hey man,
yeah, if you ever smell burning coolant, you'll notice that it smells sweet. But, this doesn't necessarily indicate a headgasket failure. The intake gasket is also a possibility.
But either way, you want to be sure there is no leak, no matter what gasket it is. Coolant-contaminated oil will chew up those babbit bearings, the cylinder walls, the rings, and basically anything else that moves real quick when left unattended. Coolant is not a good lube. heh.
To be sure you have an internal coolant leak, check for compression leaking into the water jackets. You will notice air bubbles in the overflow bottle. That's a true headgasket failure usually.
Also, be sure to look for coolant in the oil, as that is usually a side effect of an internal coolant leak. Take the fill cap off the valve cover. Look at the bottom of the cap. If you see a light brown or white milky substance, this may be an indication of coolant-contaminated oil. You can even dab your finger on the bottom of that cap and taste it...it may taste sweet. Remember, sweet = coolant. Another safe-proof check for this is simply check your oil. If it is abnormally higher, coolant is the culprit (granted nothing else has been added to the current oil change that you are on.
Good luck, hopefully you find the problem.:annoyed:
