My 2009 Enclave has some grime and dirt only at the head gasket joint on the front cylinder head - it spreads about 1/4" up the head and down the block and the rest of the head/block is completely clean…my dealer says this is an “acceptable” seep, is there such a standard? should gaskets on a vehicle this new seep?
What you described is acceptable. There are just too many problems to deal with to let that one take up any more time. When I rebuild engines I paint them all black…
Some seepage is considered normal, if the rate of the leak increases however, then it’s another story.
Many, many years ago, when head gaskets first proved they could be problematic, engineers eliminated the problem by designing engines with no head gaskets! (The head and cylinder were cast as one piece).
Any piece of machinery that contains hot oil under pressure is going to “seep” at its gasketed joints, that’s for sure. The dust that is collecting along your head gasket is completely normal…