hour at a time and show no signs of ever wanting to get hot. Time will tell I guess but if need be I think the car is worthy of a new engine at any rate I just wanted to get by cheap is all on this car.

.

Looks like someone is getting ready to do a MOTOR swap.

 

[topless82vette]

I still have my doubts the car is cured because it still seems to be losing coolant. I ordered a felpro gasket kit for it tonight from summit.

Fel-Pro QHS7733PT9 - Fel-Pro Head Gaskets - summitracing.com

Now is this a good kit for the car. The car won't be raced in ANY way .. and what are your thoughts on new head bolts. Does the aluminum headed L-98 use the so called torque to yield bolts where they can't be used again? Also did it really use exhaust manifold gaskets from the factory?

On my friends 90 he has a sensor between #6 and #8 spark plug but mine has a threaded in plug. However I have a sensor between #1 and #3 cylinders but he doesn't. The temp gauge????? ..... Doesn't the vette use a thermal sensor to turn on the fans in one of these locations? Because I still can't get my fans to run thermostatically. However when you ground the wires at the relays both fans come on so it can't be a power issue.

 

[jonszr1]

just wondering if you know that there is a fill tank up by the passengers sidemarker light . are you filling this? if so then you should be full at the black overflow. also if you have a malfunctioning pressure cap it will do exactly what you are saying is going on . just something to ck ????/

 

[gmjunkie]

Fel-Pro QHS7733PT9 - Fel-Pro Head Gaskets - summitracing.com

Now is this a good kit for the car. The car won't be raced in ANY way .. and what are your thoughts on new head bolts. Does the aluminum headed L-98 use the so called torque to yield bolts where they can't be used again? Also did it really use exhaust manifold gaskets from the factory?

On my friends 90 he has a sensor between #6 and #8 spark plug but mine has a threaded in plug. However I have a sensor between #1 and #3 cylinders but he doesn't. The temp gauge????? ..... Doesn't the vette use a thermal sensor to turn on the fans in one of these locations? Because I still can't get my fans to run thermostatically. However when you ground the wires at the relays both fans come on so it can't be a power issue.

Fel-Pro's are 1 of the best you can get!!
The problem with the sensor is, that whom ever did the heads put the Rt head on the drivers side and the Lt head on the passenger side!!:L:L:LI'd be willing to bet if you look up above the starter you WILL find the wire for it!!!:eyerole:eyerole I don't think it will matter other than you will have to move the sensor to the rear of the other head on a L98,But if it were LT1 or LT4 the heads are Left and Right!! I still think I'd tear it down and at least re torque the heads,But it may be better to pull them and see what else they missed!!

 

[jonszr1]

the above really sounds like the best plan of attack. otherwise you will never know for sure if shes ok . its a weekend project.just take your time .good luck

 

[topless82vette]

well I started tearing the engine apart toda and what a pain in the rear it was. I see no signs there was ever coolant in the oil, however the number 5 & 7 plugs were a way different color then the 1 & 3 plugs and very wet. I havent got the heads off yet that will come tomorrow but right now all I have to do is pull the base manifold and unbolt the heads.

So far there doesn't appear to be any sludge build up anywhere that I can see. I can see a little down into the lifter valley and it looks as clean as the heads.

will a crack in the heads be pretty obvious or should I send them in to be surfaced and checked? the car has never puffed any blue smoke and it actuall looks like the long block is a rebuilt or a very low mileage engine that was put into the car since I would have thought the heads would have been nastier then they are. Odometer on this car is at 189,000