My step-brother was quoted $1235.00 for both head gaskets on his ford taurus. He asked me if I knew how to check for this. I purchased one of these and tested the gases in the radiator and reservoir only to find that he did not have any leaks on either head. I charged him for the kit $62 (name brand kit on Amazon) I watched this video to see if you did the same test as I did. 😆 Good video
@@benspragge33 He has had other questionable quotes from this shop. And he has been driving it now for 6 years since the con quote. I have used this test on other vehicles and found bad and good head gasket cases.
@@sirsweetness8332 that's great! Yes, it's a very good test. Glad he's been able to use it for so long. Just wanted to let others know, just like a battery load test, if it passes, it might still be a bad battery; you'd have to check each cell for electrolytes, etc. This test is similar; you may have a blown head gasket, just either (1) very minor, (2) not from cylinder to coolant or have it (3) cylinder to oil or (4) cylinder to cylinder.
Wow thanks. I've read about these sorts of tester kits but it's just so much easier to understand when you see it in action. Great practical demonstration.
Hello SMA/Eric, I really enjoy your videos. I've learned a great deal from them, and I appreciate the time and effort to make them possible for all of us to learn. I've come across a big challenge in my own garage, on a vehicle model you work on very regularly. I have a 2002 Dodge Caravan with 242,000 miles. I am the first and only owner, and through the years, I've replaced just about everything. I recently hit a big challenge, and decided to take it on with some guidance, and education across several of your videos. My vehicle has been losing coolant for some time, and through some investigation, I determined that the rear head gasket was leaking coolant down the back side of the block. The pink crusty areas on the block just below the head gasket was the give away. I've removed the heads, and took them to a machine shop to be refurbished, and was preparing the head area on the block for the new gaskets, and came to realize when cleaning up the head area on the block, that several of the head bolt inserts threaded into the head bolt holes have detached (unthreaded) from the bottom of the tapped head bolt holes, and are now anywhere from 1/4" to 2" below head surface. Normally, I believe they should be about 3" below the block surface, threaded into the tapped head bolt hole. The inserts themselves are about 1" deep on inside for the head bolt to thread into. They basically came up, as I removed the head bolts, and eventually let go of the head bolt before it came out. Other than threading the head bolt back in, letting it bottom out in the insert, and driving them back down with some pressure and torque, I don't know of any way to get them to reseat at the bottom of the head bolt holes. I've been searching the internet, and can not find any info about this type of issue, except when they are stripped out. In which case, the inserts are drilled out, the hole is re-tapped, and new inserts are added. A couple of inserts that I tested, successfully re-threaded the head bolt back in with just some twisting by hand, but of course the head bolt is no where near the needed depth to hold down the the cylinder head. I haven't yet tried any heavy torque or pressure to see if the insert will work it's way back down, and rethread back into the block. Can you recommend an approach? Maybe these inserts are now considered "shot", and unreliable, not sure. Thanks, and keep going with the great videos. Greg
My cylinder heads were at the machine shop, so I couldn't look at them at the time I notice the difference in the head bolt hole depths. The cylinder head on the Chrysler 3.3L V6 motor has staggered head bolt heights. It's not a monolithic height where the head bolts are driven into the block, especially inside the valve cover. With the head bolts all being the same length, they will thread into the engine block at different depths, so I may be okay here.
Hi Eric, watching your video on exaust gas tester. Over here we have Ford rangers that have problems with exaust gas cooler and they give the same symptoms of a head gasket. Trust me I've changed a few. You should let people know its not necessarily the head gasket. Keep up the good work
Hello Eric, had a Ford Transit van several years ago and it would spit out fluid from the overflow, but not all the time, and only after many hours of driving. I tested it with a kit and another shop tested it a few days later when more problems arose. We both came up with negative result. In the end another shop close to where owner lived about 800km (525 miles) away said try Rislone sealant (NZ product). I had never heard of it. At $100 AUS not cheap, but it worked. Did a whole lot of research, even talking to the tech people in NZ. Chemically Rislone sealant does nothing until it comes into contact with high temp exhaust gas and then seals the crack and even reasonable sized head gasket leaks. Can stay in the system and even if system is drained and left with no coolant, does not clog up like Chemiweld does. But result was no further problems. Looks like it may have been a very fine crack in the valve seat area or something else really difficult to diagnose. Saved a full tear down and even another cylinder head (lots of $$$$). Moral is, this combustion gas tester is not 100% foolproof. I thought it was and got caught out. But an obvious one like in your test told you and the owner that car is now suitable for junk pile only. Shame considering condition of rest of the vehicle. Retired mechanic in Land Down Under.
