Unless it's spewing oil or water there's no cheap solution. It's got to come off and be tested by a specialist. The good news is that the majority of heads are fairly bulletproof in normal use, but there are one or two that are prone to failure. A quick check with the dealership or a local garage will tell you if yours is one of them.
A compression test would be the easiest way to determine. If you have little or no compression in two or more adjacent cylinders, you either have a cracked cylinder head or a blown head gasket.
You may have a cracked/warped head and the only way to determine that would be to remove the head and have it checked at your local machine shop.
You have either a blown head gasket or a cracked head. To determine if the head is cracked requires taking it off the engine and taking it to a machine shop and having it pressure checked. In an extreme case you could have an internal crack in the block but I would suspect the gasket and start there.
A machine shop may be able to repair the head but my advice is to replace a cracked head.
To tell if the head is cracked, you have to remove it from the car, so you will replace the head gasket, anyway. Take the head to a machine shop and have it magnafluxed to see if it's cracked.
You cannot determine this until you remove the heads. Either way the heads must be removed and the gasket replaced. After removing the head you need to have it inspected by a machine shop.
how can you tell if the head is cracked from the exhaust side
Unfortunately, if the head is cracked, not only can't you repair it in place, you'll probably need to replace the head. Typically, you can't determine if the head is cracked or if the head gasket is damaged until the head is removed. Anyone who is telling you otherwise is probably just trying to sell you the latest in a long line of "wonder products" that claim to do the impossible.
Some symptoms include: Cracked Head, blood, hurt hurt, death, super strength, no judgment.. Where on your head has it cracked?
Blown head gasket, cracked head, or cracked block.
Have a compression test run to see if you have a problem with the head or gasket. Once you find out you do, then you must remove the heads in order to determine what the problem is. Have the heads inspected at a machine shop to determine if they are warped or cracked. Once the heads are removed the gasket must be replaced so it really makes no difference.
A car can be driven with a cracked head, but not very far. Once the head is cracked, the engine will start mixing oil and water and it is likely that the motor will lock up.