Blown head gasket? Or something else

[Mr. Belvedere II]

i recently discovered green jello on my valve train and rockers and all over the valve covers. Although upon checking the dipstick, there was no evidence of the milk chocolatey horror of coolant in my oil. My first instinct was to think this was a blown head gasket, but compression was good on the cylinders. I have recently messed a bit with the coolant pump and wonder if this dilemma of the jello in the valvetrain could be caused by an improperly sealed bolt in a water jacket. I have been debating pulling the whole motor or just trying to pull the heads and try to clean them up from all the mess. Has anyone seen this type of thing and it was not a head gasket? What are my options? I don’t even like jello...

 

[dryheat]

Got any pictures?

 

[khryslerkid]

If you loosen your oil pan drain plug, and have antifreeze in there, it will be the first thing to come out.

You would think you would see beads of water in your valve covers too.

If you install a pressure tester on your radiator, pump it up to 15 lbs and see if it holds the pressure.

 

[lewtot184]

Got any pictures?

this would be a big help.

 

[Ranger16]

i recently discovered green jello on my valve train and rockers and all over the valve covers. Although upon checking the dipstick, there was no evidence of the milk chocolatey horror of coolant in my oil. My first instinct was to think this was a blown head gasket, but compression was good on the cylinders.

A compression test will not tell you if you have a bad HG, a leak down test will, as well as a block test.

 

[Mr. Belvedere II]

A compression test will not tell you if you have a bad HG, a leak down test will, as well as a block test.

Very good point!

 

[WileE]

You can have all the compression you want, and still have a bad head gasket.First, when the engine is warmed up, what do you see looking into the radiator cap opening ? If there's air bubbles, you got a blown gasket.

 

[Wietse]

If it is in the valve train area only could this not be moisture from condensation?
Dunno the climate you are living in?

What engine you are running?
Just for my info.....are there certain bolts below the valve covers that are "connected" to the coolant system? (head bolts or so)

 

[moper]

You're in MA. How often is the car driven vs started and warmed up?
What's on the valve covers is from condensation. It happens in areas where temperature changes fast and often and the air is damp... Like CT and LA in winter. If the car is started and not actually driven for a time, you will get condensation in the top end and get what you have. Clean the covers and take the car out for a longer drive. Stock Fords have/had a problem with that in the 5.0L and 5.8L. You pull the PCV of a valve cover and it's covered in milky goop. You can also do a pressure test on the cooling system, leakdown, and compression testing - but if the oil shows good on the stick, the water is more than likely from condensation than from the cooling jackets or a leaky gasket.