Don't do that..

...just make a fresh batch of cookies - they make everything better

I must have food on the brain! If it's not Rovers, it's food.. if it's not food, it's Rovers

'Batch of codes = batch of cookies?..' I'm telling ya.

Cheer up - this too shall pass... it may pass like a kidney stone but hey.. it'll pass...

and wave

 

I don't think you need to read the torque on the 90° turns if you're using the stretch bolts. You tighten to a specified torque, then do two 90° turns in the standard tightening sequence.
One of those exhaust gas testers should give you a result if there's a crack in something that is letting stuff get into the coolant. I would try that before starting to pull the trigger on the parts cannon.

 

This is the tester he's talking about.
Works on any vehicle. About $70 to buy, but most shops have one, and hopefully would only charge a few dollars for the test. A whole bottle of fluid is only about $6, and is enough for a couple dozen uses.
If there is Co2 in the coolant system, the blue liquid will turn yellow. If it stays blue, you're good. You can breath into the tube if you have any doubts from a good result because your breathe alone will turn the fluid yellow.
Cool test, and really simple.

 

Yep that's the one, I've never had the unlucky privilege of using one before but I plan to check my locals autozone/advanced auto stores to see if they have a kit I can borrow.

I can say with about 80% certainty the test will be positive. At that point though, I'm at a fork in the road because I'm still not sure if its a botched HG job or something more serious. If it's the block or a sleeve, I'm not going down that road. Even if its the HG, I might decide its not worth the pain.

Been reading a lot of other experiences people had and I know theres no real clear answer, but anybody know of simple and quick signs/noises/diagnostics that can narrow down a blown head gasket vs. cracked block or slipped liner?

 

The slipped liner will tick or make a metallic sound as the engine warms up. The steel sleeves and aluminum block heat/expand at different rates, hence the liner slipping.
A cracked block usually(but not always) lets oil into the anti-freeze and vice-versa.
It sucks to do the head gaskets again, but it's worth checking before you give up. Head gasket leaks are usually easy to see. The job will also be easier and faster the 2nd time. You'll be out another $300 ish for new gaskets, bolts and fluids. But, if that's all it is, it's worth fixing. As you either keep it, or get Alot more for it selling it.

 

Steam cleaned piston is almost always a cracked block.

 

Results are in...

The blue test liquid never changed a hue. Ran for about 5 mins with the tube inserted in the expansion tank opening (not firmly in but left just a tiny bit of air around the mouth so it didn't suck up the coolant), and went to town squeezing that sucker.

This leaves me baffled. How is my coolant system becoming pressurized? Even when left overnight there seems to be leftover pressure in the system. Is it possible the CL test can be missing something? The misfire/sensor issues can be chalked up to many small things, which I can pinpoint if it comes down to it. But I'd really like to know for sure I don't have block or gasket issues.

As far as the symptoms mentioned by you guys above, I haven't experienced anything that stands out to me. And especially no overheating: I drive 30 mins to work/ 30 mins home every day and over the weekend I drove 3 hours straight. No overheat condition. And I haven't seen white smoke out the tailpipe since the day I completed the HG job.

 

Your cooling system has no leak so even the following day there should be a bit of pressure left in the system.

 

I mean, it makes sense I suppose. But any excess pressure should be getting dumped through the cap.

In the end I'll slap on a new cap and call it a day. I need to just accept the block test results and stop assuming the worst.

Think I'll have some cookies tonight

 

Some interesting thing I found out yesterday. I checked my cap as well and I saw under it saying 14psi. I guess, in excess of 14 psi, it will dump the pressure and so, there will be at least 14psi of pressure left in the system provided that it has no leak.