How do you know you have a blown head gasket??

Typical symptoms of a blown headgasket MAY include: -bubbles of air coming up into your radiator (remove cap before starting) -leaking radiator -milkshake colored oil -overheating -rough running -coolant or oil running from head -spark plug(s) that have a green tint (if green coolant). -white colored or sweet smelling exhaust. I emphasize "may" include one or more of these symptoms.

Often (but not always), a blown head gasket will also cause deposit of water on a piece of cardboard held an inch from the tailpipe output while the engine is running (when this is happening, it is likely that the catalytic converter has bene ruined and the nuffler will corrode in short order as well). Sometimes drops of water will be seen dropping from the end of the tailpipe. Another clue: turn on the heater; often when the head gasket is blown an odor of antifreeze and synthetic rubber will emanate from the heater vents.

Many of the symptoms of blown head gasket can be caused by some other problem in the cooling system, without the head gasket being damaged. Convesely, other problems with the cooling system can cause a blown head gasket and/or warped head.

For example, a corroding radiator can send chunks of rust through the cooling system which take out the thermostat and water pump. If the thermostat is old, sticking and corroding, it can send those chunks through the system and take out the water pump or cause a blockage in the radiator, etc.

Radiator leaks can be the primary cause, or a result, of failures in other cooling system components.

Don't keep driving with the car overheated! Especially if your engine has an aluminum head, you are likely to warp it. If it is warped beyond a certain tolerance, it cannot be planed and will have to be replaced when the head gasket is replaced.

Also, although a head gasket job is beyond the ability of most non-mechanics, replacing radiator, water pump and thermostat are fairly easy jobs in many vehicles for a good shade-tree mechanic friend willing to do them for cost of parts. A buddy just replaced those three components for me, walking me through the process. Although it took 4 hours, the total cost for all parts (new) was $222, and it was not very difficult. He had access to parts at a discount, but even if he had not been able to get them at low cost, a bundle of labor charges was saved.

When checking for a blown head gasket, one of the most common tell-tale signs is a milky-gray ring around your oil cap. When coolant enters the engine oil through a crack in the head or through a blown gasket, it evaportats and leaves a milky ring around the oil cap. Another easy way to tell is to check your oil dipstick. Change your oil and pull out the dipstick. Make sure that you take note of how far up the dipstick the oil is. Top off your cooling system and fill your cooling resevoir to the top.

 

Screw radiator cap back on and start engine. Run engine for about 20-30 mins. or until it reaches normal operating temperature. Allow engine to cool (engine must cool completely to get accurate oil reading!!). Check oil dipstick again. If the oil has a watery appearence and has risen noticibly up the dipstick, the you probably have a blown head gasket or a warped head. Also look for a dripping, sweet-smelling liquid coming out of your tailpipe. Any of the above symptoms could be the result of a blown head gasket. The easiest way to tell is with a compression meter. This replaces the spark plug and lets you know what compression each cylander is running at. If your compression is abnormally low, then you have a blown head gasket or a warped head. (note: consult repair manual for appropriate compression of each cylander.)

If your radiator is getting low on water often,this is a sign. The water could be discharged through the tailpipe on your automobile. Another sign is if your car motor has a miss in the engine. The water could be going in on top of the cylinders. This will foul the plugs and cause it to miss.

There are a few simple indicators you can check for with the engine cold and not running.

1. contaminated oil, it will have a milky appearance from the water mixing in the oil.

2. oil on the top of the coolant inside the radiator (if your vehicle has a remote header tank you may not get this)

3. have someone crank (remove the coil lead or disable the elcectronic ignition) the engine on the starter with the radiator cap or coolant jacket bleed hose/bolt removed, if the coolant pulses up and down or blows bubbles you could be in trouble.

There are a few other things that can give similar symptoms to the ones listed above

1. internal damage to water/oil galleries

2. damage to oil/water intercoolers if fitted

3. weakened hoses on the cooling system can cause pulsations in the coolant

4. leaking valve seals may drop oil into the chamebers

5. A poorly bled cooling system or systems where there are high loops in the coolant jacket may have some bubbling.

Visual inspection of the head and gasket, involving major engine disassembly.

NOTES: You can only truly confirm your suspicion by actually seeing the gasket, although precursor signs are usually evident.

1) Check your oil. If the oil on the dipstick looks like chocolate milk, then there's water in it, and this is the surest sign of a blown head gasket or a cracked engine block.

2) Check your radiator coolant. If it looks brownish and foamy, that usually means there's oil in your cooling system, which is another sign that a severe breakdown has occurred.

3) Visually inspect the engine for leakages of an oil/water mix.

By "pepa"