Serious Problem Head Gasket or Turbo?

[Hughes]

Alright,

I am in love with my 1997 GST (4G63-T) but I made a grave discovery this past week. I bought this car 3 days ago mind you so I didn't actually do the work myself.

Here are the mods...
EVOIII 16G
3" Exhaust Front to Back
1G BOV

I was boosting in 3rd down the highway and fell a huge miss or hesitation, hard to describe. Car never ran the same after, but ran alright. I got home let the engine idle for 2 mins. and then pulled the Oil Dipstick and antifreeze and oil.

I am leaking a good amount of oil from the front of the engine area including where I believe the oil return line is not correctly fastened. The valve gasket is also leaking but he is the kicker I don't know how to tell if the turbo is bad or the head gasket is blown. I am puffing a bit of white smoke when I am getting on it, but I am far from a DSM guru.



I am looking at 1000.00 for a head gasket repair because I am not confident enough to tear it down and start the fix only for the fact I will only have 2 days to do the repair. I happened to make the mistake of buying a DSM for a DD.



Can anyone help me figure out my problem? I would appreciate it to the fullest from my ever so helpful DSM Community.

-Nick

 

[Hughes]

^^Bump

I have 2 days to figure this out. I have been reading for hours and need some advice / help.

 

[lacroixdp]

That almost certainly is a bad head gasket. It's pretty uncommon for oil and antifreeze to mix in the turbo. If you don't feel confident enough to do it yourself, then make sure you take it to a shop that knows DSM's. If you don't it'll be just as bad as if you did it yourself.

Yup, I've owned 4 of em, and I'd never rely on one for a DD.

 

[Hughes]

Right, I know I have owned 3 this being my fourth and I was a dumbass to make that mistake but it just makes me smile to get in that beast.

Okay well, thank you for your input I just wanted some backing before I made a big decision to drop 1000 to get it fixed.

Do you know of anyway to test it without pulling the head?

 

[lacroixdp]

A leakdown test will confirm exactly what the problem is.

 

[Hughes]

Thanks for posting. I am stuck in a bad spot and just need some direction. I have been reading all night long and was starting to freak out.

Will be reading how to do a leak down test for the next few hours!

Thanks!

 

[lacroixdp]

This is an excellent guide for performing a leakdown test.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/articles-engine-fuel/338152-compression-test-vs-leak-down-test.html

 

[Hughes]

Leak Down Test VFAQ

Also, here this is a great VFAQ, I think I might actually be able to find out whats going on with this beast!

I can't explain how vital DSMTuners is to anyone who owns a DSM. So vital!

 

[rEclipserGST]

Spend some hours finding local DSMer's that are willing to do a head gasket job for cheaper. Could spend around $350 paying a friend

 

[Hughes]

I just made a post to see if anyone would be willing to help. Hopefully someone in Ohio could use some money and will be willing to lend a hand to my noobness!

Did I say I love this place?

 

[viprez586]

We are here to help, but read the rules please. And don't bump your threads.

There are certain places for each thread, and your post about someone doing a headgasket job for you will get removed.

You are better off taking it to a shop who will resurface the head and deck the block if you want it reliable. While your at it, you might as well throw in some ARP head studs.