Misfires, mysterious coolant loss, and oil/coolant mixing together in
either the crankcase or cooling system. Plenty of other symptoms to
add to the list, but that's just a few basic examples. On another
note, very slight head gasket leaks may sometimes be a little more
trickier to diagnose.

Inspect the plugs, chemical block test, compression tests, leak down
tests, and vacuum gauge readings come to the top of my head.

--
deus

The exact symptom depends on where the head gasket blows.  If it blows
between an oil jacket and the cylinder you will have blue smoke and
low oil pressure, possibly some pre-ignition knocking, and fouled
spark plugs.  If it blows between the oil jacket and the outside of
the block you will have an oil leak and low oil pressure.  If it blows
between the coolant passage and cylinder you have white smoke, mis-
firing, fouled/damaged plugs, and if there is enough coolant in the
cylinders then you can bend the rods/damage pistons.  If it blows
between the cylinders you won't get the typical smoke rather you will
get a severe cross fire.  The car will fight itself and sound like a
lawn mower.  Everyone points to white/blue smoke but that is only if
you are getting coolant/oil in the cylinder.

Leak down testing can accurately diagnosis a head gasket

The very earliest symptom of a blown head-gasket is pressure in the
cooling system even after the car is dead-cold. So, if you remove the
overflow tank cap and it gives a distinct *POP*, then the gasket is
blown.

Also as another mentioned, a leak-down test.

Consider also that all the symptoms described elsewhere could be due
to a warped or cracked  head, this due to overheating or running with
low coolant. So, if you do have to remove the head to replace the
gasket, check it for "flat" and for any cracks. Don't want to be the
bearer of bad tidings, but don't 'assume' in this case.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

check to see if there is HC(hrdrocarbons) in the coolant bottle. Test with
gas analyzer.

I think my 81 diesel may have a blown head gasket.

There is pressure in the coolant bottle even when the car is cold and
I recently had to replace all of the hoses because they were starting
to bulge (I presume from excessive pressure).  Also, my coolant gets
very dirty looking within 1000 miles of a coolant change.
What I do not see is any smoke from the exhaust of any color and I see
absolutely no degradation of the engine power.

Do these symptoms sound like a head/gasket problem on a diesel?
If so , can I continue to run the car for a little while if I change
the coolant and oil frequently without causing additional damage?

I plan to do a total rebuild starting in late July (with a NEW head),
but I would like to keep driving it until then.

Craig O.

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