This is correct. You don't want to put a new head on it if it has a hole in the piston or bad rings.

What Greg said is good too. Pretty easy to pull the valve cover and look at the valve springs.

 

No air or water where it shouldn't be. And, how could a bent valve or broken valve spring not miss until the engine warms up, quit when it cools off, then miss again??? TCL is my abbreviation for Traction Control Light. And do you think it would be running as good as it does WITH A HOLE IN A PISTON? Come on RS SS, give me a little credit.

 

250 was just a typo by Oldblue. He’s very well aware of what the cylinder pressures should be.

 

Thanks FMG , I corrected that typo.

leak down test , doesn’t work well for a burnt exhaust valve , let’s not forget these engines have two exhaust and two intake valves per cylinder. A visual inspection is always best!

 

Because the computer is in open loop mode until it warms up.
If coolant is not disappearing it is unlikely to be a head gasket. You are throwing your money around if you don't do a leakdown and maybe a scope to actually look at the cylinder.