I bought my first car with a blown head gasket. At the time it had obvious signs but I didn't know what it was. You expect better things from a human being. My second car also had a blown head gasket, it was a dealer NJ who hid all possible signs but using sealant I guess. Signs started to appear weeks after the purchase. They were not obvious, first a CEL, then hesitating at cold start. What a nightmare with that car. Honestly, I didn’t know until now what it was like to have a car that doesn’t need coolant every time you drive it. I was constantly checking my 3rd car as I almost have a trauma. THE ONLY WAY TO TEST IT RIGHT is by doing a cylinder compression test. No chemical test on the radiator, no pressurizing the cooling system, forget it. It's like a sickness with different symptoms or no symptoms at all. Thank God my 3rd car is fine. Now, I just bought a Corolla with 90K miles and I’m freaking out as the coolant level went down a bit. (3 years later, story revisited) my Corolla is alright. 20K miles strong. It only loses 1” of coolant every 6 months, same as when I bought it. My prayers were heard. Thanks for comments.
@@asifsaleem2282 cylinder pressure test is the only way to be sure. My experience with these cars is that in the beginning they didn’t have the obvious signs of gasket damage. Either the dealer applied sealant or it was a very tiny crack.
I was going to rent the pressure test kit ,but just watching you do this is the same thing my car does. I have to put coolant in it everytime I drive it. Thnx for everything
Use some Blue Devil Head Gasket repair. It worked for me. Has been holding for about 1 year now. I had white smoke out the tail pipe. Used the Block Test Blue fluid and it confirmed hydrocarbons in the coolant passage way, because it turned yellow. After I used the Blue Devil Flush and gasket, and followed the directions exactly. It sealed the head gasket good. No more white smoke and blue fluid stayed blue. Worth a try.
One can also use "water glass" (sodium silicate), to do the same thing. That's the main, active ingredient is some if not most of the retail head gasket sealers out there. You can buy a gallon of the stuff online / ebay.
lol he says a head gasket is to much of an investment to put in a car with 250,000 on it . i agree it might be to much for the wealthy or uneducated . i'm poor and back in the day when i were healthy enough to do the work required it was a great wise investment . wealthy look at it as a poor investment due to the fact they have to much wealth , uneducated look at it as a poor investment due to the fact they cannot do it themselves and the people that can do it charge them an arm and a leg . greed is the main factor why we have so much unfairness on this so called earth .
@@borgman79 yes i understand when it comes to people making more money from their job then they would save if they repaired the item themselves . thats why they are not into other grunt work like mechanics . as for the tools , tools can be home made or bought used and or on sale . i never needed any expensive tools back in the day when my body still allowed me to do grunt work .
Good job on the video, very organic and easy to follow. I actually did this on a car like 40 years ago and forgot about this particular method lol Thanks for posting.
You can also use a leak down tester to check your valves. Make sure the piston is at top dead center on the compression stroke. Apply pressure to cylinder. Listen for air at the intake and at the exhaust pipe.
Thank you for teaching us how to figure out if a car has a blown headgasket. My 2002 Subaru has had many overheating problems. I couldn't figure out my overheating problem until I took the car to the shop. I have had my cousin do multiple radiator fixes where I have needed a new radiator and new upper and lower hose. Then my car still had overheated. So I took it to the shop, and then found out it was a blown headgasket. My car has over 233,000 miles. The price could be $1,800 dollars. Definitely not worth it.
I bought a leak down tester yesterday, and I saw your video today. I'm going to test our 2001 Buick next. On the 3.1 Liter GM engine, the intake manifold gaskets can leak and coolant gets sucked into the manifold. So, I'll see how it goes.
@@tomaunofilms534 Yes I did. The liquid turned green, so combustion gasses were getting into the cooling system. I have a problem with fibromyalgia and arthritis, so I was trying to decide what to do, as fixing the car would be a difficult task for me now. An opportunity came my way where I bought a nice 1998 Ford Taurus with only 87,000 miles on it for $1600. I have a friend who is a retired mechanic, and his '94 Ford Thunderbird is in bad shape, burning oil and slipping transmission. It would be easier and cheaper to fix the Buick, so I gave it to him.
@Nikola Ok, then I guess that the reply was to complicated for your Neanderthal brain. Besides, you were not the one who asked the question. Just go ahead and find simple short videos to view, and stay out of other conversations. No one wanted your input. Also, someone should warn shepherds in your area that the sheep are not safe tonight with you around.
thank you for sharing your video, and tips on how to determine or test when having some difficulties on your car: engine, radiator, cooler oil pressure etc.. as I am experiencing myself on what you just described. let me say thank you putting it in into words of comfort 'your car had better days and time to retire"🙏i understand material things can get replace. The acceptance is a bit overwhelming 🙏
Also means you have air in the system don’t confuse these kids you have to remind if there’s air in your radiator after draining / or replacing a radiator there will be air in the radiator which causes this and also over heating
Air in the cooling system causes a non running, cold engine.. To suddenly have a higher level of coolant when the cylinder is pressurized? ... And then goes down the instant it is not pressurized? Huh. Explain please Sensei.
I’m planing on changing my head gasket today I’ve been waiting to install a clear cover for the cam pulley gear! makes me abit sad seeing a neglected Honda engine :( hope they save it! Mines got 110k miles and it’s never let me down!
@clearsailing7993 that will block water passages. It won't fix a head gasket. The only time I have seen a hg leak taken care of, if it was leaking externally and stop leak plugged the hole. No magical additive can replace a metal fire ring that withstands 2,000 psi. That's what the factory head gasket is designed to withstand
Normal for an all aluminum engine. My 85 Nissan 720 had a cast iron block and aluminum head and never blew a head gasket in 320k miles. Also had a brass radiator.
