Now how much trouble did I get myself into with this 88 760 Turbo, last owned by a Red Neck Cowboy Looser?

Here are the symtems:
At least a blown head gasket between cylinders 1&2.
I brought # 1 to top dead center and added air pressure to the cylinder and air pressure is escaping to the crank case, into the cooling system and likely into cyllinder #2. there is no water is in the oil. Have I just lost a head gasket or is there a hole in the piston too?? Should I give up while I'm only out a couple of hundred$?

Notes: No damage to any of the spark plugs Slight moisture to # 1 spark plug. All spark plugs the porcelin has cracked and it slides up and down the electrode. Even if it was an Autolite # 64 (Moral is use Volvo plugs). A fail safe termostat was installed and it has not gone into the fail safe open position.

Thanks in advance Barry, Sonora CA

FYI- I had a 245 with 285,000 that developed a miss, applied air pressure and could hear air in the crankcase, actually tore it down and re-rung it but no rings had failed. Head gasket failed but didn't look that bad. Moral of the story is that rings can't seal 100%, if they did you would never have any blow-by!

What really sucks is that I analyze gaskets for a living, hope none of my customers see this post!

There was a reason your gasket let go. I would advise having the head checked for warpage and get it resurfaced. It's good insurance and well worth the extra money. The valves are usually ok. If you're handy (and it sounds like you are) also remove the camm and spacers and replace the valve stem cushions. They help quiet valve noise. Very cheap and easy to replace. Replace your camm belt and check the crank pulley. The rubber in old ones cracks and the outer section starts to rotate making timing adjustments on a rebuild very tricky. Good luck.

its pretty easy to change a headgasket, just do that first and see what happens.

good luck

I'd at least drain water and oil and pull the head.
Then you'll know.
--
George Downs Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

I was looking in one of my manuals and it just seems to be long ways from the cylinder to the oil drain passages to let that much air go by. Yet without damage to the spark plug I'm hoping for some luck of no holes in the piston. Hoping someone has had the same experience with head gaskets, not the Red Neck Cowboys. I'll be pulling the head sometime in the next couple of days. Anyone out there with a good motor wrecked 760 turbo?

Ok, moving right along now but I cannot see where the turbo charger line is coming from the block. The Chiltons Manual says to remove the oil cooler line from the block. It looks easier to remove from the turbo. Any opinions of experience?