well last night my smog pump seized up like 3 weeks ago my cat was glowing bright red i think these tie into each other but the worst part of it all is that i had coolant coming out of the smog pump lines, no word of a lie. Now i'm stooked and a little P****D off how can i check for a blown head gasket without taking the heads off and has anyone else even heard anything like this b4.

 

Well, head gaskets usually blow OUT, so look around the perimeter of your heads for either burst out gasket material, or large areas of burned nasty death. Either one should tell you what you need to know.

 

would a compression test basically tell u if u have a blown head gasket or is it possible that i got something else either hooked up wrong.

 

A compression test will narrow down the possibilities. If you have way low compression in one or two cylinders then you MAY have a blown head gasket. You also could have lost a compression ring, bent a valve, If its a head gasket most shops can do a dye test to see if you have compression in the coolant. This would indicate a head gasket or cracked head. Is it running badly/hot? A head gasket will usually be accompanied by one of these problems.

 

You can get a tool that will pressure test the cooling system. It connects in place of the radiator cap. You pump it up to 15-16 lbs and look / listen for leaks if it does not hold pressure. You could potentially see bubbles or hear hissing at the block / head surface. Another indication of a blown head gasket / cracked head would be coolant in the oil. Drain the pan and look for coolant...... Best of luck