Ok, my new engine has 650 miles on it and about 200 miles ago I think I start loosing coolant. Anyone how ot test this for sure? I don't smell coolant, the engine smokes only on cold start up, but once it is warm the exhaust is completely clear.

I've checked all the normal items for leaks, hoses radiator heater core termostate. I just think that a slow leaking head gasket is the only option.

Any thoughts (other than don't buy a ford engine)

Compression test it I guess. Look for 2 adjacent cylinders to be low.

650 miles...hope it doesn't take another rebuild.

you can test your coolant for hydrocarbons, which would indicate mixing of oil and coolant, but when I was troubleshooting a head gasket problem, absolutely nobody knew what I was talking about, and I couldn't find the test strips anywhere.

Yeah, I'll do the compression test. I should be at 150psi on all cylinders. Would the oil look wierd or something? I noticed a little white foam type stuff when I was looking at the oil fill cap/pvc valve.

If I have to take this engine apart for a faulty gasket, I'm going to flip out! Someone will be eating that gasket AND IT WON'T BE ME

The white foamy stuff doesn't sound good. I have no idea what that would be...unless coolant got in the oil.

foamy oil usually means it has water in it. Check the coolant, the color should be green (or red, I guess depending what you have in there). On my honda, it was grey when it first came out, then green, then a nice brown color.

Look for water beading on the dipstick too.

If you have oil in the coolant, you will see an oily haze on top of the coolant.. if its a bad leak, the top of the coolant will look like and be about the consistancy of a chocolate milkshake (if oil is leaking into the water).

How much coolant is going away? Did it happen at once, or is it slowly dropping?

If it happened all of a sudden and hasn't dropped again since, it could possibly be an air bubble that was in the block has been replaced with coolant, dropping the apparent level of the coolant.

If the coolant is dropping, it has to go somewhere. You will be able to smell it at the exhaust if its being pulled into a cylinder.

Another thing you can do is to pull the plugs and look for one or two that isnt like the others. A headgasket leak will result in a white colored plug electrode vs the normal tan coloring.

I'm going out to look it over. Thanks for all the tips guys!

Wish me luck

Ok I just finished the inspection:
Compression is as follows:
Cyl- 1 =143, 2=140, 3=140, 4=145, 5=152, 6=150, 7=151, 8=150. I assume the range 12lbs of range is that the rings are still setting, since the new engine has not even hit 1000 miles yet.

The plugs looked a little carbon fouled, I figured from the start up oil lube in the engine, but none were bad. So I just cleaned them up and put them back in. Only Cyl#1 was wet with oil?

That tail pipe does not smell like it is burning anti freeze and only after 90 secs does the somke (steam) go away. So seems to check out.

I put another 1/3 of a gallon (I drove about 120 miles last week) to put only about 3/4-inch of visable coolant (factory specs).

Bottom line is there must be a fluid leak somewhere, but I can't see any evidence. I'll hope there was just some air bubble in the system and I finally got it out.