Blown Head Gasket and Valve Cover?? - SRT Forums

DarkShadoz · 11-03-2009, 08:59 AM

Hello everyone. I have been reading up on some threads here on the boards trying to get a better understanding of what may be going on. Based on what Ive been reading and what I have been told by local SRT4 owners, I think i have a blown head gasket and need a new valve cover. Let me explain.

The other day the car started to cut out like there was no gas (while i was driving. Scary!) When I stopped at a light it started to sound like I had huge ass cams in there (which i dont. and this was on the way to work. GREAT!) so i made it back home. Then last night my roommate and I tried to figure out what was wrong. Popped open the hood and turned the car on. After a few minutes, i was looking in the engine bay when smoke started to come from behind the turbo (or thats how it seemed. couldnt really tell because it was dark out). So I shut off the car. My roommate was over by my exhaust and said smoke was coming out from it. I went over to check and white smoke was coming out with a liguid substance dripping onto the ground, coming from the exhaust. It looked like alot of water mixed with oil.

I decided to check on the spark plugs. the plug to the very right (i think is #4??) is caked in oil. The other three have what looks like burnt or dried up oil, but not nearly as much as #4. So i am pretty sure i need a new valve cover for that.

So I am not really sure what to make of it all. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

shava · 11-03-2009, 09:45 AM

Chances are your valve cover is fine, if there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust when it was running its burning coolant, you're going to need to take the head off and go from there.

DarkShadoz · 11-03-2009, 10:26 AM

burning coolant? uhm. ok. and i dont think having a crap load of oil in my spark plug tube is a good thing. haha. ive been told by many that i need to replace the valve cover to fix that issue. but does burning coolant explain the amount of water mixed with oil coming out of my exhaust??

tim421165 · 11-03-2009, 11:49 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by DarkShadoz

burning coolant? uhm. ok. and i dont think having a crap load of oil in my spark plug tube is a good thing. haha. ive been told by many that i need to replace the valve cover to fix that issue. but does burning coolant explain the amount of water mixed with oil coming out of my exhaust??

are you sure it was oil mixed with water ? and you dont have to replace ur valve cover just take the valve cover off and change the 4 round gaskets on the plug holes ..

DarkShadoz · 11-03-2009, 02:17 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by tim421165

are you sure it was oil mixed with water ? and you dont have to replace ur valve cover just take the valve cover off and change the 4 round gaskets on the plug holes ..

Pretty sure. We could definitely tell there was a lot of water due to the transparency, and the other substance mixed with it was like a dirty, black-ish yellow substance. i think thats right... but again it was last night, and kind of hard to see. i just know that after the car had been off for a few minutes, white smoke was still coming out from the exhaust.