Blown head gasket questions

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

mucanuc01

Junior Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2023
Posts
4
Reaction score
22
Location
Wisconsin
First Name
Dennis
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
350
In my many years working on fleet vehicles, very rarely did I come across 350 gm engines blowing gaskets. I've redone top ends with cracked heads between valve seats that didn't give issues. Spark plugs will show you a problem. If one is clean, coolant is entering the game. There's a test kit you can buy that detects exhaust in the radiator. More often than not, emissions go into the cooling system vs coolant in the exhaust. It's hard to read exhaust in cold weather.
 

RanchWelder

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2023
Posts
634
Reaction score
921
Location
Earth
First Name
--------
Truck Year
87
Truck Model
Blazer
Engine Size
355ci
There is a widely viewed youtube video where the team uses a cardboard box for head gaskets and it works for hundreds of miles without failure.
(Crack-Heads are the usual suspects.)

This chick rocks!
xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

My Girl!
 
Last edited:

GTX63

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2022
Posts
745
Reaction score
3,019
Location
Tennessee
First Name
Ty
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
350
When I have found a SBC with a failed head gasket it was almost always one of two things- it had been run hot at some point, or it had been sitting for a very long time.
 

Craig Nedrow

NADAR UNDER THE RADAR
Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2018
Posts
847
Reaction score
1,528
Location
Washington State
First Name
Craig
Truck Year
1973 (have two), 1985
Truck Model
K10, K20, C20
Engine Size
350, 454, 6.2 Detroit
I read tech articles all the time, just read this an hour ago, seems plausible. Ty, post 18 is what I have done in the past. I have seen some heads cracked so bad, that revving the engine blew coolant a foot high out of the cap on the radiator.

 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
42,156
Posts
910,233
Members
33,651
Latest member
di11ard
Top