12 Ways of How To Test A Blown Head Gasket Compared- PART1
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- In this video series I scientifically compare many methods of testing for a head gasket failure / cracked block / warped cylinder head. The tests range from established professional tests with sophisticated equipment down to some crazy shadetree mechanic type tests and we'll see how accurate they are!
Part 2 can be found here: • 12 Ways of How To Test...
Never on TH-cam have I ever seen a guy like you who is so well educated and informed and such a good teacher to those of us who dont know much about our cars. I have learned so much from you in just this one video because you took time to explain that all that glitters may not be gold which is so true. I really wish that more guys on TH-cam would be as good as you and as educated as you in informing us how car engines run and what tests are available to test things that could be very costly in the end. So keep up the good work and Thank you so much for taking time to educate us!
Dang- made my whole week Brah!!! Thank you!!!
@HRH Kashogghi You've said well; this one's a keeper for future reference.
TY, it's on a 79 GMC that my dad left me. He bought it new in 79. I just lost my mom in Feb. they both loved this truck. It's got about 165,000 miles. I always knew I was gonna rebuilt the engine and so noes the time. I'm gonna go .030 over, cast Pistons, mild hyd cam, double roller chain, high volume oil pump and a three angle valve job . Decked, squared , line honed and balanced. Keep it a daily driver. Mom and pop will be happy and so will I. I just bought a good spray gun from Eastwood and going the satin black on the body.
This is the best series of videos I have ever seen on blown head gaskets. Well done, Dude!
Really helpful! I’ve had a shop tell me blown gasket but I don’t think so but no sure what it is ... misfire #5 and replaced coil and spark plug but same ... has never overheated but misfires when idle .. I bought the scientific test you showed first and it passed with flying colors ... still testing and using your videos - thank you so much for taking the time
"that was more annoying than listening to a liberal"
lol you caught me off guard there
Wow! This guy really knows his stuff! Absolutely no guess-work here; it's all scientific evidence. By a clear country mile, the best head gasket video on TH-cam.
A blown head gasket is definitely a generic term I use it when describing my wife quite often when she's angry
Yeah. "Shark Week" often causes that behavior lol.
Well done but did anyone else think he may have missed on the Shade tree method of looking under the oil fill cap and noticing what looked to me at 22:31 "Engine Mayonnaise" that was in the center underside of his oil filler cap. It usually is found there and is caused by oil and water and heat mixing together to produce this milky whitish slimy film.
Wow, you explain it in great detail .Finally i am understanding how this all works. Keep up these excellent videos, please. I have liked and subscribed.
Very thorough and informative THANK YOU SO MUCH! Very well done!
Anyone else want to admit.. You're here because you have a Subaru? 😂😬
Yep 🙄
YUP. Real hot car. Not in a good way.
Volkswagen Passat
Mercedes Benz cargo van here..
BuT TheY'rE GrEaT CaRs.
thank you for taking the time for videos, you sir are awesome!!
marc lester Thanks for taking time to comment- 98% of people will watch something like this and have no idea what we are doing here so it is always refreshing to know there are people like you out there who appreciate though process.
marc lester u
Danua
O.K. "more annoying than listening to a liberal". That's hilarious. Thanks. I needed that.
i knew th man was a genius...heeee
Yup giggle a little at that too.
11
+q++1b
Pa
Sad but true, I have to change my head gasket. This video is just great, clear explanation and testing. How did you get so good at this? Being a molecular biologist is a handful. I'm trying to do well at this by watching guys like you and I'm a musician.
"more annoying than listening to a liberal" I lost it laughing! I knew I liked this guy
This is the first video that I seen of your and love the way you explained things. Now I'm going to watch more of the other videos you have hope there just as good. I'm a fan now.
nice vid..you have let the cat out of the box as so to speak..
am currently changing the head gasket on my 98 BMW Z3 1.9, I wish I had seen this vid at the diagnostic stage and maybe trusted my own logic a bit more before throwing so many hoses at it!
my compression gave 200 psi per cylinder and the block test came up negative so it had us stumped for a bit..but after an improvised coolant system pressure test with a bike pump, pressure gauge and improvised radiator cap we knew the coolant system was not at fault and working to spec..and as the water pump an thermo were both replaced 4k ago they were not suspect and have both since been tested and proven sound.
just to make sure we ran it at fast idle and sure enough the pressure built up to almost 3 bar within 7 mins or so..that cannot be coming from anywhere else but a compromised head and or gasket.
and given that the car suffered an overheat and total coolant loss a week earlier (due to a sloppy hose connector repair by previous owners mechanic) it was obvious from the get go what the issue was.
