Generally if head gaskets go bad, either coolant is pumped into the oil or oil is pumped in to coolant or both. It turns oil foamy white and it turns coolant kind of a light brown.
If your head gaskets are blown, your engine will heat in some situations. There is also a device called a pressure tester that you connect to the coolant filler neck on your radiator. If you put the tester on the cooling system and it doesn't hold it's pressure then your head gaskets probably are blown.
White smoke can result from condensation in your exhaust system too. The heads could be leaking coolant into the exhaust ports in the head. If your engine isn't heating and isn't pumping the coolant and oil together, your gaskets are probably all right.
Use the pressure tester to see if your cooling system bleeds off pressure.
Good luck98 5.7 vortec seems to blow a lot of white smoke. intakes were changed.how do i check for bad head gaskets?a compression test98 5.7 vortec seems to blow a lot of white smoke. intakes were changed.how do i check for bad head gaskets?pressure test the coolant system.
