Head gasket?

[Freediver]

Aloha from Hawaii. Last week on the way to the beach my 98 Sport 4.0 OHV (98000 miles) started making a rattling noise, initially thought it was just all the straps rattling around from the kayak strapped to the roof and then I noticed a loss of power and realized the noise was coming from the engine. We got off the freeway just as the motor died on the off ramp. After letting it cool for awhile and adding water we nursed it for about a quarter of a mile to get it somewhere safe and then had it towed home. At home we found a blown freeze plug on the drivers side (under #5 cylinder). We drained what was left, ran a garden hose till the water came out clean (there was scale that came out) and put a new freeze plug in. Noticed there was no water circulation and the temp gauge pegged so we changed the water pump and thermostat, ran a compression test - all cylinders are between 125-140 but the passenger's side (#1) spark plug is wet with antifreeze, it smokes badly, the coolant overflow tank bubbles heavily and the coolant has a fuel smell. I'm fairly certain I've got a blown head gasket on the #1 side but the water (except for the smell) and oil are clean and the cylinder pressures are consistent. I'm not exactly sure because I didn't run it long enough but I don't think the heater is working either so is it possible that I have a blockage somewhere and not a bad head gasket? Side note - no CEL ever came on. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JackC]

At the best it's a head gasket, hope it's not the head itself or the block!!
When we lived in Hi, we used to go to the beach on Christmas, have a barbcue for dinner, than call my parents in Pa. Just to rub it in.
Sure miss the place. Aloha

 

[Freediver]

Jack,
I think you're probably right - looks like the heads will be coming off this week. I'm waiting for a quote on some new heads just in case they're cracked. Sure is impacting my Christmas diving though!
Thanks........
Frenchy