Truck Repair: bad intake gasket, radiator pressure tester, intake manifold gasket

Question
i have an 89 d-250 with a 318 that recently went down hill. after a week in the shop i towed it out (it drove in from 40 miles away just fine) anyway, i think that the intake manifold gasket is bad. is there a way of testing it without tearing it apart. thanks for any info you can give

Answer
Hello Jim,
If you think it is leaking air, have the engine running, and spray some carb/PCV valve cleaner around the gasket area and see if it makes a difference in the way it runs.
If it does, it is leaking.

If you think it might be leaking coolant, use a radiator pressure tester, and remove the plugs, crank the engine over, and see if coolant squirts out the plug hole.

Van