Head gasket symptoms can vary, and be difficult to diagnose in the early stages.
Usually the earliest symptom will be milky condensation under the oil cap, in the dipstick tube, and inside the crankcase breather tube. But that can also be caused by short run times and open/missing thermostat.
Mystery coolant loss. No observable leak but coolant level drops regularly.
As the condition worsens, and that is typically how it happens, a progressively worsening condition, more symptoms will begin to show. Misfire, usually on start up, coolant or excess steam out the exhaust even on a warm day, blowing coolant out the radiator even before the engine is hot, unusual overheating, liquid locked engine (engine hits a hard stop when trying to crank), serious coolant contamination in the oil.
At that point, it will be obvious there is a real problem.
Testing, there is a 'combustion leak' test that detects combustion gasses in the cooling system. It uses a chemical that changes color if combustion gasses are detected in the radiator.
A simple (but not always accurate test in the beginning of the leak) is to fill the radiator, let the engine sit overnight, pull the plugs, spin the engine through and watch for coolant to blow out the plug holes. If coolant blows, there is a major leak. But it may not always detect a very small leak.
A compression test will show a major leak if the gasket is blown badly between cylinders. Two adjoining cylinders with low or no compression indicate this. Of course this would be associated with major power loss. It is possible to have this type failure and not have coolant loss or overheating.
If there is a gasket problem, the sooner it is repaired the better. Continued use will eventually cause serious engine damage. Letting it sit with coolant or water in the cylinders and crankcase is not good!
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Today's Featured Article - Restoration Story: Fordson Major - by Anthony West. George bought his Fordson Major from a an implement sale about 18 years ago for £200.00 (UK). There is no known history regarding its origins or what service it had done, but the following work was undertaken alone to bring it up to show standard. From the engine number, it was found that this Major was produced late 1946. It was almost complete but had various parts that would definitely need replacing.
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