I would like a word with that previous mechanic in a locked room...
its been a pain but I do enjoy the detective aspect of it..!
once again great vid ,sound approach.
awesome experiment and an awesome trans am!
Thanks for the upload
To beat a dead horse even more, an extra compression check by ammeter connected to o-scope and clamped on the positive battery lead could help narrow down which cylinder(s) require less current to turn over the engine. Downside is that test is not definitive for bad head gasket. Great demonstration and thank you!
Yes at the time of the video I did not have a scope. Since getting a scope that is my primary detection method.
22:25 to 22:35
Guy checks cap for white sludge, said it looked fine.... Shows to camera and there definitely white sludge in it! lmao.
Um no there wasn't. And if there was why was there no emulsion in the oil despite it being old? Awaiting you answerr
Schrodingers Box I have a gm 3400 that im doing head gaskets on right now, the oil looked fine same as your's. The oil cap and pcv valves are sludged right up. There is clearly white goop inside that cap from 22:25 to 22:35. Just look at the video. Ik that car and know the oil cap is not normally white inside. Proof, its in the vid.
Cootah, FYI, you are completely mistaken here. The oil cap is clean, the white stuff you see deep inside the cap is not white sludge. Just want to through it out there so that readers here don't question Schrodinger's credibility.
cootah420 I'm seeing the goop too lol
@@SchrodingersBox There was definitely emulsification in the cap, you can see it deep in there. That can be caused by daily short journeys where the engine does not get hot enough.
It could also be caused by any other small source of moisture such as an engine rebuild where the engine was open to condensation for some time.
I am a molecular biologist and yes looked like a few dot blot tests I did in the past. Great video, thanks for making it.
I found this on another webpage and I thought that it was interesting:
Hi all. Great Article, but just a bit of a correction. Adding oil makes it a wet compression test. A leak down test is when compressed air via a compressor is used to pressurize the cylinder whilst the piston is at top dead center. At this point the intake and exhaust valves are closed creating a "sealed" chamber. The level of air loss determines the condition of that cylinder and it's associated components. So... if you have a high loss of air you should be able to work out what has failed. If you hear an excess of air venting from the intake.. the inlet valve is damaged. An excess from the exhaust... the exhaust valve is damaged. Pull the dip stick... hear an excess of air from here and your rings are shot, or head gasket leaking into oil gallery. Bubbles in the coolant and you've got a head gasket leak into a coolant gallery. This test is normally done after a compression and wet compression is done. It is the most accurate but much more time consuming to set up.. Hope this helps guys...
One other thing that was missed with the compression test is that typically wihile spinning the engine over you should open the throttle wide open. I also don't think recall that he talked about disabling the fuel system and ignition system . Really don't want a spark around unused fuel being ignited by a sparking spark plug wire or starting up. Of course starting would not have happened with all the plugs out. The wires just laying there does leave the potential for a spark that could ignite fuel vapors being spewed from the open plug holes .
Got a slow coolant leak on my 2001 Chevy Silverado. No leaks on the ground and no milky substance on dip stick or oil cap. I did a combustion test with the similar test that you have on the video...but I dont have a radiator cap, so I did it in the coolant reservoir. That came back as negative. There is white smoke coming out of my exhaust but it is really cold here in Wisconsin. Would you think it is a wearing head gasket, intake manifold gasket, or am I just going crazy???
The combustion test is conclusive. You will need to pressure test the system and find the leak. If you have pressurized reservoir cap (like a radiator cap) then that could be faulty- I see that all the time on GM "N" cars
Great video. Where could I get a Carbon dioxide tester like yours from? It seems like the easiest test for the average joe. I am looking to buy a bmw e46 and where I am from they get driven hard, so I need to be confident head gasket isn't an issue. Thanks so much
+ohze schnitzel Common item you could order online.
