What are the symptoms of this? Won't it mysteriously burn coolant and eventually smoke out the back? Since these are the same symptoms as a blown head gasket how do you know which it is (without removing everything first)?
I know that blown head gaskets will cause a rough running motor also but don't they BOTH cause a milky white oil since they are both leaking coolant?

The reason I'm asking is because I thought I had an intake manifold leak which is now fixed. Before I wanted to run it I decided to change the oil first and this is when I realized the milky white sludge. It checked out OK from the dipstick when I checked it the first two times though. Is it possible that I fixed the problem or am I just dreaming?
Will a compression test or any other test be able to determine if the head gasket is good or should I just run it and find out?
Thanks

 

Not to sound like an a$$, but it either one of them is leaking. You will still need to replace the intake manifold gasket.

Is the car running rough? If not, then have you looked for other areas for leaking? Mine has a slight leak out of the the thermostat housing. Sometimes the oil cooler lines, if you have them, will have small drips coming out of the connections. These will leak slow, but put some heat and let everything expand and you get a faster leak.

 

A head gasket should cause overheating and a loss of power... Best of luck....