Head Gasket leaking vs. Blown

[Cochecita]

Hi Everyone,
Silly question of the day. I happened to be working on the car this afternoon and noticed a little bit of coolant on the front side of the block at the head gasket, It seems to be seeping just a little bit. I only know the aftermath of a severly blown headgasket on some previously owned cars.

Is there an acceptable amount of seeping with a cork gasket? There isn't any white gunk on the inside of the oil filler cap and there isn't an oil slick in the coolant.

Am I destined to pull the head off? Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Eddie
http://ed.sawyer.home.comcast.net

[TR]

Any seeping is bad seeping...

Also, if your head gasket is made of cork...Yes, you are destined for a head removal...

If you are really trying to put off the inevitable, you could try Alumaseal or something like it...

Watch the temp and the moment it goes up, have your machinist and gasket set handy! Good luck with it, TR

[Cochecita]

Thanks for the reply, I figured as much.

Will I be able to tell if the head is warped?

Is having the head ground a mandatory or is it possible to just replace the gasket?

Anything I should do with the head off?

[toolsnob]

something is causing the head gasket to seep. It is good policy to atleast have the bottom of the head checked to make sure it is flat. If it was me I would also have the valves, valve guides checked out. You may have to spend $200-$400 but it is well worth it considering saving you time down the road.