r/Cartalk • u/Alligatorgamer9 • Dec 09 '24

Blown Head Gasket, or Cold Weather? Exhaust

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This is just after 2 bottles of K-Seal. The exhaust used to smell sweet, but now it’s almost odorless. It’s currently 2am and 39*F. The smoke also easily changes direction in the wind and alternates between rising quickly and staying low to the ground. The thickness of the cloud is also variable.

Is my head gasket screwed or is it just the cold weather?

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u/Secret_Effect_5961 Dec 09 '24 edited Dec 09 '24

Condensation due to cold. If the gasket has gone it will likely be pressurising the top hose under the bonnet etc. You don't always get emulsified oil with a blown gasket but it would be hard starting and run rough at idle on 1 cylinder down. If you can all the plugs out, one may look "washed" clean which is a good indicator too and removing the coolant tank cap when cool and having a sniff may allow the smell of exhaust fumes in there.