Help!

ok i didnt bother reading some of the thread but from what I have read I see a bit of arguing going on ...which is no good guys...better to drop it lol....anyhow...in some cases yes you are better off paying to have it done but at the same time if your thirst for knowledge is great enough than you need to tackle things like that on your own and figure it out...and always take in what experienced people have to say before you say they are wrong or anything like that.

anyhow....from what I did read.... I would first say check to see if you have excess moisture coming from your tail pipe...also check to see if there is white smoke coming from your tail pipe ....some pretty good signs of a bad head gasket....also you may want to pull your spark plugs as alot of the time when there is a bad head gasket it will pretty much "steam clean" the inside of the cylinder that has the leak and you may be able to see a big difference in color range on a given spark plug and may be able to get a peak inside one of the holes at the cylinder.

also you should check your radiator...alot of times when there is an intake gasket leak...not only will you get coolant in your oil (milky texture) but you will get oil in your coolant and it normally floats to the top by the cap.

also another sign of a bad headgasket can be high pressure in the coolant system and bubbling over into the overflow jug and a "gassy smell in the coolant".

I honestly do not like using the copper spray tack stuff on gaskets..I think its junk and have watched gaskets fail when it has been used before (but that up to you). I am a firm believer in a good set of felpro gaskets.....I will normally lay down the side gaskets,the smear silicone on the rubber end gaskets (not a heavy amount) and I will put them in place. I then put a small glob of silicone in each corner of the vally to make sure there is a good seal.

as for the poping you mentioned...that COULD be due to coolant in the cylinder....also could be bad timing...could be junk carb or one that is not tuned in correctly, could be an exhaust leak that will hicup one and awhile...could be junk spark plugs or wires,could be something as simple as not running a hot enough octane gas.

one thing you will learn about working on vehicles is that there is not always a clear answer on the problem...you just have to dig in,ask questions and figure it out by trial and error alot of the time.

its hard for any of us to really say without being there hands on though.

anyhow...I hope that maybe something I have mentioned will help you figure out the problem with your ride and good luck!