Nissan Repair: Nissan Pickup power loss, blown head gasket, coolant leaks

Question
Hi Calvin,

How do I tell if my 87 Nissan pickup has a blown head gasket? The truck is "stumbling" going up hill and at low rpms. I'm also having coolant leaks and rough idle that I can't explain. I do get what seems to be excessive white steam when the truck is cold, but it goes away after warm-up. Could there be multiple problems, ie. ignition module, vacuum leak, etc.?

Many thanks,
Jeff

Answer
Hi Jeff -

Ususally white "smoke" that dissipates rapidly means steam, which translates to coolant entering the cylinders somehow.

Since this is your case, the next step would be to take a compression test on each cylinder. That would tell you if your head gasket is blown, or you have warped cylinder heads. there should be no more than 10% differences in cylinder pressures.

Hope this helps -
aloha
calvin