This is for someone stressed out over a 2012 caravan 3.6 we just milled heads, NEW head gaskets, new oil cooler, still misfiring at heat soak, because these motors are bad too have cracked blocks, from the coolant to the cylinder, if it misses when you start it then smooths out,or gets worse when hot, yep
Your awesome!!! Could you do it this way without a tool? Example: If you're testing cylinder 1 out of 4; Remove the fuel pump fuse; Remove spark plugs 2,3 and 4; Remove the radiator cap and crank the engine to simulate the tool. Will that work the same way? I have a car that the oil and coolant mixed together and I would like to think its just gonna be the oil cooler gasket. Crossing my fingers on your response. Thanks a million!!!
some people get lucky. this is a honda civic 1.7, problem is it is age related, not mileage. the material on the headgasket is poorly developed, and these motors tend to over-heat due to other issues with cooling system failures
does this issue cause my radiator cap if radiator pressure cap is bad to create a suction locked on to the radiator. I can not remove the Cap and I do not want to snap off the the threads to the radiator I replaced the radiator 9 months ago. I am trying to salvage my 2006 Chevy trailblazer it has been a dream dream vehicle since I was 15 when I got to ride in a 1971 trailblazer.
Why not just check the oil dipstick. Wouldn't coolant be mixing with the oil if head gasket is blown? Back in the day we would always find the milky looking oil on dipstick.
My sons 2008 Ford Focus has the coolant filling up like that without the tool youre using. We were thrilled when we used the bulb contraption with the blue liquid and it didnt turn yellow or green. Sounds like its the same sad result though. Its a shame bc the car was my great aunt’s and only had/has 30k miles.
@@subtledriver Hiiii! Thanks for responding! This is nowhere near a realm that I am even slightly familiar with. He had an oil change prior to driving 90 minutes to his overnight college orientation. When he arrived he noticed it was really hot in the car when he parked & finally noticed the coolant warning level light was on on his dashboard. He didnt use the car for the 2 days on campus. I told him when he left he needed to go to the closest auto store & buy coolant. The store employee helped him and added it to the coolant reservoir. I was hoping that was the issue. The warning light turned off and he started the 90 minute drive home. Naturally, the light came back on while he was on the interstate. Someone recommended he turn the heat on high & defrost & drive with all the windows down. He did & got the car back to our house. A friend suggested we have the thermostat replaced. We had it towed to a mom & pop shop. The gentleman said he ran the car & notice the coolant level dropped by there wasnt any coolant on the ground, so it was going into the engine. The car is a total loss. He asked me to get it off his property that same day. So $300 in towing costs (to & from) but it came back home. My sister, who lives 8 states away, suggested we buy the head gasket combustion leak test kit. It came yesterday and while I had the car heating up I noticed coolant WAS leaking from the bottom front bumper on the driver’s side. I did the test via the coolant tank and was thrilled when it didnt turn green or yellow. The liquid remained blue. I turned the car off for it to cool down and thought Id try again later on the radiator. I took the cap off and didnt see any coolant in the neck. I let it run for 10/15-ish minutes and then noticed the coolant was coming up the neck, like in your video but there werent any bubbles. I turned the car off and a wee bit of coolant did overflow from the neck. Then I started researching again and came across your video and was crushed hearing the diagnosis via your test results.
@@mjt-ew8rs lack of maintenance is typically the main issue (not changing coolant, not keeping on top of oil changes and allowing it to run in poor state, second is loss of coolant and overheating. This warps the gasket surface and allows it to blow out.
So,the **NEXT** thing is to re-tighten the head bolts,and re-test with the air,or idling... BE SURE you study well the procedure to re-do those bolts or nuts,there IS a special way... Sometimes,seldom,you get lucky, but only if the gasket in not burned, if it was only overheated and its thickness has diminished..
@@subtledriver how did it have a blown gasket if no coolant was found in oil dip stick or upon oil change, wouldn't coolant be found inside drained oil, even if its minimal coolant?
Great test, now is there a way to single out which cylinder or cylinders are the one with the issue? If I leave the spark plugs on and I only air each cylinder?
my first truck used sealant and lasted me 4 years strong until i totaled it definitely had 4 or more in her still i also took great care of it other than that whole sealant ordeal but it worked so dont knock it till u try it
Just because a car coolant overflow a Lil doesn't mean a bad headgasket i have been using a car too year that overflow coolant if i remove the rad cap and never over heat and Still make bubbles with cap off
if cylinder is leaking exhaust gas into cooling jacket, you have a head gasket or damaged engine. it is not normal to leak pressure cylinder pressure into cooling system. thanks for comment
Great video, I never seen a test done like that. Just a suggestion. I have done this many times my self. If you detect a leak like that in its early stage a simple retorque on the head to manufacturer specs can fix the problem. We use to do that all the time with cast-iron engines. With todays alloy engines I have found this trick only works if the leak has just started. I have tried it on engines with bigger leaks but it has only worked with small leaks.
That’s a bandaid always was even with the old iron motors. You must be in the used car sale business those are the only scambags still using that “fix”
Great video another helpful tool in the arsenal to blown head gaskets. Having said i would also suggest if your in dire straight you could also try to use Risolone block stop. Its a very good product and has helped me out with a friends Toyota Corrolla with a similar issue to this video.
Poor car.. In 3:50 you said; let the poor car retire. Why let it retire ? Replace the head gasket. If the lady doesn't want to spend money on the car, buy it from her, Fix the car yourself. I would. My Dear God, I don't know how many cars I restored. Mechanics told me and my son, junk the car, it's not even worth fixing. My son always told the mechanics; My dad wont let the car go. My dad loves a good challenge. I restored the cars, Why junk them ?
