I have a '89 gta with a 350 tpi that has a water leak which seems to be coming from the head gasket at front of engine at cylinder #2,what i want to know is if the head gasket is blown or head cracked would i have a low compression reading or not.I have checked compression on #2 and #1 cylinder and they are both about 135 psi.I cannot drive the car to see if it is overheating as it is not yet road legal,is it possible for head or head gasket to leak and not lose compression.My next question is are head gasket sets the same for all years of sbc or are the later ones different and in a parts catalogue from a parts shop over here in england has a gasket set made by rol(i think that was the make) and it has a side note stating head bolts have to be renewed,is that correct or not and would it be same for all makes of gaskets.Any help would be appreciated,
thanks Jimmy.

 

Do you mean cylinder #1 and 2 on the same side? The readings should all be within 10% of each other. If the other ones are higher then the gasket ids probalbe blown between them.

 

Its more probable that you have an intake gasket leak. I would rent a cooling system pressure tester and check it out before tearing anything apart, autozone rents them for a $80.00 fee that you get back when you return it.

 

I would try some of this if it is just the headgasket seeping:
GM coolant supplement (sealant) P/N 3634621
before tearing apart the engine.
I've had to use it on 2 engines that had a drip from the headgasket.
It also is a lifesaver for the "behind the flywheel" freeze plug leaks.
Put 3 tablets into the radiator hose.
(if you look real close at the tablets it's really Barr's tablets)
It's the only thing I use that resembles stopleak because it was blessed by GM.

 

You should read the ingredients on those GM tablets.... they're a hoot...

IIRC, the main one is ginger. Yes, the same kind of ginger that you eat.

But, they do work, and fairly well at that; just, not forever. You have to put more in every once in a while.Even if the leak itself doesn't get worse, the ginger deteriorates and eventually dissolves.

I'm inclined to agree that it's probably not the head gasket, but rather the intake gasket, and the water is just seeping down the crack betwen the head and the block and running out at the spot that you see it. It IS possible for the head gasket to leak water but hold compression though, since the water is AROUND the cylinders; if the gasket fails at some point between the water jacket and the ouside world, then it'll do that. But they don't often do that: think about it, your water is at 15 psi or so and compression is 1200 psi or more, which one is more likely to leak?? Which is why if I was the betting kind, I'd bet it's not the head gasket, but rather, is the intake gasket.

 

To be correct, ground ginger root and walnut shells.
Sounds like a good topping for ice-cream...
Maybe they got the recipe from an Alabamian!

 

This thread is making me hungry.

 

Thanks for the reply's,it was the intake gasket at the front although there seemed to be a lot of water around the head compared to amount leaking from manifold but tightened bolts up a bit and no leaks.

 

But you didn't even get to eat any of those tasty coolant stop-leak pellets... oh well, maybe next time.