Hello,

Folks I'll be honest. I can replace a water pump, radiator, thermostat, fan, clutch, hoses, alternator, oil pan gasket and oil pump, brakes, plugs, wires, cap and rotor, simple sensors like oil pressure, IAC, MAP....basically the simple stuff.

I know the basics of how motors work-especially pushrod motors like my 5.9. Rebuilding my old Honda CX 500 taught me a lot about pushrod engines.

Can the more knowledgeable members help out a fella like me-enough knowledge to be useful, but also just enough knowledge to be dangerous?

Checking the oil: milky oil can mean a bad head gasket allowing coolent to mix with oil?

Plugs:

Light grey is good, carbon fouled means rich mixture, white means lean, oil fouled can mean worn piston rings-or worse?

What else can a fella like me look at from the outside of a motor and deduce what's happening on the inside?

Thanks for any info,

Heekma