I disagree. I once had a headgasket on a 1990 Alfa-Romeo seep into a cylinder for more than six months. I was stationed in Naples, Italy at the time, and was able to limp it along until the Army sent me back to the states. I think I slowed it down by dumping block sealer in the coolant every month or so. I just dropped the car off to be scrapped on my way to the airport.

Toward the end, she got a bit harder to start, idled rough, and missed on the offending cylinder off and on, but she would still do over 180 KPH (100mph +) on the autostrada! I started out pouring about a quart of water in the radiator each week, and by the end, I was putting in almost a gallon a day. Beats the hell out of me why she never hydro-locked -- she must have taken to stopping with the piston always up in the bad cylinder. I never did see any tell tale steam out of the exhaust, but could smell the sweet smell of HG disaster out the tailpipe while it still had some glycol left in the coolant.

Brings back some great memories -- the car had tire donuts on both sides, and plenty of different colored paint marks on the original white body. Anyone who has ever spent any time driving around and through Naples Italy (sorta like NASCAR at Darlington) will understand completely!