Do a head gasket on a civic with a d17. That put the year of the car above 2002. Do a head gasket on a d series is not that expensive or difficult as on a b or k series. Unless you take it to a shop that is going to shell you out of 2.5k
Ok explain to me why a mechanic would rev my engine excessively to get the temp up and cause the bubbling? I was very angry with the way he did my car. After him reving my engine and causing it to get really hot he says my head gasket is blown. Took to another mechanic he said I just need a radiator flush and car just needs to "idle" a few minutes. Just want to know why this other mechanic would rev my engine this hard.😡
No. The reserve tank is there for overflow and it's normal. If your radiator go dry it's probably leaking somewhere. Signs of bad gasket will be boiling coolant in the reserve tank. But that's not always the case. Could be air leak in the system and/or bad radiator cap, water pump, etc..
That dont mean the headgasket blown it could have air in the system most cases if the head gasket is blown the oil be milky or steam out the tailpipe or the water levels will be low might have air in the system bleed the air out i seen this before on bmw & hondas that will fix the problem
Exactly. A lot of mechanics will tell you it's blown head gasket. It's how they make money. Usually it's the radiator that is broken or air in the system. Cheapest way it getting a new rad. Flush coolant and get brand new coolant.
Also, i heard from a Honda Specialist, he said that 01-05 Civics do not take that green coolant lightly lol... apparently it'll destroy the coolant jackets and such. Pitting in the metal, etc.
Subtledriver great job on this video. Quick question what if I lose coolant from the exhaust the minute I pour it in. Unfortunately there is no oil in the engine
Ok so if you don't have the proper tools like you to check for a blown head gasket whats a home made way to check and see if you just completely broke?
How do u know what kind of pressure tool besides the gage that u have air to it to use....what is in the hole....and how without having the engine apart....do u know when it's too dead center????
So I was told if you see bubbles on in the radiator when flushing or replacing water pump it means there’s air pockets in the block so now I hear you say bubbles means head gasket failure! Wouldn’t it be easier if you do combustion leak test?
If there is white smoke coming out when it's not even cold out, it may be a sign as the water is vaporizing. I also checked my dipstick and noticed water in oil pan
Very informative, replaced my radiator and fan(with cheap parts not OEM) due to a collision. Radiator began to start leaking, eventually severely. Added stop leak into the radiator no longer leaking but now my car is over heating. A day later I realize the fan isn't working. I'm getting the overflow of coolant from the radiator neck when the car is on, also notice what sounds and feels like boiling in the top hose and radiator cap. I was thinking the stop leak may have clogged the radiator. Can the fan not working cause the overheating, overflow of coolant, and boiling sound?
A boiling sound is likely from air trapped in the system, especially if you hear gurgling when switching on the heat. My guess is your cooling fan has a problem if its not on constantly when the engine is up to operating temeperature, have you felt your radiator hoses? Are they hot to the touch when the car runs for a while? If not maybe your water pump broke or your thermostat is stuck shut cause the coolant to not circulate.
Should I do a glove test on my Honda cuz I don’t have bubbles but I did overflill the radiator when I replaced it after hitting a deer and now I have cylinder 1 misfire I didn’t do coil swap yet but I just have coolant leaking out from pressure but no bubbles
Head gasket can be an easy fix. Be careful with these crooked mechanics whom recommend you buy a new car. A car can go 500,000 miles with proper maintenance.
Man i just asked my local mechanic shop. He said people really exaggerate the head gasket job. It's not that bad nor should it cost more than the vehicle is worth. It just goes to experience and the engine. (Some harder than others)
Yeah I bought a car that has a bad head gasket builds pressure in the coolant reservoir an you can see metal flake an small bubbles moving in the reservoir even after I flushed it so I’m going to have that done sometime an also blew or cracked the reservoir while in the garage so going to need towed in 😕
Hell yes!!! I have a friend with one of those cars with 525,000 miles on it. There’s a lot of life left. Have you seen the price of even used cars and then you don’t know what the hell you’re getting into with someone who didn’t maintain their car either.?
bc advanced damage to hg can cause cylinder heads to crack and once there is a crack every other component in the combustion chamber needs to be checked prior to fixing
there is no valve failure, it is a gasket or crack in the block/head allowing air to get into cooling system. that should never happen on a healthy cooling system.
subtledriver I got a 2000 Mazda b4000 with 4.0 OHV engine I’m loosing a little bit of coolant my engine don’t smoke or over heat doesn’t have coolant in the oil I did notice when I take the radiator cap off an start the engine the coolant starts to over flow do u think it’s a head gasket problem? There’s no bubbles when I run it with no radiator cap I parked it in a drive way an it had some water leak under the engine but I think that was from the air conditioner
subtledriver I haven’t pressured tested it yet I just got the truck 1 week ago I top off the coolest every 300 miles I have to top it off just a little bit I just did a oil change on it an oil looked normal it looks like it just had a coolant flush not to long ago because it’s clean the coolant expiation tank stays at the same level tho it doesn’t go up or down it stays at the middle I noticed
On my car on a cold start with no radiator cap the system pushes about 8 ounces of coolant out but no air bubbles is normal. Also, on a cold start with the radiator cap on the system, pressurizes but not enough to go into the overflow …. What’s up with that?
Very helpful video! Thank you for sharing! What do you think about flusing the coolant and changing over dexcool to regular coolant? I have an 05 Buick Century, and dexcool is not good for the head gasket in that particular year, make, model, but that's the original coolant that the car comes with. It's a defect that has since been fixed in newer models, but I have the older model and I'm looking to change it out completely.
