So after replacing a leak in my power steering pump, I tried to start my car and it wouldn't fire. Then, my battery died and couldn't be revived. One new battery later, I realized that my car still won't start. Then I see it: the Green Puddle of Death underneath my driver's side tailpipe.
So here's where the poll comes in...Is it a head gasket? (It's a 11.5:1 compression engine but the gaskets are less than 2 years old)...Is it a crack in the cylinder? (They're .055 over bore)...Or is it a crack in the aluminum Indy SRs?
The polls are open and the results will be revealed later this week.

Why is there coolant in my exhaust? single choice
Crack in cylinder	9%, 3 Votes
The coolant fairy put it there while I was sleeping	46%, 16 Votes
Crack in head	20%, 7 Votes
Blown head gasket	26%, 9 Votes
Total Votes: 35 Voting on this poll ends: 12/11/11 04:31 PM

You won't know till you pull the head. Hopefully it's just the gasket!
good luck, john

Does one of your PS bracket bolts go into the cylinder block or head. If so, you might have screwed a bolt in too deep and punched into a water jacket.

That would be the coincidental explanation.

Put a pressure tester on the radiator and see if
you hear the leak.. might zero you in closer

i voted for the fairy. (that guy is everywhere) i'd add some uv dye to the radiator, run it for a bit, then look for the leak(s), in case it's something smaller than easily seen with the nekkid eye.

The car won't turn over, or just won't start? If there's fluid in a cylinder, the last thing you want to do is crank it. Fluids don't compress, so turning the motor over will likely result in broken stuff (rods).

The engine was turning over, but not starting. As soon as I saw the puddle beneath the exhaust, I stopped trying to start the engine. When I pulled the #7 plug and saw coolant on it, no coolant flowed out of the plug hole. When I pulled the #5 plug, it looked fine.

Crap. Sounds like the F^@# Up Fairy paid a visit...

I'm assuming BB & as you know all header bolts are wet. I'd pull that side header & pump it up w the rad tool & see which one is leaking EDIT Oh I missed that there was coolant in the cyl

I've literally got one more head bolt to go before I can authoritatively state the cause of the problem. Based on the goo that was on the bolts closest to cylinder #7 and the coolant that was on the plug, the problem is near the rear of the engine on the driver's side. I'm taking a break. I'll update when I get the last ridiculously-difficult-to-get-loose-with-TTI-headers-still-in-the-bay bolt out.

I don't think you will be able to see anything when you first pull it off. Have to clean things up to be able to see some cracks.

Wow. This is embarrassing. The correct answer was "none of the above".
Recall that the #7 cylinder was the suspect (gooey head bolts, coolant from the driver's side, coolant on the #7 plug)....
When I pulled the head, I noticed a loose wire hanging from the wiring harness (I have no idea what it does/did). I also noticed that the wire was completely flat at the clipped end. Then I noticed that there was the imprint of a wire on the head gasket going across a coolant port across the gasket material again and into the cylinder.
This car has run like this for two years. I got this thing into the 11s. It ran fine...AND THERE WAS A LOOSE WIRE ACROSS THE HEAD GASKET GOING INTO THE CYLINDER.
Wow. I'm both embarrassed and amazed.
I'll post some photos in the next few days.

I just noticed that the wire ran across a coolant port and an oil hole before going into the cylinder. Good thing that copper's softer than steel, I guess.

Be glad that's all it was!!!

Go buy a lottery ticket. Glad it's nothing fatal! I'm sure you're gonna change the oil & filter. If the wire is grey, that's the oil PSI sender wire.

FYI: the anonymous fried wire turned out to be the neutral safety switch. One of those wires that you only notice when you need.