Wellll.... unfortunately I called the customer with the quote and they denied the repair. He only paid a grand for the car just a bit ago so he is gonna sell it as is and call it a loss. To bad to cuz it's from SC and has ZERO Rust on it and only 150k miles. Can't win them all I guess! Thanks for watching!
I have a gas analyzer, and nowadays i only use it for blown gasket issues... yet i still watch the videos.... excellent stuff!!! i work mostly on european cars, but i wish i didn't have to:))
Awesome. Thank you Eric. Love your channel. Learn so much from all your videos. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge. Also thanks for the peeks behind the scenes at your shop. Priceless
In theory yes. But don't stick used stuff back with unused test fluid. Supposedly you can, but when I did, it changed the colour of all the fluid - and would not return to original colour. Bob. Retired mechanic in Land Down Under.
Might not be a bad idea to run this test on a car you'd like to buy. Kind of throw it on there while your doing your other inspections, come back give her a squeeze or 20 and see what happens. I've actually heard of previous owners/dealers RTVing the reservoir hoses from radiator so if you happen to just check the reservoir's coolant you wouldn't know anything is wrong.
Best tutorial on the subject. One question: do you have to seal (in any way) the bottom of the tester to a radiator itself to ensure you're only sucking the air from the radiator, and not from the outside?
4:00 those guys are smart enough to realize they don’t know it all and can still learn things. Even doctors and surgeons consult with each other from time to time. Or, like an idiot, someone else has their 5 gas and is out of town for the holidays...
Hey Eric you rock man! How about finding a head gasket that is blown cylinder to cylinder or possibly to an oil port? A cylinder leak down test is probably best but very time consuming. Especially on the vehicles where the plugs are on the firewall and have to be accessed from underneath the vehicle. And then finding top dead center for each cylinder and taking a reading, writing it down bla bla bla. I found a blown head gasket once with a home made cylinder leak down tester on my 2000 Ford Windstar 3.8L. The gasket was blown between #2 and #3 cylinders and burning up some coolant as well. The mini van ran absolutely terrible when I finally just had to fix it. I was hoping there might be a way to use a smoke machine but some engines may only leak when the engine gets hot and things expand.
I have a 2005 Malibu 3.5 v6. Had since 09 and was my first car. Bought it 46k and now have 192k. One time I left the radiator cap off right after I bought it and it overheated. The engine disabled itself though and I think that prevented most damage from occuring. Tonight I went and rented this kit from Autozone. Even though my car doesn't overheat I've had many tell me GM is known for head gasket problems. Anyway I filled up the test tube with the blue fluid and let the run for a good long while and it remained blue. I guess that rules out a head gasket issue
I don't want coolant to overflow from the radiator into test fluid after warming engine up. So to ensure the coolant doesn't go into the fluid can i put the tester in the overflow reservoir instead of directly into the radiator's neck and still get accurate results?
Thanks for the video, will do tomorrow. I bought a 01 regal couple months and started to notice a little oil in radiator. Hoping its just intake gasket. This should point me in the right direction.
I am a little confused about the block tester if it does not change the color I am not happy with the result , I always compare it to gas analyzer I have had vehicles that read about 150 hc and liquid not changing color , it changes quick over 300 hc as I stated every vehicle I used both test , good video thanks
I agree. I used one of the uview testers and it never turn colors. Then I watch a video that scanner danner did and chose to pay a shop 50.00 to test my coolant system with a gas analyzer and it was positive for 130 hc. so I'm guessing that you have to have a real bad head gasket leak for the chemical test to show anything. probably 300 hc or more like you mention.
Joel Automotive In action HC's can come from a variety of sources. CO only comes from combustion. When using a 5-gas analyzer always check for CO, not HC's.
im sure this is not in ur case but in general u will need to drain the coolent level less than half just enough to not have the coolent/antifreeze or water to go inside the test tube this is a correct way to check combustion gases but will need to drain some coolent or water for getting the gases in not coolent
Yea that tester came in handy 3-4 yrs i think,when i couldn't figured out an intermittent air pocket/overheating concern... Would have never thought of it cause it was the first time for me on that particular model car i was working on but sure enough when i used this bad boy,color change... Had to even take pictures for the warranty company lol..
No, the water pump spinning off the pulleys obviously the higher the revs and the more coolant gets circulated then causing fluid to rise a little. Easy way to tell if you have a blown head gasket, if the car is cold and you start it and within minutes the coolant pipes are hot then exhaust gasses are building in the cooling system and that’s a problem. Several simply ways to see if you have blown head gasket.