I appreciate how thorough your videos are and also how you explain the whole picture or "the why" in a way that makes these complex things more comprehendible for an idiot like me. Thanks again I've learned a lot from your videos.
im a gal and i wish i had seen this before i bought that used pos..really want to see the steel seller video.. thanks
Really Great stuff ! Really the amount of forums I've read for clear answers if my head gasket has blown! Then i found this goes through the lot and you even despell the false readings you can get. You obviously take great care and time in creating these videos, big thank you for sharing your knowledge. I will use to check mine now. Just one thing, if when running the car with the radiator cap off and you rev the engine up if the coolant pumps out of the radiator does this tell you your head / block is blown or it that normal?
Not all of us libs are bad 😂😂
I like him too but. Trump 2024
Well articulated. I just want ton add that the bock can warp too -particularly aluminium blocks.
more annoying than listening to a liberal? Im subbing! Great source of info, you have.
Great video! The paper dye test is different but very cool
+Aaron Giggers Yeah that didn't work as well as I hoped for some reason but I thought it was a good idea!
"More annoying than listening to a liberal" - lmao.
Ha, yeah that was actually 2 jokes in one because it's also an inside reference to my "diagnosing belt squeal" where I make the original comment.
Not too many liberals on my channel because my videos require the use of rational, logical thinking instead of emotional reaction.
Love it! I am a veteran technician of 20 years, but watch your videos because I always enjoy listening to other peoples perspective and points of views. You and I are very like minded and especially enjoy your scientific approaches on diagnoses. Thank you
15:25 lol! Hey was that a WS6? Nice car!
I'm helping a friend with a Firehawk at the moment. Small tiny bumper tap set off his airbags and did a whole lot of damage to the interior and glass. Enough for the insurance company to total it. Sad. It doesn't even need body work.
***** Firehawks are "in" these days! Fix it- it's worth $$!
This I know! lol. It's black on black on black. It's the hardest thing in the world to find interior parts for.
Schrodingers Box Hello! I have a Volvo 940 Turbo from 1997. I understand that your black beauty is you baby. My Volvo is my baby. And I think my baby is hurtin'.
The story goes: I noticed that the temperature went sky-high after a good drive. After I shut off my engine it went down. It was appearant that after I opened the lid for the coolant that there was air in the system. I let her run idle for a while, revving a bit and noticed the water level sunk to the bottom and went over the top, spilling over the tank.
I filled with coolant and this repeated itself a few times before it went dead still at max-level. Most of the air was then removed. I noticed that the coolant (I use blue coolant) was a little kinda.. blue-gray-ish. (I've used different brands of coolant since I'm a student and travel alot. and they sell a different brands of coolant at the city I'm studying in) I took her for a spin, and oh boy she ran great. The coolant kept its level and all seems okay.
The exhaust is not white, or anything, and I haven't noticed any oily water on the dipstick, nor any performance change. She's still kickin' like a mad viking. So my question is: What do think is wrong? Is it the head gasket?
Please answer, I have a feeling this will keep me up all night.
kissmyasssuckers Nothing I can do- all you have is a list of symptoms. I need data to make a diagnosis. What is the compression? What is the fuel trim static vs load? Was a leakdown test done? What is the static vs load coolant pressure?
With just your description it is impossible to make a diagnosis.
I have no clue..sadly we don't own a garage or any of the necessary equipment to do those tests :(
Great to see this done scientifically, with a little more time than most flat rate mechanics would spend.
Excellent, great teacher, great mechanic.
"That was more annoying than listening to a liberal." @15:20 -LOL, love that comment.
I just got to that comment - had to pause the video, and have a great LOL. Awesome comment!
Im gonna use that one on my wife
Its funny because he is bitter enough to have that on his mind all the time :)
Nice instructions. Thanks!
Question for you, as to what product and how much you think I should use. I have a 1995 Subaru 1.8L 4-CYL boxer Impreza, 177,000 miles. I have 76 and 78 PSI dry compression in #2 and 4 of one head (driver side). This started a few days ago, we noticed while on a highway trip the power was weak and I can hear it missing as the RPMs drop from driving to idle.
