A Blown Head Gasket, Caspers audible knock detector

[esinger]

Well I think I've blown a head gasket and here's the story to go with it.

I have recently bought a Casper's audible knock detector for my GN because I was sure that I was getting some detonation at WOT (could hear it). Well I wired it up and decided to check it out, so I hooked up my OTC 2000 and put it in Road Test mode and monitor knock mode. I got on the highway went very close to WOT and checked OTC 2000 and got Knock yes and numbers jumping around between 2 and 6 degrees, but the Casper knock detector was silent (all except the beep on startup).

When I got off the highway and came to a stoplight, I felt the car idling rough, so I went to a friends house that was close by and we proceeded to troubleshoot.

Here's the symtoms:
1) Car idles like it's missing a cylinder.
2) Started Pulling the plug wires on the driver side and the car almost dies on each pull.
3) Started Puling the plug wires on the passenger side and the car's idle does not change.
4) A small amount of oil is showing on the passenger side valve cover and smoke is coming from the up and downpipes from oil being splattered on them.

I've never experienced a blown head gasket, but I'm assuming that's what I have.

Thanks

 

[esinger]

Maybe an intake gasket

Here's couple of other clues:
1) All wires are showing spark
2) Pull all the spark plug wires on the passenger at the same time and idle doesn't change.

Could it be an intake gasket instead of a head gasket?

 

[85 ttypewh1]

I dont think it would be a blown head gasket, how much boost. IF you unplug all 3 spark plugs on the same side and the idle doesnt change then if you did blow a gasket it has to be blown in 2 spots and it would be the middle cylinder, and blown to the front cylinder and blown to the rear cylinder. I think something else is up, but stranger things have happened. Is there any coolant in oil?,is the radiator or coolant bottle have oil in it? does the rad have cumbustion bubbles wjile running?

 

[85 ttypewh1]

do carb clean or propane to find an intake gasket leak.

 

[esinger]

I'm going to let the car cool down and then feel around for a source of the oil leak. I was not looking at my boost gauge while this was going on, so I'm not sure how much boost I was producing at the time.

The OTC 2000 doesn't show any codes by the way.

 

[esinger]

Stuck Valve

Just wanted to update this thread about the problem. A friend and I tried everything we could think of to troubleshoot the problem. The last effort was to do a compression test on all the passenger side cylinders. The end cylinders were showing around 132 (this is with plugs in on all be the tested cylinder and we unplugging the power to the ECM to prevent startup). The middle cylinder showed no compression at all.

I sent it to a shop (I don't have a garage) and they took off the head and the head gasket was in great shape. The middle cylinder had a stuck valve that was causing all this.

Just thought I'd let everyone know that it wasn't from detonation

 

[boosted84]

im not too sure but ive heard that if you car hear the detonation your knock sensor is not working correctly this also could be the reason for no reading on the knock gauge even though you said it was a stuck valve i would check that out like i said im pretty sure i heard some place if you can hear it your knock sensor isnt working correctly because it pulls back timing to try to stop you from blowing it all up good luck let us know what happens ps a way to test your sensor is to bang on the block at the rear near the sensor at idle and see if it changes if it doesnt its not workin right