If it hurts
how can you tell if the head is cracked from the exhaust side
To tell if the head is cracked, you have to remove it from the car, so you will replace the head gasket, anyway. Take the head to a machine shop and have it magnafluxed to see if it's cracked.
The only positive way to tell if a cylinder head is cracked is to remove it and have a specialist pressure test it.
The head will need to be inspected at a machine shop. They can tell you if it is warped or cracked.
Nothing good, I can tell you that. Anything from a warped head, cracked head, warped block, cracked block, and basicly, a blown engine.
You'll need to take it to a machine shop and have it "magna-fluxed".
The only way to tell for sure is to remove the head and look. You are going to have to remove the head in either case. Remove the head and take it to a machine shop and have it inspected for cracks and to see if it is warped.
If you suspect the head and/or the block, have them "magnafuxed" by a machine shop. On the other hand, as you're pulling it apart, check the head gasket and if it's shot, there is usually only the one problem.
There are several ways to tell if there is a cracked head in a 1987 Mighty Max 4x4 with a 2.6. Some of the ways to tell are extreme decline in engine power, suspicious engine sounds, and the color of the exhaust when the vehicle is running.
A machine shop may be able to repair the head but my advice is to replace a cracked head.
A compression test would be the easiest way to determine. If you have little or no compression in two or more adjacent cylinders, you either have a cracked cylinder head or a blown head gasket.
well one way to tell is if the oil is a milky color..... that means the oil is mixed with your antifreeze