Well, finally got around to replacing the noisy water pump on my '93 C1500 W/T today. When I was flushing the radiator out, I looked at the filler neck and noticed that there was a constant stream of tiny bubbles coming up out of the coolant whenever the engine is running.
Some of you may remember that I've been chasing problems with this truck since I bought it a couple months ago. I found that a tiny amount of coolant/water is getting into the #5 cylinder when the truck is shut off (rusty spark plug). It runs rough for a while on startup and after a minute or so, it runs perfect.
There is no water in the oil, and no visible leaks around the intake gasket... so I'm leaning toward thinking that this is a head gasket. I was really hoping that it was just an intake gasket leak, as it involves alot less headache to replace. But I don't believe a leaking intake gasket would cause the coolant bubbles, correct?
Whoever owned the truck before me put a Target-Master long-block in it. I have never had any kind of luck with Target-Masters in the past either, so I think therein lies the reason this is happening. Must be poor quality control at those factories (I think Target-Master engines are made in Mexico aren't they?).
-Tony