I don't have overheating, excessive oil consumption (drippy seals, I add a quart about every 900 miles), smoking, or fluids cross contamination. I'm waiting to have a leak down and another dry/wet compression test at a different shop. The first shop only did dry compression and wasn't too bright or helpful.
If I end up having a head gasket leak between those two cylinders, what products would I possibly try to mend it? It must not be too bad of a leak, whatever it is, for the compression to build to 78psi dry. The other two good cylinders are 130ish psi.
If it ends up being a valve leak, what products and strength could I try to get them clean? After cleaning, I will have valve clearances checked, as it's probably never been done.
Great informative video. Like the Liberal comment... Got to find part 2 lol...
I’m actually looking to buy a truck that has a head gasket failure, the reason being is the price drop. I will replace the head gasket myself to save money, is it a good idea? It’s also a older truck year 2000
A good idea?? That is exactly how I got started with this hobby!!!! I say go for it. I’ve made hundreds of thousands of extra dollars through this hobby between flipping cars, fixing cars and this channel. You’ll not only save money but potentially make money!!
Good information. I never knew there were this many tests. One thing I have learned over the years is if a vehicle starts to overheat due to a suspected blown head gasket, pull over and shut the motor down for two minutes or so and restart. The shut down will allow the hot coolant to bathe the thermostat and it will open. Just a stop gap, of course, but it can give you a chance to get home or to a shop. All of this assumes the driver keeps an eye on the temp gauge... a very big assumption.
Also, cranking the heater to full heat and fan speed will help bring the temp down a bit..might just be enough to limp home or a shop as well
@@jeffreywilsonrubikscubeonb2428 I've had to do that once in the heat of summer. Not fun but saved me!!
Absolutely fantastic and educational video! Liked and subscribed.
As a shop owner, I like to watch these type of videos to always learn something new but more to catch people doing something stupid. I watched the entire thing and enjoyed every second. You are doing a great job. Keep it up. :)
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video. One more method might be if the badge on the car says Subaru.. lol just kidding..... Maybe.
I gave you a thumbs up immediately after saying the compressor noise was more annoying than listening to a liberal. Personally I would rather hear a dog barking than a liberal.
You stated there is always a reason that leads up to a blown head gasket. If a car has high mileage (250k miles, 11 yrs old) and never overheated, and no coolant mix but failed combustion leak test, will high mileage and age of the car cause a head gasket to blow?
I’ve never heard of not seen evidence of age causing head gasket failure. If the car has that issue it would be interesting to see what the warp on the heads measured.
"THAT WAS MORE ANNOYING THAN LISTENING TO A LIBERAL"
ROFL
That's going to get you a ton of dislikes, but it was hilarious!
Lol it gets less hates than you'd think... but only because liberals don't watch my videos. My videos involve using logic and reson to take responsibility for your own situations instead of showing how to depend on the government so your emotions feel happy.
Schrodingers Box "take responsibility" EXACTLY!! Be a fuckin MAN instead of lying pussies who can only do things when the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor and guns..level the playing field and see what biches cryin foul
Why would the TRUTH generate dislikes ? Libtards will be Libtards ..
I am the liberal who commented and I liked the video.
And conversely, a ton of likes too. . .I'm on my 8th page of comments, hitting 'like' on every commenter's positive comment related to that.
Thanks for your video again!
I am losing coolant slowly 250ml per week. Also misfire in one cylinder
Coolant UV dye test negative
Radiator compression test normal
Cylinder compression test normal
Oil and coolant looks normal
CO2 test/ head gasket leak dye test normal
Finally I use a cheapo borescope and I can see greenish coolant inside the misfire cylinder ! Bingo
In a real blown head gasket situation = engine is toast, car undriveable, check engine light flashing = get a new car or new engine, depending on blue book value. The cost of a HG repair job is outrageously prohibitive and will probably not remedy all additional latent engine damage in domino effect result of a real blown HG. Coolant in the oil = engine totally screwed. A blown HG is bad news. A minor leak where CO2 and coolant are slightly mixing is the red flag indicator that things will just get worse and why it is crucially important to perform a full engine coolant flush per manufacturer schedule with the proper 50/50 coolant. Never allow garages to top up the coolant. Almost all garages just do the drain & fill routine. That's no good. The system has to be completely flushed and replaced with perfect 50/50.
