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
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.
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.
Hey looking for some info. I’m testing a diesel for head gasket failure. Mine didn’t turn yellow but it turned kinda greenish blue like at 4:16. I tested it on exhaust and it turned yellow so I know it works. Is it possible I have a very small head gasket leak since it turned a little greenish. Said in instructions if it turns yellowish green then it fails but mine is greenish blue.
You may have a small leak but nothing large enough to require a new head gasket just yet. It should really stay the same blue as it started, any color change isn't ideal.
I bought the two-level tester....however, what happens is that the liquid from the top-chamber gets sucked into the lower-chamber, and the pump barely works, it takes about 30-40secs to pump up...eventually the liquid in the lower chamber changes colour and gradually so does the liquid the in the top-chamber...I don't know why this is how it's meant to work..
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 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?
I had a weird issue crop up after a coolant flush, same 4.4 as you have. Previous owner had blue coolant in the system since I have owned it. Though at first I thought it was windshield washer fluid, I researched and found Peak European blue, which says "Land Rover V8 & Diesel, 1990-2005." However, the vehicle match check on Amazon and AutoZone says it's not a fit. So I wanted to swap for pink. Long story short, I have it flushed and pink added and mechanic says flush is clear but fluid keeps coming back purple after it cycles. They did a block test and it failed, not right away but after a bit, which he suspects is exhaust fowling the fluid. 1) I think that explanation checks out, and 2) with it running great currently, what are my options? What would you do?
@@blackrocklookout The fluid in the heater core will take a while to flush out I would assume, I would not expect exhaust to turn yellow coolant purple. Id run it for a while and see if the coolant continues to change color after about 1,000 miles, and if so, maybe consider stop leak or having the head gasket replaced.
@@HazyJay It's the pink stuff I had them put in, so I could see how it might turn more purple. But it's weird because the previous blue always looked quite blue, not muddy. I just replaced the water pump myself (no overheating during my ownership) and didn't have flush equipment so opted to have them do it. When I noticed it leaking, I topped off with a few ounces of Prestone green, which the bad pump spewed out, so I parked it until I could replace the water pump. (Also, I asked if they ran the heater during flush and they said yes.)
@@blackrocklookout Yeah I'd guess the purple color is much more likely from yellow mixing with blue rather than an exhaust leak, it will just take more time for the old blue to flush out completely. The flush procedure is fairly convoluted on the 4.4, so I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't do it correctly.
@@HazyJay I'm going to leave the fluid as is for now and perform my own leak test. If the test fluid changes color, what stop leak product do you recommend?
@@blackrocklookout Yeah that's what I would do. I haven't had to use one yet and honestly the stop leak is the last line intervention since it can clog coolant channels you don't want clogged (radiator). If it comes to that, consider k-seal or barrs tablets.
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.
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.
@@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.
I see so many videos and tha Liquid never chang Color only change when you put it by the muffler that means the liquid change Only wen you have a visible problem On the head gasket That Tool is no good.
![Testing For a Bad Head Gasket [Chemical Test Kit]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/R6tztnUMMsE/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you brother. You've helped me so much and you literally make the best how to's on TH-cam hands down
4:16 seems failed gasket no? Mine looks like that. It’s not that blue
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
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.
What if the bubbles are caused by something else? Mine seem to be coming in from the top thin hose into the expansion tank.
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!
Hey looking for some info. I’m testing a diesel for head gasket failure. Mine didn’t turn yellow but it turned kinda greenish blue like at 4:16. I tested it on exhaust and it turned yellow so I know it works. Is it possible I have a very small head gasket leak since it turned a little greenish. Said in instructions if it turns yellowish green then it fails but mine is greenish blue.
You may have a small leak but nothing large enough to require a new head gasket just yet. It should really stay the same blue as it started, any color change isn't ideal.
I bought the two-level tester....however, what happens is that the liquid from the top-chamber gets sucked into the lower-chamber, and the pump barely works, it takes about 30-40secs to pump up...eventually the liquid in the lower chamber changes colour and gradually so does the liquid the in the top-chamber...I don't know why this is how it's meant to work..
What will happen if the testing fluid leaks into the coolant? Is it safe to be in there?
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.
Grate video!
Thanks for the lessons...
dang never knew such a thing existed
Great video. Thanks.
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?
What if the bulb never uncompresses itself. As in its not pulling any air into the test fluid? Its completely sealed?
Yes, that's a good sign 👌
@@HazyJay Thank you!!
Is the expansion tank another name for the coolant reservoir?
Yes!
Brilliant. Thanks ! :)
So if it does not change can I just put the fluid in a new bottle and save it for next time ?
Yes!
I had a weird issue crop up after a coolant flush, same 4.4 as you have. Previous owner had blue coolant in the system since I have owned it. Though at first I thought it was windshield washer fluid, I researched and found Peak European blue, which says "Land Rover V8 & Diesel, 1990-2005." However, the vehicle match check on Amazon and AutoZone says it's not a fit. So I wanted to swap for pink. Long story short, I have it flushed and pink added and mechanic says flush is clear but fluid keeps coming back purple after it cycles. They did a block test and it failed, not right away but after a bit, which he suspects is exhaust fowling the fluid. 1) I think that explanation checks out, and 2) with it running great currently, what are my options? What would you do?
@@blackrocklookout The fluid in the heater core will take a while to flush out I would assume, I would not expect exhaust to turn yellow coolant purple. Id run it for a while and see if the coolant continues to change color after about 1,000 miles, and if so, maybe consider stop leak or having the head gasket replaced.
@@HazyJay It's the pink stuff I had them put in, so I could see how it might turn more purple. But it's weird because the previous blue always looked quite blue, not muddy. I just replaced the water pump myself (no overheating during my ownership) and didn't have flush equipment so opted to have them do it. When I noticed it leaking, I topped off with a few ounces of Prestone green, which the bad pump spewed out, so I parked it until I could replace the water pump. (Also, I asked if they ran the heater during flush and they said yes.)
@@blackrocklookout Yeah I'd guess the purple color is much more likely from yellow mixing with blue rather than an exhaust leak, it will just take more time for the old blue to flush out completely. The flush procedure is fairly convoluted on the 4.4, so I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't do it correctly.
@@HazyJay I'm going to leave the fluid as is for now and perform my own leak test. If the test fluid changes color, what stop leak product do you recommend?
@@blackrocklookout Yeah that's what I would do. I haven't had to use one yet and honestly the stop leak is the last line intervention since it can clog coolant channels you don't want clogged (radiator). If it comes to that, consider k-seal or barrs tablets.
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
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!!
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
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.
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
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.
Wilp this work if car won't start
No unfortunately
I see so many videos and tha Liquid never chang Color only change when you put it by the muffler that means the liquid change Only wen you have a visible problem On the head gasket That Tool is no good.