Matt:

If you have a leak between the cylinder head and engine block >> no amount of torqueing is going to "solve" the problem..

It's a major issue for your engine and best "solved" by replacing the head gasget.

To try to run the car with a blown head gasget risks engine overheat which usually results in warped head that necessitates having the head machined back to being perfectly flat... which usually changes the compression .... and usually things "just aren't the same anymore'..

I've done head gasget replacement on my BMW 2002's >> not the most fun job in the world... but doable

good luck