okay...here is my story...

I overheated it the first time on track because a bad thermostatic 3 years ago, then it overheadted couple more times because all kinds of reasons...:( However, everytime my mechanic checked the engine it seems fine and still pulls strong, there is no sign of oil in the coolant nor coolant in the oil. After I replaced all cooling parts and a $600 alloy radiator it never overheats again in the last 6-8 track events.

Everything seems fine again untill last week....

I usually don't run any 110F + hot summer track days here in S. Cal., so after 3 months of rest inside the garage I pull it out but noticed something is not right this time... The water temp. gauge shows almost 200F in a cold nite street driving!!!!

There is no smoke from exhaust but has white milky thing under my oil cap. :mad I guess it is a sign of blown headgasket and start letting water go in to the oil...

I told myself..."OKAY, SO NOW IT IS TIME TO REPLACE THE HEADGASKET AND MILL THE HEAD"

I called www.bavengine.com to inquary their headgaket kit, but the rep. there told me the chances to fix the head is slim to none so I better just put in a new engine.....:confused

so it is really that bad? I never done any head-job before so I am really confused. What is the chances that I can fix the head and re-use it again? Is it worth the money to just replace the headgasket and fix the head?

Please advise....

The milky stuff under the oil filler cap doesn't necessarily mean a head gasket leak. All it really indicates is that there's moisture that's condensed there. And since the valve covers are the coolest part of the engine and since it takes a good 20-30 minutes of sustained highway speed driving to get them hot enough to boil out condensates, it may be nothing more than combustion blowby condensates.

There's one form of a head gasket leak who's only symptom is inexplicable overheats. And that's the case where a small leak between a cylinder and a cooling passage allows air to be pumped into the cooling system. The field expedient diagnosis for that is to properly bleed the system (procedure below) several times with intervening driving. A significant amount of air released after the first bleed is a sign of this type of leak.

A minor head gasket leak is very fixable. And the head may not be warped at all and thus not require any machine work. If the head (and block) is flat and not cracked a new gasket & such is all that's required.

Bleed Procedure:

1) Using ramps or a jack get the front of the car 1' or more higher than
the rear. That will make the radiator and bleed screw the highest point
on the engine and facilitate removal of air.

2) With the bleed screw open, add coolant until no more air comes out of
the bleed.

3) Leave the filler cap off, or at least loose, and set the heat for max
temp and fan speed. Leaving the cap loose will prevent air that's still
in the system from causing a "coolant fountain" once the engine heats
up. Start the engine and allow it to warm up to operating temp. As it
warms up occasionally crack the bleed screw to release any air and top
up the coolant as necessary.

4) Once the engine is at temp bring it up to 2000-2500 for a few seconds
several times. Then crack the bleed until no more air is released. At
this point the heater should be throwing lots of hot air, which
indicates that the heater core is filled with coolant. You may have to
repeat this a few times to get all the air out.

5) Drive the car a bit, allow it to cool back down, and recheck the
bleed for air. Over the next few days you may get very small amounts (a
few bubbles) of air out of the bleed screw.

Thanks for the reply and I really hope it just a small leak like you said...

What I dont understand is how come there are so many air in the cooling system now? The car was doing just find before I parked it in the garage.......

Chances are very good that you can just get the head fixed and change the gasket. I've heard the "your head gasket blew so you need a new motor" thing before. It's just a sales pitch, really. Very seldom is it true. If the head is severly corroded, or is cracked in a place where it cannot be welded, than you might need a new/recondtioned/good used head.

Air in the coolent without opening the system sounds like a head gasket to me. If you leave the car running with the cap off do bubbles consistantly apper?

It's definately worth making sure that the head gasket is really blown before you tear into it.

I think people say to get a new motor because often, the price + labor for a motor swap comes out to be less than the price + labor for the new head gasket.

If it's going to be a DIY, then the headgasket is definitely the way to go unless you have the tools to do the motor swap and want to swap to a different motor or one with significantly less miles.