So I pulled a bonehead move. I installed my new 350 into my Camaro over the weekend, and in the process I lost the two rearmost intake bolts on the drivers side. In a rush to get this thing fired up, I decided not to worry about it. So I fired it up and ran it for about 2 minutes and it started getting alot of white smoke from the tailpipes, which I assume is water leaking past the gaskets and into the cylinder. Haven't run it since and I have replaced the two missing bolts. I checked the oil and there was quite a bit of water in it. My question is, did the water come from the leaking intake, or do I have to worry about a possible head gasket problem?

 

Probably the missing intake bolts. Don't run the engine until you've changed the oil and filter. See if the problem persists.

 

Pressure test the cooling system while the oil drain plug is out, make sure the cooling system holds pressure and no more coolant/water runs out the oil pan. Water = Zero lubrication.

 

That's the plan, just wanted a second opinion.

I'd pressure test the coolant system but I don't have the equipment for that. Ill just run it and continually check the oil for water for the first few minutes of run time.