My 95 Tahoe smokes bad on startup (coolant) and a little (oil) on accelerating from zero. There is also a large internal coolant leak. I just replaced the intake manifold gasket as it was the easier fix; didn’t do anything. Does this mean it is definitely a head gasket? Anything I can do in the meantime until I have time to pull the heads?
Do a leakdown test on the cylinders. It’s a test wherein you put a gage in each sparkplug hole, pressurize it with air, and see it it holds the pressure. If not, THAT will definitely indicate a headgasket.
Or, if you remove the raditor cap and when the engine is operating bubbles come up out the fill hole, that’s a pretty good indication that you have a headgasket leak. The bubbles will be the combustion gasses blowing out the cylinder through the headgasket breech and migrating up to the system’s highest point…the fill hole.
Frankly, you can do the pressure leakdown test ahile you’re doing the compression test…which I highly recommend. The kit will tell you how to do both.
How many miles are on this ol’ beat of burden anyway?