Great video. I do believe one can reuse the blue fluid, i could be wrong. To be on the safe side, pour the fluid in a separate bottle for storage snd check it again at the tail pipe when the enging is running and see if it changes.
Wow. Another great video, this time science is applied. I learn a lot today after watching several videos. Just a week ago, my thermostat, water pump and a couple of hoses replaced in the cooling system. I got really worried but hopefully that did not cause any blown gasket. I would have heard from my Land Rover Specialist. But with this test, I can test my other vehicles. I have LR3 HSE 2006
Very helpful and well explained video - thank you. Lost power in Transit Connect 1.8dci (stealth campervan) temperature high and low on coolant, restarted after a while. Breakdown service did colour test and it changed very slightly, he thought it was probably head gasket failure. However my mechanic is not so convinced - he's changed water pump, thermostat and expansion tank, flushed the cooling system and driven it himself for some distance without a problem. I've had to top up the coolant a little since.......problem is I'm worried about going far - just in case! Mechanic says he'll flush the system again and do a pressure test. My question is - if it does turn out to be a head gasket failure, can it just be replaced without extra work such as skimming etc? Thanks again.
If it never actually overheated I would think it doesn't need to get skimmed. If you're merely trying to extend the vehicle you can also try gasket sealer, of course this isn't a permanent fix but I've seen decent results for >20k km.
I have a question. I had antifreeze in my oil… only noticed because I heard a slight unfamiliar sound when first running my 2000 International dt466e. A mechanic suggested I have the oil cooler replaced as it was the least expensive place to start. I had gotten the parts etc (definitely not inexpensive) . Changed oil & filter a couple of times to try to remove the antifreeze. Then re-added antifreeze. I “thought” I had filled the antifreeze and actually thought I had over filled it. Came out to check it the next morning and antifreeze seemed empty and antifreeze in the oil again. The mechanic suggested I move the truck a short distance away, which I did, and white smoke was pouring out of the blow by. This never happened before. My question is this…. Could the oil cooler have been put on incorrectly. If it had, would that cause the antifreeze to flow directly into the oil. Aren’t they directional?
Usually the fittings (oil circuit and coolant circuit) are different and wouldn't be possible to swap on accident. It's possible the oil cooler was cracked and coolant leaks into the oil, but if you replaced it and still see oil it's likely turbo housing crack, engine block crack, head gasket. If antifreeze leaks into the oil while the car is off then it's possible a hose was incorrectly swapped but again check the oil cooler and see if that is even possible. Unfortunately I don't own this vehicle though.
I'm losing coolant and added uv dye to the coolant, but I can't find any trace of it. I tried the combustion test, but it shows negative. I tried it for like an hour over multiple times and even left it on tight checking for bubbles and letting air come through on its own, but nothing. The exhaust test passed right away. I tried changing the radiator cap too and now I'm stumped.
It's not uncommon for coolant to leak from the water pump which is near the middle/front of the engine, leaks will be basically under the pump which is very hard to see except from under the car. Consider checking there!
I did a co2 test on a 06 Lexus gx470 today. Coolant was getting really hot 237F before I shut it off. So I checked to see if coolant was low. What I found was diluted coolant and it bubbling out of the radiator when I started it back up with rad cap off. Thing is, it didn’t fail the co2 test. Is it possible for a leak coming from intake side/compression stroke and entering the coolant cause it not to fail co2 test but still be technically a blown head gasket?
Hello. I did this on my 09 lexus ls460 and it never changed color. I have a light white smoke coming from my exhaust. Could I still have a blown gasket even if it passed the test? It's very faint and I have to really try to see it. Also it smells like gas . I don't smell antifreeze . Thank you Sir. I just subbed
White smoke is usually just water vapor (depending on the temp/humidity of where you are), you can tell this is what it is if you drive around and everyone has the same smoke coming out. Coolant burning usually produces a black smoke. I think if your test kit didn't change color you should be good 👍👍
@@HazyJay this is so assuring. Everyone kept telling me I had a blown head gasket and when I did this test I felt so much better and then felt like I did it wrong since it didn't change color . It also had no bubbles so i should be good. Thanks again for the reassurance and helping us noobs out!!
so if my test remains blue after multiple attempts, does that mean i'm in the clear? I'm still losing coolant. I did a pressure test on the radiator, no leaks. could it leak anywhere else in the engine? My guess would be the water pump, but wouldn't there be a pool at the bottom of the vehicle?