There are several different ways to do a blown head gasket check. The best way is do a pressure check. But the cheapest way I have found is; remove all spark plugs, remove the fuel relay, and start the car.If you have a blown head gasket, water will squirt out through the spark plug holes. To do this exercise, you will need 2 bodies. But The pressure check is the best way. There are other ways as well. If you wanna be a mechanic.
@@subtledriver If it ever slightly overheats or gets air in the system Dex cool turns to brown and black sludge. My Buick the coolant elbows burst causing it to slightly overheat before I caught it . I had to flush the radiator and block added Dex cool back into system then 9 months later the thermostat stuck closed and again slightly overheated . I had to flush with radiator cleaner because radiator had brown/ black sludge. I again flushed it with radiator cleaner and distilled water. This time just running distilled water In it for now but temperatures never rise above 196 and I can idle with air on for 30 minutes and temp may rise 4 degrees but that’s all. With Dex Cool I couldn’t do that before temp would be getting to high. Personally I believe Dex Cool is garbage.
does this explain why my crv after sitting some days itll burn off alot and i mean alot of white smoke that smells really strong? its also burning alot of oil as well. my mechanic told me my engine needs replaced but if its just a head gasket that would be awesome. i get alot of engine chatter as well in the both head and block. i ran it dry for a few days before i noticed.
I bought my first car with a blown head gasket. At the time it had obvious signs but I didn't know what it was. You expect better things from a human being. My second car also had a blown head gasket, it was a dealer NJ who hid all possible signs but using sealant I guess. Signs started to appear weeks after the purchase. They were not obvious, first a CEL, then hesitating at cold start. What a nightmare with that car. Honestly, I didn’t know until now what it was like to have a car that doesn’t need coolant every time you drive it. I was constantly checking my 3rd car as I almost have a trauma. THE ONLY WAY TO TEST IT RIGHT is by doing a cylinder compression test. No chemical test on the radiator, no pressurizing the cooling system, forget it. It's like a sickness with different symptoms or no symptoms at all. Thank God my 3rd car is fine. Now, I just bought a Corolla with 90K miles and I’m freaking out as the coolant level went down a bit. (3 years later, story revisited) my Corolla is alright. 20K miles strong. It only loses 1” of coolant every 6 months, same as when I bought it. My prayers were heard. Thanks for comments.
Getting good at fixing head gaskets.
If the coolant level decreases after 2 mounths a little than it is considering good but cheacking of car by give preasure to cylinder is brilient idea
Cars are cancer
@@asifsaleem2282 cylinder pressure test is the only way to be sure. My experience with these cars is that in the beginning they didn’t have the obvious signs of gasket damage. Either the dealer applied sealant or it was a very tiny crack.
I got a car to sell you.
Haha
I was going to rent the pressure test kit ,but just watching you do this is the same thing my car does. I have to put coolant in it everytime I drive it. Thnx for everything
how long did you drive it until it died?
Would also love to know
Use some Blue Devil Head Gasket repair. It worked for me. Has been holding for about 1 year now.
I had white smoke out the tail pipe. Used the Block Test Blue fluid and it confirmed hydrocarbons in the coolant passage way, because it turned yellow.
After I used the Blue Devil Flush and gasket, and followed the directions exactly. It sealed the head gasket good. No more white smoke and blue fluid stayed blue. Worth a try.
mine i used bars leak and it worked for my 96 civic.. no more white smoke and no coolant mixing on engine oil..
One can also use "water glass" (sodium silicate), to do the same thing. That's the main, active ingredient is some if not most of the retail head gasket sealers out there. You can buy a gallon of the stuff online / ebay.
I used bars stop leaks and I’m still going 60k miles later
@@julaiarnold641Or is it oil mixing in coolant??
Sodium silicate can be purchased from a pottery supplier.
lol my coworker had the same problem, drove him nuts why coolant would burst out of the overflow. Head gasket fixed the problem.
yepppp
subtledriver love 💗 peace and chicken 🐔 grease
lol he says a head gasket is to much of an investment to put in a car with 250,000 on it . i agree it might be to much for the wealthy or uneducated . i'm poor and back in the day when i were healthy enough to do the work required it was a great wise investment . wealthy look at it as a poor investment due to the fact they have to much wealth , uneducated look at it as a poor investment due to the fact they cannot do it themselves and the people that can do it charge them an arm and a leg . greed is the main factor why we have so much unfairness on this so called earth .
@@carmichaelmoritz8662 how bout the fact you would need a good amount of tools to do the job. Those aren’t cheap. And not everyone is in to cars.
@@borgman79 yes i understand when it comes to people making more money from their job then they would save if they repaired the item themselves . thats why they are not into other grunt work like mechanics . as for the tools , tools can be home made or bought used and or on sale . i never needed any expensive tools back in the day when my body still allowed me to do grunt work .
Good job on the video, very organic and easy to follow. I actually did this on a car like 40 years ago and forgot about this particular method lol Thanks for posting.
You're welcome, thanks for the comment 😀
You can also use a leak down tester to check your valves. Make sure the piston is at top dead center on the compression stroke. Apply pressure to cylinder. Listen for air at the intake and at the exhaust pipe.
Smart video. Used to do same test with hollowed out spark plug,6inches copper tubing n air line connector. Good video
Can you elaborate more on your tester? How you made it..
Also, top dead center for the test correct?
@@nhlninetyfour
Just buy one they are relatively inexpensive
You're a genius too! Sounds like an old school test!
Thank you for teaching us how to figure out if a car has a blown headgasket. My 2002 Subaru has had many overheating problems. I couldn't figure out my overheating problem until I took the car to the shop. I have had my cousin do multiple radiator fixes where I have needed a new radiator and new upper and lower hose. Then my car still had overheated. So I took it to the shop, and then found out it was a blown headgasket. My car has over 233,000 miles. The price could be $1,800 dollars. Definitely not worth it.
