Brooklyn

Hello, I am pretty sure my 1991 HB truck needs a new head gasket. It emits puffs of white smoke whenever I give it gas. It is not that much, so I think it is just starting to leak. I already ordered a head gasket set, because it would be something good to have. I am thinking of just taking it to a shop to have it done, but I suppose if I bought a torque wrench, I could do it myself.

How much do you guys think the shop will charge? Should I just do it myself? Is this even a head gasket problem?

Thanks!

Brooklyn

Maybe I should note that the exhaust is also dripping of water. The smoke tends to evaporate quickly.

However, when I looked into the coolant reservoir, is was somewhat low and dark colored. Could it just be the coolant is old? The coolant in the radiator is good and green...

Also, I just bought this truck, cheap. I drove it home and I didn't notice any excess smoke or sluggishness. Changed the oil recently and it was black. However I realize that this isn't necessarily an indication of head gasket failure. Would renting a pressure tester from autozone solve the issue once and for all?

Thanks!

Brooklyn

So I ran the truck today for about 10-15 minutes. Watching the white smoke closely, and noticed it really only appears much right after high reving, when I let off the gas. Then there is small amount of white smoke for a few seconds, and then it goes away. Light revving shows no smoke. Pulled all of the plugs and they all look the same, and pretty normal.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

zanegrey

read the codes...

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zanegrey@gmail.com

Brooklyn

How to I set it to show the error light flashes. I remember reading about it but I forgot.