Recently my LS is bogging at start up intermittently, coolant disappeared slowly, and the spark plugs from cylinder 1 & 2 are corroded on the ground electrodes on the outside. I am suspecting a head gasket problem, and did a compression test.

Cyl 1: 190
Cyl 2: 160 (??)
Cyl 3: 190
Cyl 4: 190

A small amount of white fume (like the ones from microwaved food) with a hint of fuel/fume smell would come out of cyl 1 every 5-10 crank. I removed the ECU fuse when compression test so the fuel pump/injector should be off. I retested 3 times on all cylinder and this symptom is consistent. The plugs in Cyl 1 and 2 were hard to remove due to some sticky gunk, but after removing/reinstalling a few times it seems ok. Swapping plugs between cylinders from 1,2,3,4 to 4,3,2,1 makes it smoother, as well as using new plugs.

What is that white fume? Someone told me it is injector leaking. Do you think my gasket is gone? Or should it be acceptable (borderline as all cyl should be within 28+/-)? Do you think my block/head is warp/crack?

Car is 97 and has 205k miles on it, it is automatic B18B and is mainly for commuting 100 miles round trip and driving to SoCal every other week.

 

i have white fumes coming out of my exhaust too...someone told me it was probably my head gasket wasn't mixing water with fuel correctly but have yet to have it checked

 

head gasket if you are burning coolant.

 

I think most likely HG too, just wondering the probability of crack/warp block or head. How much does it cost to replace HG? What about milling the head/block and the labor to remove reinstall them?

The engine is already at 205k miles, so I am tempted to just swap in another used LS engine or do a stock rebuild. The rest of the car is in excellent condition (well, for a 10 year old 205k miles it is, but still should last another 5 years).

 

a proper head/valve job will be close to $1000.

and then sooner or later, your bottom end is going to go.

if you are going to tear it apart, have everything done and upgrade if you want to.

 

i just got a completely rebuilt head. a friend did it for me but he said it was over a grand worth of labor. new valves head gasket timing belt cams and springs+retainers

 

Thanks guys for the info. I just got my car back from a mechanic my friend refer me to. He charged me $890 total for parts, labor, and tax to replace HG, machine the head (warped) and the valves, and oil/plugs/filters/etc.

Much smoother after the work, and he gave me 12 month warranty.