No problem! Time to throw in a low miles replacement engine from Japan!
@Terminology! harbor freight has a leakdown tester
I bought a leak down tester yesterday, and I saw your video today. I'm going to test our 2001 Buick next. On the 3.1 Liter GM engine, the intake manifold gaskets can leak and coolant gets sucked into the manifold. So, I'll see how it goes.
hey ! Gary! Did you test your Buick?
@@tomaunofilms534 Yes I did. The liquid turned green, so combustion gasses were getting into the cooling system. I have a problem with fibromyalgia and arthritis, so I was trying to decide what to do, as fixing the car would be a difficult task for me now. An opportunity came my way where I bought a nice 1998 Ford Taurus with only 87,000 miles on it for $1600. I have a friend who is a retired mechanic, and his '94 Ford Thunderbird is in bad shape, burning oil and slipping transmission. It would be easier and cheaper to fix the Buick, so I gave it to him.
@Nikola I'm sorry that my answer was too complicated for you.
@Nikola Ok, then I guess that the reply was to complicated for your Neanderthal brain. Besides, you were not the one who asked the question. Just go ahead and find simple short videos to view, and stay out of other conversations. No one wanted your input. Also, someone should warn shepherds in your area that the sheep are not safe tonight with you around.
What about a cracked exhaust manifold
This was a great way to find out and confirm a bad head gasket. thanks!
thank you for sharing your video, and tips on how to determine or test when having some difficulties on your car: engine, radiator, cooler oil pressure etc.. as I am experiencing myself on what you just described. let me say thank you putting it in into words of comfort 'your car had better days and time to retire"🙏i understand material things can get replace. The acceptance is a bit overwhelming 🙏
Also means you have air in the system don’t confuse these kids you have to remind if there’s air in your radiator after draining / or replacing a radiator there will be air in the radiator which causes this and also over heating
Air in the cooling system causes a non running, cold engine.. To suddenly have a higher level of coolant when the cylinder is pressurized? ... And then goes down the instant it is not pressurized? Huh. Explain please Sensei.
Negative. Pressurizing a cylinder on a non-running vehicle should not affect the cooling system... unless the head gasket has failed.
I’m planing on changing my head gasket today I’ve been waiting to install a clear cover for the cam pulley gear! makes me abit sad seeing a neglected Honda engine :( hope they save it! Mines got 110k miles and it’s never let me down!
This is the most helpful vid ive been looking and looking
Steel seal, that you add to the radiator, has silicate in it to stop the leak. The high heat by the heat gasket makes it turn hard.
@clearsailing7993 that will block water passages. It won't fix a head gasket. The only time I have seen a hg leak taken care of, if it was leaking externally and stop leak plugged the hole. No magical additive can replace a metal fire ring that withstands 2,000 psi. That's what the factory head gasket is designed to withstand
@@subtledriver thanks for the information
You, my guy, are stupidly awesome.
Normal for an all aluminum engine. My 85 Nissan 720 had a cast iron block and aluminum head and never blew a head gasket in 320k miles. Also had a brass radiator.
How would you determine whether it needs a new head gasket or a whole new block?
My d17 civic was pushing coolant to the reservoir, no overheating but no heat in winter unless you gave it gas.
Maybe your water pump is getting inefficient?
I seen guys put blue devil in there and drive it another 5 years that way
Yea blue devil is good
This is for someone stressed out over a 2012 caravan 3.6 we just milled heads, NEW head gaskets, new oil cooler, still misfiring at heat soak, because these motors are bad too have cracked blocks, from the coolant to the cylinder, if it misses when you start it then smooths out,or gets worse when hot, yep
How long can that be driven until total shutdown.
Your awesome!!! Could you do it this way without a tool?
Example: If you're testing cylinder 1 out of 4;
Remove the fuel pump fuse;
Remove spark plugs 2,3 and 4;
Remove the radiator cap and crank the engine to simulate the tool.
Will that work the same way?
I have a car that the oil and coolant mixed together and I would like to think its just gonna be the oil cooler gasket. Crossing my fingers on your response.
Thanks a million!!!
I'm impressed that a car, that is not being maintained has managed to go 250,000 miles. Is it a Toyota?
some people get lucky. this is a honda civic 1.7, problem is it is age related, not mileage. the material on the headgasket is poorly developed, and these motors tend to over-heat due to other issues with cooling system failures
Good info will Test My Engine right away.
does this issue cause my radiator cap if radiator pressure cap is bad to create a suction locked on to the radiator. I can not remove the Cap and I do not want to snap off the the threads to the radiator I replaced the radiator 9 months ago. I am trying to salvage my 2006 Chevy trailblazer it has been a dream dream vehicle since I was 15 when I got to ride in a 1971 trailblazer.
Bro 100% fucking badassvideo you know what, were all both stupid and smart at the same time that goes for everyone in the world 🌎
Awesome video, makes good sense and right to the point
Good Explanation!
Also I see some motor oil mix with the antifreeze!
Muchas gracias 👍
Why not just check the oil dipstick. Wouldn't coolant be mixing with the oil if head gasket is blown? Back in the day we would always find the milky looking oil on dipstick.
It depends where the gasket is blown, it can either have coolant in oil, or exhaust gases in coolant reservoir/radiator
My sons 2008 Ford Focus has the coolant filling up like that without the tool youre using. We were thrilled when we used the bulb contraption with the blue liquid and it didnt turn yellow or green. Sounds like its the same sad result though. Its a shame bc the car was my great aunt’s and only had/has 30k miles.
@@lorla5236 what is the problem you are having?
