hello everyone, im a highschool student and dont know very much about vehicles when it comes to anything complicated such as this, i have been trying to figure out this problem i have for months i cant seem to get anywhere, so any tips or input would be appreciated!

I have a 95 engine in my 96 Chevy silvarado v8 350 with around 238,000 miles on it and it has a problem with thick white smoke coming out of the exhaust when i first start it up (cold mornings, nights, after sitting in park), and it smells of antifreeze. my coolant levels drop very fast, for example i filled it up and within two days it drank it all up. there is no leaking onto the ground though. I have been told several times that it is a faulty head gasket, but the symptoms dont all match from what ive read online. there is no coolant getting into my oil, and i had a mechanic look at it and he did a compression test and said i wasn't losing any compression. i did notice yesterday that when i was filling up my radiator with antifreeze there was liquid seeping out of the rear end of the exhaust manifold right were it hooks up to the exhaust pipe, and when i turned the engine on and let it get warm the liquid went away? im not sure exactly what that means or if it is connected to the smoking. the engine runs fine as long as there is coolant and other then that it just smokes.
i dont have enough money to take it to a shop so last night me n my father drained the coolant, flushed it multiple times till water ran clear, and i threw some k&W Block seal in hopes to get it to quit leaking were ever it is.
i would appreciate any comments any of you guys have, like i said im a high school student and simply cant afford to tear the whole top half of the motor to see if its a bad gasket or not.

 

Odds are it needs intake manifold gaskets.

 

Okay, also i checked my oil cap and it has thick, brownish sludge or "mayo" on it...could this be of the intake gaskets?

 

Yep, for sure.


Allan

 

Or a head gasket.

 

Get some radiator fluid dye at your local pars store. Clean the engine where u see the coolant leaking or the whole engine. Then put the dye in the radiator and used an untraviolet light to pinpoint the leak that nite or the next. You want to try to use the ultra lite before it leaks too much or it is hard to pinpoint.

You can get a untraviolet light and yellow glasses at Walmart for cheap. Also check at nite since you will see ALOT better where the leak is.

If it leaves a with cloud behind you when you take off from a stop sigh, it is definitely the head gasket. The sweet coolant smell means the coolant is getting into the pistons and burning. If it is the head gasket, check the prices on a rebuild of the engine and a used engine. I have found used low mile engines are cheaper and labor is less. Atleast here in Texas.

If the manifold is leaking then it is a easier change.