+Jason Bell That's hardly true at all. The determining factors are the bearing condition, not the simple fact there is coolant in oil.
+Schrodingers Box You're right. But most motorists don't recognize the symptoms of a blown HG and continue driving the vehicle as normal in its highly defective state instead of pulling over, shutting down and calling a tow. The cars come in for service only after internal components have been subject to sustained degradation. A mechanic, not the owner, spots the contamination, this after driven hundreds of miles post-HG breach. Most owners don't check fluids or tire pressure, take the vehicle for granted. Once a real HG fails, because the owner didn't regularly change the coolant or the pump failed or whatever, the repair bill is huge. If the bill matches or exceeds the car's value, sell the car to a wrecker and get a new one. For most average cars, except for the fortunate ones who catch the problem quick, the extensive repair bill isn't worth it. Only financially benefits some lucky auto garage.
Test
Can anyone give their take on low compression on 5 cylinders no compression in cylinder 4, suv shut down on freeway. It doesn’t turn over almost sounds like a failed stater… belts, alternator, starter are
Good, new battery, new spark plugs and coils, no over heating, oil consumption seems normal (but I’m no professional)… just trying to get an honest solution without out $8k one mechanic quoted… seems strange HELP
Doesn’t sound good. low compression on all cylinders often is result of a timing problem- so all cylinders affected. but the no compression on a single cylinder is bad news for sure. you need to do a leakdown test to determine cause but it won’t be good whatever it is.
Thank you for your feedback! Didn’t see this response. The mechanics only did a compression test not a leak down test. So it’s still not definitive answer. Wish I can do the leak-down test myself.
One thing that makes your videos so completely enjoyable, in addition to the fantastic knowledge you share, is that you have great wit that you shoot off at the most unexpected moment. You also have a tendency to go on a spontaneous colorful rant in the middle of you lectures, and I like that a lot too. Your channel is great.
Fantastic video.
I really appreciated your demonstrating these tests with a control and distinguishing the limits of what they indicate and prove or disprove. I was skeptical of the chemical CO test you did first, but I feel more confident in that method now.
The chemical test is remarkably accurate. Normally I just do a relative compression test but in applications where I cant do that, the chemical test is my secondary go-to.
When he pulls up his car😭so cool!!!
good mechanic
Love your videos. I'm pretty sure I have a blown head gasket on my 1998 F-150, I will do the compression test to confirm. One of the indicator's I have had is I can smell combustion products in the degass bottle (coolant reservoir) when I take the cap off, you may want to add this to your shade tree mechanic inventory of tests, although not as definitive as the bubbly oil, I really like that one.
"More annoying than listening to a liberal" LOL Thumbs up!
You are great ! Thanks for your time I love this video !
Thanks, me too. This is one of my favorites on the channel. I love the sizzle test the best!!!
"more annoying than listening to a liberal" Subscribed
judging by the comments i can assume liberals dont watch this channel, theyre not interested in car repair because they only drive their mom's car.
The dip stick and oil drain tests are for quick looks to find out if it Has a head gasket problem that's bad or just starting antifreeze on the dip stick is a good id of a serious problem oil pan I just a conformation of this depending on the amount of antifreeze in the pan or the milky oil is that the problems been there for a while keep in mind these tests are cheep ways to tell if there is a problem before you buy a used car or engine
A milky oil cap can be simply from cold weather condensation.
Nice & thorough walk thru of the subject. Go back and read your spark plugs. You’ll find #3 shows a ‘washing’ has occured. This corresponds with your positive #3 wet paper test.
Love It! MAGA!
If u have yellowish paste in radiator hose is that a blown head gasket?
more annoying than listening to a liberal. lol damn dude your a winner in my book.
Same here.
