Today I was driving my 83 f-150 in Houston traffic and it started to run hot. The gauge was right at the H. I got home and shut the engine off and went inside for 3 or 4 minutes and came out to go get gas. I started the truck, and it ran horrible at idle and hissed really loud from around the driver side cylinder head. The motor has 1100 miles since a rebuild, and I'm at the end of my rope here. I'm guessing it blew a head gasket, but is it likely that it warped the head, too?

 

What motor do you have?

 

If you blew the head gasket you'd have a huge cloud of white smoke out the exhaust.

 

The head gasket could blow and only be to the outside of the block and not through a water passage. For the most part the either do affect the water passage and or an oil passage. I have had them leaking oil real bad before but no coolant.

Now that I have thought about it a little more you could have gotten the motor hot enough to cause a valve or two to bend. This would lead to aloss in compression and it running rough.

 

If you blew the head gasket you'd have a huge cloud of white smoke out the exhaust.__________________

That is true if the break caused water to be sucked in on the compression stroke.
Several other blown areas are possible. I recently had a 351W blow the passenger side and suck oil into a combustion chamber; left a blue cloud behind me. Easier to swap motors (in a van) and I havent pulled the offending head yet to see the failure path. But the sound was sure unmistakeable with the PCV pulled out of the valve cover.

 

Well, I checked compression on all cylinders and all were between 133 and 140. It turned out to be a major vacuum leak. Whew...

Thanks for the help guys (and/or girls)...

 

I know this post was real old but I wish my problem would be solved that easy. I think I blew my pass. side head gasket I got a lot of white smoke mixed with oil so maybe I did more damage than that. I can acually see oil coming out the side of the head right above the exhaust manifold. I really doubt i'll replace it I'll just look for a 351w instaed of a little 302. I have a feeling pulling the head is going to be a pain in the ****!!! It's a 1990 EFI so I think I have to take off the upper intake manifold to get to it and I have heard horror stories about the 40Torx that is a pain to near impossible. Any thought on weather its worth the hassle or not. I guess that would explain why I have been using a lot of oil . damn thing. I have a 350 bowtie sitting in my car port to bad that wouldn't be an easy swap. I built that so I know whats in there I have no idea on this thing . The guy I bought it from says it was rebuilt 20k miles ago but i don't think so.