> -----Original Message-----
> From: Phillip Batson
>
> Those bolts haven't been touched...ever. (about 102k miles) So I'd be
> scared I'd break em off, plus I'm not sure I can even get at the bolts. He
> was talking about having to have the head removed and have the broken
> manifold bolts drilled out by a machine shop. I know there sure isn't very
> much room in there. And with my luck with mechanical stuff, I'm betting
> most would bust off on me.
>
> The only "symptoms" I've noticed is the obvious noise, which sounds like a
> busted pipe, and the engine seems to be running hotter than normal. Gets
> louder the harder I push the accelerator. But I haven't noticed a loss of
> power or it running rough at all.
> What else should I be looking for that would point to a blown head gasket?
>
So, your guy *did* indicate there were broken manifold bolts? How does he
know a particular bolt didn't just back out and fall away...or is just
loose? I'd use a probe and/or mirror to see if it's just missing or
broken. A missing or loose bolt would be a very cheap repair.
I wasn't suggesting you try to "tighten" any exhaust manifold bolts, just
see if any are loose or missing. True, if any *are* broken, it might
require head removal to get the broken part out. All depends upon
accessibility.
Some symptoms of a blown head gasket might be bubbles in your radiator,
misfires, loss of power and check engine light on.
To diagnose a "blown" head gasket you would want to do a cooling system
pressure test and a compression test. If both those test fine the gasket
isn't blown. Even if it is, I'd think a stock replacement head gasket would
be just fine as it doesn't seem to be a common problem.
Ray
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