I think mine is blown and I'm just going to replace it and have the head machined because it's a turbo subaru and I was just waiting for this to happen lol
Amazing video. I'm not a mechanic by trade, but know my way around the basics. I was fixing up my old 2001 Tacoma when I noticed the brown "chocolate milk" coming from the radiator and the engine oil confirming my worst fears. I plan on doing the work myself with the aide of a friend and will ill look to your guidance going forward!
Great video. I learned a lot. Thank you!
Holy snap that’s my car and I’m literally in the mechanic shop as we speak now getting that treated
Make your own cylinder leak down tester. Take and old spark plug, break of the ceramic part, drill out the middle, and weld it to a air compressor fitting. I actually found this thing in a box of tools from a flea market. Clever idea!
Yes I have done similar cutting the guts out of an O2 sensor to make a backpressure tester that I connected to a vacuum gauge. A little enginuity goes a long way!
YOU HAVE REALLY SHOWN AND EXPLAINED WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND THE RESULTS. I APPRECIATE YOU VIDEO AS I'M HAVING ALMOST THE SAME PROBLEMS. COMMENT BELOW IS RIGHT ON. THANKS A MILLION, I COULD USE A FRIEND LIKE YOU HERE IN MIDDLE GA!!!
Can a head gasket blow if the engine never overheats? Also, if a car uses up all the coolant everyday and runs dry is that a sign of a blown head gasket?
No fuel was seen on the paper because you engaged the starter only. Without the key in the ignition, the fuel pump was not energized. Great video.
The common failure of the lower intake manifold gasket in GM 3.1 and 3.4 engines actually goes back to the 1996 model year when GM started using Dexcool. The factory gasket material degrades in the presence of Dexcool. I worked on a 1995 Chevy with a 3.1 that had an intact LIM gasket after 17 years of standard coolant usage. When the owner mistakenly renewed the coolant system with Dexcool, the gasket didn't last 17 weeks.
A true specialist of his craft. Great video!
Great video ! watching now , going to do the first test tonght on my dAKOTA , been having trouble since buying it with not hot heater and hearing bubbles in dash . Also while burping the cooling system yesterday I noticed the lower rad hose was not even hot after running and revving the engine for over 20 minutes while burping witha spill free funnel . I burped alot of air from the system and heater is working a bit better but it seemed that the bubbles may have continued to come up if I kept running it . I have heard maybe my thermostat is stuck open . First I will test for blown head gasket then if not blown move to replace thermostat .... At ez lube I had a coolant replACE done and they suck it out , I was a moron and wanted to try to flush my heater core so I left it running with heat on for awhile while they were sucking out coolant then shut it off before it was done taking all coolant out , how bad is that ? I had a light bulb go off while doing it and thought whoooo this is not a good thing to be doing ! Do u think anything bad could have happened ? My temp gauge was fine the whole time and after , never going high ..
Very informative. Thank you for this video.
great video very well done this guy walks you through step by step . All his videos are exlent .Love it BILL PENN from PHILA PA POSTED 5/10/18
Thanks for the video. I have done the test and the liquid changes from blue to green..not yellow. I did the test for a short period of time as the thick white smoke is coming out from my car muffler. I stopped the test as the smoke is disturbing my neighbours. when I touched the tip of the muffler, its watery, dark oily. And the water inside the coolant reservoir decreased. The car runs normally, just the thick white smoke is coming out from the car's muffler.
would it be possible the head gasket is blown?
I have only seen it turn green if I accidentally drew coolant into the chamber of the tester. But man it sure sounds like you have a serious issue with that much smoke out the tailpipe. Remember- other sources of coolant contamination in a cylinder are possible- leaking intake gasket for example. I would definitely try this test again with engine cold and make sure not to suck up the coolant and I would definitely follow up with a compression or leakdown test. But it definitely looks grim your you bro.
Schrodingers Box
I have tried but it seems once the engine is getting warm, the coolant will be pressurised and it will eventually enter my tester, and affecting the accuracy of the changes of the colour of the liquid tester.
When you did the chemical test, was the car warmed up?
No- if the leak is bad enough you don't need the car warmed up. The test is quite sensitive- even your breath is enough to change the color
7:20 if you lift the probe it takes air from outside and it won’t help with the test except it mixes a bit with the air inside
I'm a girl with almost zero mechanical knowledge and found these videos in hopes to help my husband who enjoys looking up how to fix our vehicles. These videos were actually interesting and your humor is great. Especially the part of about annoying liberals. I laughed out loud while cleaning house alone. I realized I wasn't listening to talk radio, I was on this third video! Good job!