@@subtledriver Hiiii! Thanks for responding! This is nowhere near a realm that I am even slightly familiar with. He had an oil change prior to driving 90 minutes to his overnight college orientation. When he arrived he noticed it was really hot in the car when he parked & finally noticed the coolant warning level light was on on his dashboard. He didnt use the car for the 2 days on campus. I told him when he left he needed to go to the closest auto store & buy coolant. The store employee helped him and added it to the coolant reservoir. I was hoping that was the issue. The warning light turned off and he started the 90 minute drive home. Naturally, the light came back on while he was on the interstate. Someone recommended he turn the heat on high & defrost & drive with all the windows down. He did & got the car back to our house. A friend suggested we have the thermostat replaced. We had it towed to a mom & pop shop. The gentleman said he ran the car & notice the coolant level dropped by there wasnt any coolant on the ground, so it was going into the engine. The car is a total loss. He asked me to get it off his property that same day. So $300 in towing costs (to & from) but it came back home. My sister, who lives 8 states away, suggested we buy the head gasket combustion leak test kit. It came yesterday and while I had the car heating up I noticed coolant WAS leaking from the bottom front bumper on the driver’s side. I did the test via the coolant tank and was thrilled when it didnt turn green or yellow. The liquid remained blue. I turned the car off for it to cool down and thought Id try again later on the radiator. I took the cap off and didnt see any coolant in the neck. I let it run for 10/15-ish minutes and then noticed the coolant was coming up the neck, like in your video but there werent any bubbles. I turned the car off and a wee bit of coolant did overflow from the neck. Then I started researching again and came across your video and was crushed hearing the diagnosis via your test results.
Great video! I bought a used 3.6l ram and I'm getting a few bubbles in my coolant this will tell me what heads bad.
Because of the video title I read your username as “SubieDriver” and thought, yup...Subaru lol
why did the hg blow in the first place? was that fixed as well? or will it happen again?.....
@@mjt-ew8rs lack of maintenance is typically the main issue (not changing coolant, not keeping on top of oil changes and allowing it to run in poor state, second is loss of coolant and overheating. This warps the gasket surface and allows it to blow out.
So,the **NEXT** thing is to re-tighten the head bolts,and re-test with the air,or idling...
BE SURE you study well the procedure to re-do those bolts or nuts,there IS a special way...
Sometimes,seldom,you get lucky, but only if the gasket in not burned, if it was only overheated and its thickness has diminished..
Replace it. These lose material and blow out because of bad design.
Open the oil cap and see if it has chocolate milk
this one has no chocolate milk. but it has a blown headgasket.
@@subtledriver how did it have a blown gasket if no coolant was found in oil dip stick or upon oil change, wouldn't coolant be found inside drained oil, even if its minimal coolant?
Sometimes chocolate milk in the oil cap is just from condensation
My car does this, but in six years I’ve never had any heating problems. I drove 3000 kms and it did take a litre of coolant yesterday.
Great test, now is there a way to single out which cylinder or cylinders are the one with the issue? If I leave the spark plugs on and I only air each cylinder?
Yes, you got it
Thank you for this easy and quick way of knowing for sure! Gonna do it today..
my first truck used sealant and lasted me 4 years strong until i totaled it definitely had 4 or more in her still i also took great care of it other than that whole sealant ordeal but it worked so dont knock it till u try it
Just because a car coolant overflow a Lil doesn't mean a bad headgasket i have been using a car too year that overflow coolant if i remove the rad cap and never over heat and Still make bubbles with cap off
if cylinder is leaking exhaust gas into cooling jacket, you have a head gasket or damaged engine. it is not normal to leak pressure cylinder pressure into cooling system. thanks for comment
Great video mate!! Gives me an alternative way to check my head gasket!!
yep you just confirmed my car is bye bye tried to bleed it bubbles never stop coming out. thanx for the info
Great video, I never seen a test done like that. Just a suggestion. I have done this many times my self. If you detect a leak like that in its early stage a simple retorque on the head to manufacturer specs can fix the problem. We use to do that all the time with cast-iron engines. With todays alloy engines I have found this trick only works if the leak has just started. I have tried it on engines with bigger leaks but it has only worked with small leaks.
That’s a bandaid always was even with the old iron motors. You must be in the used car sale business those are the only scambags still using that “fix”
@@user-tf5kr4qp2i You are so funny :D
White smoke out of the tailpipe is a sign of a blown head gasket
Yeah thats one of the signs
Can also be burning transmission fluid on models that have a vacuum line to the tranny. Most older auto trans do.
Great video another helpful tool in the arsenal to blown head gaskets. Having said i would also suggest if your in dire straight you could also try to use Risolone block stop. Its a very good product and has helped me out with a friends Toyota Corrolla with a similar issue to this video.
So, what if the leak is between the water jackets and the oil?
Foamy white oil is the symptom.
Better to have oil in water than water in oil.
Here in the 3rd world we just buy a repair kit and replace the head gasket haha
Lol
What country?
Central America we do it also.
Those in America do the same because they can't afford a new vehicle.
Why not repair it tho
Poor car.. In 3:50 you said; let the poor car retire. Why let it retire ? Replace the head gasket. If the lady doesn't want to spend money on the car, buy it from her, Fix the car yourself. I would. My Dear God, I don't know how many cars I restored. Mechanics told me and my son, junk the car, it's not even worth fixing. My son always told the mechanics; My dad wont let the car go. My dad loves a good challenge. I restored the cars, Why junk them ?
New subscriber, enjoyed this video, thank you. Thumbs up.
Thank you!
Nice gonna get that leak down tool I have done block test before on a friends rig
You can tell from the bit the oil in the radiator lol I can see it
Bar’s Leak Head Gasket Fix. It works.
Do a head gasket on a civic with a d17. That put the year of the car above 2002.
