How do I go about diagnosing whether I have a bad head gasket or intake gasket? Are these doable repairs on my own?

 

A compression test will tell you if you have a bad head gasket. It will show one or more cylinders with low compression, that would be where the head gasket failed. If all cylinders are equal, that would eliminate head gaskets. Its a dirty job but doable if you have the tools and motivation. Before you start, bring the #1 cylinder to top dead center and mark the location of the distributor rotor. You need to drop it back in exactly the same way, or you will be making a trip to the dealership to have it timed,

 

Thanks! that's where I'll start then. If it does end up being a bad head gasket how much will that cost to have a mechanic fix? Or is it something I could possibly repair myself?

 

DIY needs one of two conditions...
Either you have the Tools, Time and Information to do it
or
You can be extremely intuitive and lucky.

 

As far as tools would I need any specialty tools? Unfortunately without my car running I'll have the time. I've found plenty of tutorials on youtube and other places for the repair.

The mechanic I called today quoted me $1400 or more for the repair. Which I can't afford or justify spending on the car. I just assume scrap it if that's the only option.