Thanks Becky. Its funny how many comments I get like this... Maybe the gals should just fix their own cars while their guys clean the house!!!
the air compresion test through the coolant system could be done using only one spark plug in the cylinder we want to test (in the other we let it free) and see the response in the coolant (as you did)
just had a quick question, if the car has no compression to the point of the car won't start then what else could it be ?
+Kount Barber The most likely cause of that would be a broken timing belt or a severe cam/crank timing offset. This is assuming of course that all cylinders have similar low or nonexistent compression.
On a car with only 4 cylinders however, you may indeed find a no-start or inability too keep running if just one cylinder has no compression.
Would a damaged head gasket cause a bit of white smoke (smells like burning oil) on startup only?
It could but the burning oil smell indicates it might actually be worn valve guides. Proper diagnosis as shown to eliminate head gasket would greatly lead towards valve guides.
You missed the most obvious 'shade tree' test. Take the cap off & smell the radiator for gas fumes while the car is running.
Never heard of that but I will tell you that I don't think its a good idea to put your nose near there when you suspect a blown head gasket and have coolant burst into your face. Shadetree does not have to mean dangerous.
Schrodingers Box Ha! Good one. Yeah, I wait till the engine is REALLY hot, and then get my face as close to the radiator cap as possible before I take the cap off. I've been to the plastic surgeon a dozen times now! You'd think I'd learn, but nooooo....
Yours truly,
Disfigured guy in the back yard
Jamey Ratzlaff LOL, just have a really ugly person do it for you- they have nothing to lose and it might actually give them a purpose for living.
I would also like to add a couple tests that can work. 1. Putting 100psi directly into the cylinder at tdc and listening for bubbling. And 2. While pressurizing the cylinder put a coolant system pressure tester on the coolant overfill resevoir and see if the pressure increases, if it does then that can also very easily confirm a leak. Source: Me (Used on a v8 4.6l triton engine)
A leakdown test was indeed demonstrated in the video.
Schrodingers Box Yes, you did show doing a leak down test, but not thats not the way I was talking about. I should have specified that both leak down testers that I used were broken and this was a way to test without that tool by going direct from an air compressor into a cylinder.
That would only work if the compression is lost through the cooling system though.
Schrodingers Box True. Well, I guess you've got me beat. :/
You could still pressurize and listen for air exiting the exaust, intake or PCV however it would be hard to quantify stand-alone without at least a compression test to confirm there was cylinder leakage.
Thanks for the informative video, very related to my car problem. My 2007 2.4L camry is giving white exhaust, engine heating, missing, engine oil level gone up and coolant disappearing, please advise
Do a compression test
Where is an Amazon link to buy the tester? Thanks for your instruction, Sensei.
Thanks for watching. I don't have an amazon link specifically but it's called a "block tester". Should just be like $30 or so if I recall.
Got a 98 Northstar 4.6 and I had a plastic frame cooling fan that tore up a brand new radiator. Oh joy. Engine got hot. Replaced radiator again. Just great! Since then I have used Blue Devil in the system months back and followed it to the T. Now about every 15 seconds I see bubbles in my holding tank. Antifreeze is getting burned up in a cylinder. It is a clean ride and and I am the second owner of this 98. 127.000 miles. Guess I will flush the system again. Pull the thermostadt again and hope this time I am going to win with Blue Devil What a mess. Us normal folks cannot go out and buy a $6,000 to $75,000 new ride! I had no idea Northstar engines were notorious for this when I bought the car almost 4 years ago. Lucky me. It would still be perfect if that fan frame had not broke when driving and tearing up my 1st new radiator.
