Blown Head Gasket Detection

[Recon427]

Alright. You might have noticed my "Cooling System help please" post earlier this week. However, after talking to a senior Lexus mechanic; he said that my problem sounds more like a mildly blown head gasket.


Here is the run down:
The temp gauge went to the 3/4 mark on Thursday.
It used to oscillate between 1/4 to 1/2+ when car is moving and at idle, respectively. But it only touched the 3/4 mark once.

The car idles normally with the usual light roughness in idle. Acceleration is good. Oil is clear. Oil Cap is clear. Exhaust is clear. No unusual sounds coming from engine compartment.


Now, question is: How do I determine if my head gasket is blown? How fast do the symptoms of "milkshake oil" and foam on oil cap, misfiring cylinders, white smoke, etc. take to appear?

Are there tests I can do to check for head gasket failure? I heard of compression tests and CO level in coolant test. Any ideas?


Thanks in advance.


Lastly, anybody from Chicago that would be willing to help a fellow 318ti owner out in replacing the head gasket if it truly is damaged?

Note: I will flush the coolant and change the thermostat next weekend. In the mean time...I have 500 miles of road to cover.