Topic: Headgasket goes pop!!!!

[Darcy]

Ya, she blows a lot of sweet white smoke on cold start up and then it goes away. I suspect that this blow in next to a cylinder because I drove 50km after the smoke signal and my coolant is clean and the fresh oil change is still clean.

As much as I would like to do it myself, the boxer is new to me and a small time contraint may force me to a shop. Anyone have reccomendations?

[ZiG]

Isn't that the symptom of a cracked piston?

[NiceEqualLengths]

No, the pistons blow blue smoke.

Apex Specialized as good reviews on here and are in Edmonton.
I'd get a compression/leak down test just to double check that you're not wasting money.

[Darcy]

Apex Specialized as good reviews on here and are in Edmonton.
I'd get a compression/leak down test just to double check that you're not wasting money.

I figured Apex as well. With that being said, what else could it be? Do gas engines blow white when lean? I figure it is headgasket because it only does it on a cold start.

[NiceEqualLengths]

There is water in the engine on start up when left sitting. It gets expelled as steam. Completely normal. Get someone to start it and smell the cloud of smoke. If its sweet, it's coolant.

[Darcy]

If its sweet, it's coolant.

Ya, I know what your geting at as that's exactly what it is. It was a cloud of excessive proportion with the sweet smell.

As much as I want to fix it now, do I spend the money on that or do I band-aid it until I have a little moer for a built short block. At 91K, a month after this fix, I would be pretty choked to calf a cylinder.

[GrantC]

• does it overheat?
• does it eat coolant?
• if you start it with the coolant reservoir cap off does it look like a jacuzzi?

These are all far more definitive "bad HG" symptoms (IMHO) than some visible exhaust on cold start up...

[Darcy]

• does it overheat?
• does it eat coolant?
• if you start it with the coolant reservoir cap off does it look like a jacuzzi?

These are all far more definitive "bad HG" symptoms (IMHO) than some visible exhaust on cold start up...

None of those yet. I kinda see what you are sayin… I am lookin at m a y b e running a sealant. Short term obviously, but saving cookies and just doing a built short block if I gotta pull the motor anyway.

[GrantC]

I wouldn't start running any "stop leak" or anything in it until it worsens...  With the sole symptom you've listed I would "monitor it" (ie. "ignore it"), for now...