It means you likely don't have a cracked cylinder head at least, BUT, coolant leaks are common from around the water pump so I would check there. It doesn't always pool it might burn off as it leaks and makes a syrup smell.
It should work, as oil in the coolant usually implies that gasses are getting into the coolant as well. Oil in the coolant is usually a sign of a severe head-gasket issue.
@@HazyJay okay thank you for that suggestion! In all honesty the rubber tip did have water droplets on it after I did the test multiple times so I think I did just suck up water a bit but truly never turn yellow
green usually means the fluid is turning slightly acidic (dissolved CO2) and is concerning, it never turned full blue? Honestly if it's only green and you don't see bubbles I'd continue testing with the suction bulb until it either turns blue or stays green. it may mean there's a very small leak (head gasket) and you may be able to fix it with head gasket sealer but I'd hold off until it turns full blue.
I don't like using gasket sealer unless totally necessary, I'm sure it clogs parts of the engine it's not supposed to, but if the vehicle has 200,000 miles and you're just trying to extend life it might not be a bad idea.
@@edogriff if it bubbles without using the suction bulb that's not good. If you have no other symptoms maybe OK to ignore for now, BUT if you have white smoke exhaust or milky oil or low coolant it might be head gasket.
Thank you brother. You've helped me so much and you literally make the best how to's on RUclips hands down
Great video. I do believe one can reuse the blue fluid, i could be wrong. To be on the safe side, pour the fluid in a separate bottle for storage snd check it again at the tail pipe when the enging is running and see if it changes.
Thank you so much. After testing my own oxygen i did in fact confirm, that i am indeed dead inside.
It happens to the best of us 😅
I am also a walking dead 😅
Wow. Another great video, this time science is applied. I learn a lot today after watching several videos. Just a week ago, my thermostat, water pump and a couple of hoses replaced in the cooling system. I got really worried but hopefully that did not cause any blown gasket. I would have heard from my Land Rover Specialist. But with this test, I can test my other vehicles. I have LR3 HSE 2006
Very helpful and well explained video - thank you. Lost power in Transit Connect 1.8dci (stealth campervan) temperature high and low on coolant, restarted after a while. Breakdown service did colour test and it changed very slightly, he thought it was probably head gasket failure. However my mechanic is not so convinced - he's changed water pump, thermostat and expansion tank, flushed the cooling system and driven it himself for some distance without a problem. I've had to top up the coolant a little since.......problem is I'm worried about going far - just in case! Mechanic says he'll flush the system again and do a pressure test. My question is - if it does turn out to be a head gasket failure, can it just be replaced without extra work such as skimming etc? Thanks again.
If it never actually overheated I would think it doesn't need to get skimmed. If you're merely trying to extend the vehicle you can also try gasket sealer, of course this isn't a permanent fix but I've seen decent results for >20k km.
@@HazyJay Many thanks!
I have a question. I had antifreeze in my oil… only noticed because I heard a slight unfamiliar sound when first running my 2000 International dt466e.
A mechanic suggested I have the oil cooler replaced as it was the least expensive place to start.
I had gotten the parts etc (definitely not inexpensive) . Changed oil & filter a couple of times to try to remove the antifreeze. Then re-added antifreeze.
I “thought” I had filled the antifreeze and actually thought I had over filled it.
Came out to check it the next morning and antifreeze seemed empty and antifreeze in the oil again.
The mechanic suggested I move the truck a short distance away, which I did, and white smoke was pouring out of the blow by. This never happened before.
My question is this…. Could the oil cooler have been put on incorrectly.
If it had, would that cause the antifreeze to flow directly into the oil. Aren’t they directional?
Usually the fittings (oil circuit and coolant circuit) are different and wouldn't be possible to swap on accident. It's possible the oil cooler was cracked and coolant leaks into the oil, but if you replaced it and still see oil it's likely turbo housing crack, engine block crack, head gasket. If antifreeze leaks into the oil while the car is off then it's possible a hose was incorrectly swapped but again check the oil cooler and see if that is even possible. Unfortunately I don't own this vehicle though.
What if the bubbles are caused by something else? Mine seem to be coming in from the top thin hose into the expansion tank.
What will happen if the testing fluid leaks into the coolant? Is it safe to be in there?
Thanks for the lessons...
Great video. Thanks.
