As the topic suggests the head gaskets in my lt1 just blew (might be just one, but might as well say both.)
Trying to figure out whether or not it's worth it to try and put new gaskets on without messing with the internals. From what I hear coolant really screws up the bearings in these motors.
What do you guys think? The car didn't overheat, just blowing smoke and the oil is milky.

cometic MLS gasket ftw

oil milky means coolant in the oil

drain the oil and see how much antifreeze comes out before you see oil lol

worse case scenario, motors trash

best case scenario, you need new headgaskets and rod bearings / crank

What color smoke?

White smoke = Coolant

Blue smoke = Piston Rings

And yeah, unfortunately, it sounds like you have coolant in your oil.

Either means bad head gasket or a cracked coolant passage, which means the head is trash.


Just because you didn't overheat doesn't mean you couldn't have blown the gasket.

Perhaps a possible cause may be detonation? You can't always hear it.

Depending on if the motor was modified or not, a lean condition could cause this; tune is everything.


Or there's the old saying

"everything works til it breaks"

Maybe it was just that head gasket's time to make the trip to the Big Engine Block in the sky.

This post was edited by OldAndyAndTheSea on Nov 12 2012 10:09pm

Check the oil for bearing material. Its a judgement call. Mill the heads and new gaskets might get you 2 miles or 200,000 miles. A friend of mine has 80k of daily driving and racing with a 150 shot after his lt1 head gasket blew.

Just drained the oil, there was a tiny amount of bubbles/soupiness in the top of the container I filled with the old oil.

Top pic def looks milky


Good news I guess is it doesn't look like a ton of coolant has made it into the oil yet.

This post was edited by Killerme99 on Nov 13 2012 01:28pm

Doesnt help that its in a milk jug too.

But yeah definitely a little coolant snuck its way in there. Now the question is where from?

I'll be doing a pressure test either tomorrow or soon after. If it is the heads then at least I caught it early.

Time for an LS1.

Nah, not yet. Not in this car. Lt1> for now.