I took some advice I read on the list a few months ago and bought a leak down
tester.  On my son's '85 Vanagon, I suspect a leaking headgasket.  The van
will occasionally give off a puff of white smoke through the exhaust.  I did
a compression test and got 120, 135, 90, 145.  I hooked up the leak down
tester and got low leakage readings (10-15%) in all but #3.  It was 40%. The
problems with that cylinder seem to be numerous.  I could hear leakage
through the dipstick hole, the intake manifold and the exhaust pipe.
However, I saw no bubbles in the coolant tank.  What, if anything, does the
leakdown test show if there is a leaking headgasket?  How can I confirm that
it has a bad head gasket, cracked head, or some other ailment that lets
coolant into the combustion chamber?  Coolant pressure tests have not been
reliable indicators for me.

Thanks for your help!

Tom
'71 Westy, '85 Westy, '91 Carat, '81 VW Diesel Pickup