Blown Head Gasket?

I noticed after my car sits for a bit that I have oil on my exhaust manifold. Could this be a sign of a blown head gasket?

Id look at the valve cover first. If its running fine and has good oil pressure I doubt the head gasket is the culprit.

The only reason I thought it may be the head gasket is because as soon as it boosts it doen't want to go anywhere. I do have a code 42, my tps needs a slight adjustment, and I haven't checked the fuel pressure yet either. I thought maybe oil on the exhaust manifold might be a sign of a blown head gasket. Of course my oil doesn't look like chocolate milk either.

Why are you thinking that there is oil in your exhaust manifold?

If I were a guessing man, I would say that you have bad valve seals, and or worn guides, and the oil is leaking while the engine is sitting?

Do you get a puff of smoke when you start it up, or when you are decelerating, or pulling out from a stop light?

If it is a oil on start up, or during warm up, it could also be worn rings that are letting oil by due to the increased ring to cylinder gap when the engine is cold.

Of course, IN and ON are totally different. ON is an external leak.

i noticed oil on one of my other POVs manifold 1 time, but thought about the oil i accidentally spilled filling it up at night one night. seriously. i agree with both tr_guy & grey...could be VC or seals & guides.

He is not stating that there is oil IN his manifold but ON his manifold, which would indicate an external oil leakage problem, the head gasket sits below the manilfold so unless the gasket is seaping and blowing upward (when you are driving)it does not sound like head gasket issue, check valve cover and the oil supply/return lines to the turbo

Bill

I'd start with the cheap, easy stuff and work my way up to expensive, PITA stuff. You dont mention if it's running poorly or not so, assuming it isn't.

Pull your PCV and check it. If you can blow through it, it's likely the cause of many oil leaks, all over the place when under boost conditions. Mine went bad and my TC hemorrhaged oil out of anything with a gasket. A cheap AZ PCV will not fix that problem. Gotta go to the dealer for that one.

Bill (another life member of the Billy Club)

Well, thanks for your help everyone. It turns out it was something easy, which makes me feel really stupid. It turns out if you don't have the hose clamps tight enough on your intercooler it will create a vacume leak and the car runs like poop. I feel stupid.

Originally posted by kreed:
Well, thanks for your help everyone. It turns out it was something easy, which makes me feel really stupid. It turns out if you don't have the hose clamps tight enough on your intercooler it will create a vacume leak and the car runs like shit. I feel stupid.

I took my dads car to work one day, I had the hose off of the bottom of the VAM. It happens to the best of us.