Do a head gasket on a d series is not that expensive or difficult as on a b or k series. Unless you take it to a shop that is going to shell you out of 2.5k
2.5k?? I charge around 700 for this with gaskets included
It will also do this if it is just low on coolant .
Ok explain to me why a mechanic would rev my engine excessively to get the temp up and cause the bubbling? I was very angry with the way he did my car. After him reving my engine and causing it to get really hot he says my head gasket is blown. Took to another mechanic he said I just need a radiator flush and car just needs to "idle" a few minutes. Just want to know why this other mechanic would rev my engine this hard.😡
He did the same procedure this guy did just in a different way. He didn't have to do it that way though but its prolly the only way he knew how.
So he figuratively and literally revved the nuts off ur car. So ur car is sackless as we speak
So if the coolant goes to the reserve bottle all the time and the radiator goes dry it means or is a sign of a bad head gasket too ?
No. The reserve tank is there for overflow and it's normal. If your radiator go dry it's probably leaking somewhere. Signs of bad gasket will be boiling coolant in the reserve tank. But that's not always the case. Could be air leak in the system and/or bad radiator cap, water pump, etc..
My coolant reservoir goes low but it takes months is my head gasket bad?
@@Buttersausage on its way to getting blown
Thnx for the info mate…that’s pretty cool and knowledgeable 👍👍👍👍👍
That dont mean the headgasket blown it could have air in the system most cases if the head gasket is blown the oil be milky or steam out the tailpipe or the water levels will be low might have air in the system bleed the air out i seen this before on bmw & hondas that will fix the problem
Exactly. A lot of mechanics will tell you it's blown head gasket. It's how they make money. Usually it's the radiator that is broken or air in the system. Cheapest way it getting a new rad. Flush coolant and get brand new coolant.
Mine milky and it did blow stem out the tail pipe does it mean new engine
U could get the tester kits to that use dye that changes color if it detects exhaust gasses
That's what I normally do,,, but it evaded detection this time. So I had to do the cylinder pressure test.
Nice tuitorial, I love 💕💕 you it. How do I get that tool you used in testing the head gasket, am a mechanic and I need that tools. Good job!
It needs a new head gasket, new head bolts. Parts wise about 100+, but the labor is 1k +
Also, i heard from a Honda Specialist, he said that 01-05 Civics do not take that green coolant lightly lol... apparently it'll destroy the coolant jackets and such. Pitting in the metal, etc.
Better to use blue coolant. Honda Coolant.
@@1_Bad_Z I don't use OEM Honda Torqoise coolant but I use Zerex Blue, been using it for 4 years no issues.
@@whatheck6709 what's wrong with Honda coolant from Dealer?
@@1_Bad_Z nothing lol. I didn't mention anything wrong with it.
@@whatheck6709 cool. I just purchased a used Honda. I've noticed they use blue coolant. My first Honda.
What do you use to place pressure and how much.?
Subtledriver great job on this video. Quick question what if I lose coolant from the exhaust the minute I pour it in.
Unfortunately there is no oil in the engine
Ok so if you don't have the proper tools like you to check for a blown head gasket whats a home made way to check and see if you just completely broke?
Thank you I learned something to I'm not watching your video thank you so much
How do u know what kind of pressure tool besides the gage that u have air to it to use....what is in the hole....and how without having the engine apart....do u know when it's too dead center????
Yeah really. I had the same questions. Helpful video and interesting but not complete really.
How do you tell from cracked engine or blown basket?
Tear it apart
Usually if you have the money for a motor it’s easier to do a swap and then rebuild the one sitting
Hi mate great vid!! I have a question though was the engine cold or warm when you did the test?
can be done either way. it was a little above room temp.
Thanks for the reply! The reason I asked was because I was wondering if the thermostat would have an effect on it ie: if it was closed!
So I was told if you see bubbles on in the radiator when flushing or replacing water pump it means there’s air pockets in the block so now I hear you say bubbles means head gasket failure! Wouldn’t it be easier if you do combustion leak test?
Could be a cracked block as well.
How was it running? Were there other signs, such as steamy exhaust, rough idle...?
Thanks
normally there will be "blue" fumes from the exhaust
If there is white smoke coming out when it's not even cold out, it may be a sign as the water is vaporizing. I also checked my dipstick and noticed water in oil pan
Thanks bro for your wisdom
Very informative, replaced my radiator and fan(with cheap parts not OEM) due to a collision. Radiator began to start leaking, eventually severely. Added stop leak into the radiator no longer leaking but now my car is over heating. A day later I realize the fan isn't working. I'm getting the overflow of coolant from the radiator neck when the car is on, also notice what sounds and feels like boiling in the top hose and radiator cap. I was thinking the stop leak may have clogged the radiator. Can the fan not working cause the overheating, overflow of coolant, and boiling sound?
A boiling sound is likely from air trapped in the system, especially if you hear gurgling when switching on the heat. My guess is your cooling fan has a problem if its not on constantly when the engine is up to operating temeperature, have you felt your radiator hoses? Are they hot to the touch when the car runs for a while? If not maybe your water pump broke or your thermostat is stuck shut cause the coolant to not circulate.
stop leak will clog your radiator and put you in a world of hurt.....dont use it!
A cracked cylinder head can cause the same symptom
he mentioned that
@@shanz3n5 right!
I was looking for this comment
results could mean bad to worst
Can you do a video on how to troubleshoot? Cummins ISM or any large diesel for that matter, running hot under load, but not boiling over
Put blue devil in there
Should I do a glove test on my Honda cuz I don’t have bubbles but I did overflill the radiator when I replaced it after hitting a deer and now I have cylinder 1 misfire I didn’t do coil swap yet but I just have coolant leaking out from pressure but no bubbles
Head gasket can be an easy fix.