This time I think I will use Prestone Super flush first then go with Blue Devil again even thought the coolant system was perfect before all this happened. The car got hot so fast. I did not realize I had an aluminum block engine. Hope said head is not warped. And so it goes. To see a beautiful ride like this go to the junk yard would be more than heart breaking.
oh wow, you've given me the knowledge and understanding I need to know about Head Gasket. I previously own an 2003 Buick regal ls. After church Tuesday my engine started smoking took a look at it today it the smoke was coming from that area. This actually helped my curiousness. Thanks :-)
My LT1 Camaro only leaked when warm. It ended up being a warped cylinder head. The machine shop said the head was "quite crooked"
hey i have a 2001 dodge intrepid 3.2 and i have bad cv axels but before i replace them i have a knocking or pinging sound when my car gets hot (about half my temp gauge). Do you have any idea if this is something easy or inside the engine. And i cant rev past 4000rpm it cut out and when i power beak it it want go past 2500pm. i think my cats are plugged causing that Please help been working on car for past 4 days and cant figure it out. P.S ive done changed oil oil filter and plugs.
Cream sludge on the oil cap doesn't mean headgasket. Short trips and cold climates allow condensation inside the engine. It's normal, and not a reliable way to verify. It's a worthless way to evaluate. I need to find someone local to do pressure checks on my ford f150 5.4L. Definitely have a cracked plastic upper intake manifold (the black octopus) that needs to be replaced and valve cover gasket needs to be replaced. Shady mechanics will claim a lot of untrue things with those two alone.
HA HA. I can easily overlook bc he's not being malicious with it and we all do it soo...Besides his videos, especially this video right here are the most thorough, accurate and detailed explanations I've not found in ANY other videos. And I've watched hundreds.
Compression test is generally the way to go. Its rare that a problem doesn't show up and the other tests are redundant because it really doesnt matter what issue is indicated by a compression test. If youre losing compression, the head needs to come off and a new gasket needs to be installed when it goes back together. Only an idiot pulls a head without doing a valve job, squaring the head and block, and at the very least mic'ing and inspecting the cylinder, though its not much more labor to just drop the pan, pop off the rod caps and hone the cylinder with a cordless drill. You really should clean out your ring grooves anyways and check your ring gap before reassembly. It really doesn't matter what the specific problem is. Too many mechanics spend as much time trying to diagnose this stuff as they do fixing it....check for white smoke in your exhaust, look for white oil when in the first few seconds when you drain the pan, pull the valve covers and look for white globs in the corners. If you have all those symptoms, you can do a comp test for s's and g's but that heads coming off either way.....its also worth noting that a comp test wont work on small engines because the cam has a compression release mechanism
excellent step by step
I have a Toyota Prius 2011 that is leaking antifreeze inside the chamber, but the compression is ok. Can you tell me if there can be other way it can leak from besides the head gasket? Because it never hover heat
It must be leaking from intake gasket then
really great video thanks for the info
I'm a newcomer to your video presentations, I just happened to stumble on the one you did on fuel trims which I found fascinating and illuminating, and now I found this one which further proves that there is a genius behind the videos. Keep it up Matt, I just wish I had discovered you sooner
Better late than never!!! You will be busy catching up I am sure!
I have a Cbr 600RR can I check my bike the same way?
jacob baert All water cooled systems can be checked this way
Hi i have a 54/2004 mk5 1.4 16v vauxhall astra about 14 months ago my water pump went while i was driving on on the motorway the whole car cuts out i let it cool down and filled up with water which manage to get me home what was a few miles away anyway i have not had no other problems with it changed the change the water pump and everything's been fine i check the oil level as i dont have a indicator a couple of times per week a few months ago i looked underneath the oil cap and noticed a golf ball sized lump of mayo gunk anyway i wiped it and carried on checking and wiping it off a few times a week remember this mayo gunk only started 3 months back until yesterday somebody told me to check the breather pipes which i did check the breather pipes which were completely clogged to the brim so i cleaned them out i got some engine flush yesterday changed the oil done a engine flush and change the oil filter i noticed a little bit in the oil filter the water levels have been completley normal ive filled 1 inch in 6 weeks no gunk on the dipstick but i noticed what looks like a little oil leak it looks like its comming from i think its a oil or fuel sensor that screws into the engine above the air con motor as that has a bit of oil on none has dripped where i park on the floor could it be the sensor or the focker cover gasket or it a head gasket? Any info much appriciated thnks