Intake gasket or Head gasket?

ncoop23

Registered User
I am trying to diagnose a car that I have never saw and something is causing the car to put out white smoke how would I tell which one is messed up? Are the symptoms for the intake gasket the same as the head gasket?
 
I would say it is probably the head gasket. I dont think the intake gasket would cause smoking. I think if it is the head gasket it will heat up, mabey push some antifreeze into the resivoir and start blowing it out.
 
The intake gasket can cause the same white smoke. If the gasket is shot then coolant can be sucked into the intake port on the head. I don't think the intake gasket would cause bubbling in the coolant overflow because you wouldn't be seeing the compression pressures as you would with a shot head gasket, unless the valves where leaking badly ;).
 
one way to tell .. would be to take it to a rad shop ..have them put the pressure gauge on the rad ...and see if register any exhaust pulses... back through the coolant system ... you should pull the spark plugs ...and see what ones are clean [white from coolant washing the porcelain above the electrode] if it's spread across both banks of cylinders] then good chance of intake gasket ...if just one cylinder or 2 together..then good chance it's head gaskets ....dave
 
Last edited:
Back
Top