Grate video!
I'm losing coolant and added uv dye to the coolant, but I can't find any trace of it. I tried the combustion test, but it shows negative. I tried it for like an hour over multiple times and even left it on tight checking for bubbles and letting air come through on its own, but nothing. The exhaust test passed right away. I tried changing the radiator cap too and now I'm stumped.
It's not uncommon for coolant to leak from the water pump which is near the middle/front of the engine, leaks will be basically under the pump which is very hard to see except from under the car. Consider checking there!
dang never knew such a thing existed
I did a co2 test on a 06 Lexus gx470 today. Coolant was getting really hot 237F before I shut it off. So I checked to see if coolant was low. What I found was diluted coolant and it bubbling out of the radiator when I started it back up with rad cap off. Thing is, it didn’t fail the co2 test. Is it possible for a leak coming from intake side/compression stroke and entering the coolant cause it not to fail co2 test but still be technically a blown head gasket?
Hello. I did this on my 09 lexus ls460 and it never changed color. I have a light white smoke coming from my exhaust. Could I still have a blown gasket even if it passed the test? It's very faint and I have to really try to see it. Also it smells like gas . I don't smell antifreeze . Thank you Sir. I just subbed
White smoke is usually just water vapor (depending on the temp/humidity of where you are), you can tell this is what it is if you drive around and everyone has the same smoke coming out. Coolant burning usually produces a black smoke. I think if your test kit didn't change color you should be good 👍👍
@@HazyJay this is so assuring. Everyone kept telling me I had a blown head gasket and when I did this test I felt so much better and then felt like I did it wrong since it didn't change color . It also had no bubbles so i should be good. Thanks again for the reassurance and helping us noobs out!!
so if my test remains blue after multiple attempts, does that mean i'm in the clear? I'm still losing coolant. I did a pressure test on the radiator, no leaks. could it leak anywhere else in the engine? My guess would be the water pump, but wouldn't there be a pool at the bottom of the vehicle?
It means you likely don't have a cracked cylinder head at least, BUT, coolant leaks are common from around the water pump so I would check there. It doesn't always pool it might burn off as it leaks and makes a syrup smell.
Brilliant. Thanks ! :)
Is the expansion tank another name for the coolant reservoir?
Yes!
So if it does not change can I just put the fluid in a new bottle and save it for next time ?
Yes!
Hi, my 2011 Subaru STi got oil in the coolant, and i took the test but it went more green like the video you showing, what can be the issue?
That sir is a blown headgasket, which unfortunately Subaru is notorious for
Do you know if this method works to detect head gasket problem when there is oil in the coolant?
It should work, as oil in the coolant usually implies that gasses are getting into the coolant as well. Oil in the coolant is usually a sign of a severe head-gasket issue.
@@HazyJay Thank you very much.
Remember that oil floats on water, so you should physically see oil on top of the coolant as well if it's mixing into the coolant.@@semihyilmaz4699
If my thermostat is bad will it turn it only if it's a bad head
A bad thermostat wouldn't cause the color to change
Whats it mean if it turned baby blue
You might have sucked in some coolant. As long as it's not yellow you should be good.
your wife is going to have a boy!!
What if it turns a light blue green
@@ronaldrrootiii6040 make sure you're not sucking up coolant, but eventually it should pick yellow or stay blue
@@HazyJay okay thank you for that suggestion! In all honesty the rubber tip did have water droplets on it after I did the test multiple times so I think I did just suck up water a bit but truly never turn yellow
Wilp this work if car won't start
No unfortunately
What if it turns green?
green usually means the fluid is turning slightly acidic (dissolved CO2) and is concerning, it never turned full blue? Honestly if it's only green and you don't see bubbles I'd continue testing with the suction bulb until it either turns blue or stays green. it may mean there's a very small leak (head gasket) and you may be able to fix it with head gasket sealer but I'd hold off until it turns full blue.
I don't like using gasket sealer unless totally necessary, I'm sure it clogs parts of the engine it's not supposed to, but if the vehicle has 200,000 miles and you're just trying to extend life it might not be a bad idea.
@@HazyJay there's bubbles but it stays green.
@@edogriff if it bubbles without using the suction bulb that's not good. If you have no other symptoms maybe OK to ignore for now, BUT if you have white smoke exhaust or milky oil or low coolant it might be head gasket.
@@HazyJay it has white smoke.