what are the symptoms? Could this have caused my radiator to blow. This car did make a 2 hour trip. How would i do a compression test? Or where do i get one done?
< Message edited by tylerdru -- 9/8/2005 8:48:41 PM >
Okay we drove her all the way home, and within 5 minutes of the house we hit traffic and the radiator blew! Now I have replaced the water pump, thermostat/housing, and got radiator fixed. We will be seeing if problems persist tomorrow. I think im gonna replace the fan belt too.
Check the oil dipstick after driving it and see if it looks like frothy chocolate milk. If it does, then you have antifreeze in your oil and that could be caused by a blown head gasket.
You perform a compression test by taking out each spark plug, then using a compression meter you can buy at any parts place, you put the rubber end of the compression meter in one plug hole and it will give you a reading. Get someone to help you since you have to turn the engine over to check for compression.
< Message edited by Soaring -- 9/9/2005 6:03:54 AM >
If there is water in the oil, your oil will look like a chocolate milkshake as mentioned. You will also have a milky foam on the bottom side of the oil filler cap. Your oil level will also rise.
It depends on where it is cracked, but yes it has similar symptoms. Here are the symptoms of a blown gasket. There are any number of things that'll happen when your blow a head gasket.
Common symptoms: Foaming, bubbling, or "gargling" in the radiator. Rapid pressure buildup in your cooling system, before the engine has warmed up. You may even get coolant overflowing from the reservoir bottle because of the pressure.
All these above mentioned symptoms could also be a cracked head. Either way, the head must come off, the gasket replaced, and the head inspected for cracks. At the same time, check both mating surfaces for flatness before putting on a new gasket so you don't have to repeat the job.
Other symptoms of a blown head gasket include: White smoke coming from the tailpipe, sometimes intermittently. Water in the oil. When they mix, the oil gets a chocolate milkshake appearance. Oil in the coolant. Cylinder pressure low when a compression test is done. Cooling system will not hold pressure when statically pressurized.
Look for any combination of these symptoms to diagnose a bad head gasket.
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Symptoms of blown head gasket? - 