Be careful with these crooked mechanics whom recommend you buy a new car.
A car can go 500,000 miles with proper maintenance.
How is it usually fixed?
I heard new engine or?
@@that682kid.C you replace the head gasket it’s getting to the head gasket is what’s the problem for most
Man i just asked my local mechanic shop. He said people really exaggerate the head gasket job. It's not that bad nor should it cost more than the vehicle is worth. It just goes to experience and the engine. (Some harder than others)
The more difficult one's are when the engine has heads with duel overhead camshafts. Timing the engine is a bit challenging.
most common way i have experianced that causes a head gasket failure, people hitting the gas and racing the engine
Yeah I bought a car that has a bad head gasket builds pressure in the coolant reservoir an you can see metal flake an small bubbles moving in the reservoir even after I flushed it so I’m going to have that done sometime an also blew or cracked the reservoir while in the garage so going to need towed in 😕
Your awesome, but I would recommend a head gasket. Only 4 1/4 hrs labor and that Honda could get another 100,000 mi. Or not.
How can you differentiate this and a cracked head?
What about an option of putting a low mileage JDM motor in there? Will it work?
I'd still have you replace it cheaper than buying another car if that was the only problem
Hell yes!!! I have a friend with one of those cars with 525,000 miles on it. There’s a lot of life left. Have you seen the price of even used cars and then you don’t know what the hell you’re getting into with someone who didn’t maintain their car either.?
Is it possible to tell by there being coolant on the spark plug?
Why do mechanics fear head gaskets? They are not that hard to change if you have a shop.
bc advanced damage to hg can cause cylinder heads to crack and once there is a crack every other component in the combustion chamber needs to be checked prior to fixing
@@automachinehead Good point
but does the valve really seal 100% so that it won't allow any air to pass by?
there is no valve failure, it is a gasket or crack in the block/head allowing air to get into cooling system. that should never happen on a healthy cooling system.
If this is the short of it... we really don't wanna hear the long of it for sure 🤦♂️😂😂
dick comment
The third world is the first world. We make sense of that situation well have that tear down and running with 2hr
Are you saying that on a cold start with radiator cap off that your coolant should not rise. If it does , could be a head gasket problem ?
Nope, your coolant will naturally expand when heated up. Im showing how to check with a leakdown tester,
subtledriver I got a 2000 Mazda b4000 with 4.0 OHV engine I’m loosing a little bit of coolant my engine don’t smoke or over heat doesn’t have coolant in the oil I did notice when I take the radiator cap off an start the engine the coolant starts to over flow do u think it’s a head gasket problem? There’s no bubbles when I run it with no radiator cap I parked it in a drive way an it had some water leak under the engine but I think that was from the air conditioner
@@kamryn7496 how often do you service coolant and oil? when was last time you changed thermostat? Have you pressure tested the cooling system?
subtledriver I haven’t pressured tested it yet I just got the truck 1 week ago I top off the coolest every 300 miles I have to top it off just a little bit I just did a oil change on it an oil looked normal it looks like it just had a coolant flush not to long ago because it’s clean the coolant expiation tank stays at the same level tho it doesn’t go up or down it stays at the middle I noticed
That's exactly what's happening to mine I got a engine 75k and its doing this
On my car on a cold start with no radiator cap the system pushes about 8 ounces of coolant out but no air bubbles is normal.
Also, on a cold start with the radiator cap on the system, pressurizes but not enough to go into the overflow …. What’s up with that?
what if the antifreeze rises without pressuring the cylinder.. I did the chemical test and it passed it did nt turn yellow it stayed blue.
The person that said my head gasket was bad didn’t check at all they did a visual.
take it in for second opinion at another shop. sometimes a head gasket is quite obvious, others it is not.
Great video, thanks.
Thank you!!!!
Thanks man, awesome
Very helpful video! Thank you for sharing! What do you think about flusing the coolant and changing over dexcool to regular coolant? I have an 05 Buick Century, and dexcool is not good for the head gasket in that particular year, make, model, but that's the original coolant that the car comes with. It's a defect that has since been fixed in newer models, but I have the older model and I'm looking to change it out completely.
I personally run toyota pink or asian pink coolant in all my vehicles. but i dont see any issues running dexcool.
There are several different ways to do a blown head gasket check. The best way is do a pressure check. But the cheapest way I have found is; remove all spark plugs, remove the fuel relay, and start the car.If you have a blown head gasket, water will squirt out through the spark plug holes. To do this exercise, you will need 2 bodies. But The pressure check is the best way. There are other ways as well. If you wanna be a mechanic.
@@subtledriver If it ever slightly overheats or gets air in the system Dex cool turns to brown and black sludge. My Buick the coolant elbows burst causing it to slightly overheat before I caught it . I had to flush the radiator and block added Dex cool back into system then 9 months later the thermostat stuck closed and again slightly overheated . I had to flush with radiator cleaner because radiator had brown/ black sludge. I again flushed it with radiator cleaner and distilled water. This time just running distilled water In it for now but temperatures never rise above 196 and I can idle with air on for 30 minutes and temp may rise 4 degrees but that’s all. With Dex Cool I couldn’t do that before temp would be getting to high. Personally I believe Dex Cool is garbage.
Its very useful for me thanks
does this explain why my crv after sitting some days itll burn off alot and i mean alot of white smoke that smells really strong? its also burning alot of oil as well. my mechanic told me my engine needs replaced but if its just a head gasket that would be awesome. i get alot of engine chatter as well in the both head and block. i ran it dry for a few days before i noticed.
How much are you asking for the head gasket job?
this will tell you nothing if a head gas gasket is blown between cylinders