Very useful Eric. I just started having minor coolant loss on my 2006 Caravan with 165k on it. Would you like to do a video on how to replace a head gasket? You can use my van!
I used the AutoZone tester and I cannot get the sapphire blue to change color! Did a test multiple times over an hour just won’t change! But I did a engine flush of the system and coolant change the day before! I have White exhaust smoke tailpipe smoke for 20 minutes and then it is absolutely clear no smoke! It’s summer! Engine seems to run fine you tell me!
Hello, I'm having a problem with my engine. Everytime I open my radiator cap pressure is coming out even if the engine is cold and not run for 24hrs the pressure stays there. I have a new radiator, new radiator cap(correct pressure rate), all hoses are good and no external coolant leak, temperature is normal. What might be the problem?. My engine is mitsubishi 4d56 diesel 2.5literr never been rebuild and have 140K miles
Ive have a 2011 Subaru STi, my Car doesn’t overheat and running fine, but there are some oil in the coolant and testet with an coolant tester but it didnt went yellow only green. The Car is petrol and not Diesel. What can be the problem? I also checked the oilcap and there are no milky gooo in the oilcap that indicates coolant in the oil.
I just did that test and mine turned yellow. Is there any slim chance it could be something else wrong with it. Haven’t owned this car for even a year and the fact I have a blown head gasket makes me wanna ........
Hi There. I have an 03 Chevy Silverado 6 leader. Slow to start, But not all the time. Replaced every sensor I could think of, Cam sensor, Crank sensor, Gas filter, New fuel pump,wires&plugs, Fuel injectors. Even switched out the throttle body. Catalytic converter seems to be open. But still have a multi misfire code. Did this test and the fluid turned green but not yellow. Any thoughts would be appreciated thank you. Also believe on your videos have been very helpful and awesome thank you for your time.marty
2007 Jeep Patriot. I flushed the cooling system. my Jeep has good heat,does not over heat. is not burning coolant, no white smoke from the tail pipe. its not loosing coolant. Jeep runs fine,does not lose power. yet when i bleed the cooling system air cant stop coming from the Radiator. or bubbles from the cooling system. do i have a bad head gasket ??
Got a 2010 3.3l Grand Caravan blows out the radiators. 3 in 4 months. This time coolant sprayed all over the engine so not sure where the cause is. Was thinking originally bad thermostat. But with the overheating has happened 6 times already. Looks like this test could be a better test. There is also a major oil leak loss of 4 qts in 2 weeks. Not my own vehicle but relative who imo bought a piece of junk. But for now 4 families use the vehicle and its on the road from 3am to 11pm every day about 350 miles per day and nobody among them has money to get another vehicle so if I can repair or 1st off diagnose this in between their driving time. Then they can decide to repair and rent a vehicle for a day or 2. Or hope they can get another vehicle. Life in the fast lane.
I am trying to figure out if my sons truck has a blown head gasket or a cracked head. Would a cracked head show the same results by turning the chemical yellow or a light green?
Hi Eric, just have a quick question if you could help please. I have a Hyundai Elantra 2009 when I start it I see a wet spot on the ground where the tailpipe is just wondering if the head gasket is about to go. I did some basic head gasket test like looking for bubbles in the radiator reservoir, milky engine oil, milky coolant they all seemed to be fine. Just wondering how much of a water discharge is too much? Thank you kindly
So I ran this test in my 02 wrx today for like 3-4 minutes starting from cold, the fluid barely changed at all, if anything at all the after fluid was just so slightly more cyan then before, but is that long enough to determine a bad head gasket? I bought it and the guy said it was on its way out, but nothing has raised any red flags as to it actually being bad
@@qpTheDarknessqp I can’t say as for the leaks, but what I did for mine was pour blue devil pour and go into the system to try and remedy the issue. DO NOT DO THAT. I poured it in, and let it idle for the specified amount of time, followed all the directions to a tee, and my car overheated, after countless hours of work and pain, i found the radiator had been clogged completely, so I fixed that up, then I just wanted to “look” at the water pump so I had to take out all the timing belts and stuff and ended up having to replace a lot of stuff, it was worked on for pretty much weeks, I cleaned everything out and it still overheated, I had to buy a new thermostat (a mishimoto one) and that finally got it to stop overheating, but there was still a bunch of little pieces of blue devil crap pieces in the system, I never did the test again to see if it was still turning blue, but my guess would be that it did nothing and didn’t help anything and almost broke my car entirely. If your going to fix it do it the right way, do not use the “fix in a bottle,” I sold the car (actually for a profit) but I just did not want to deal with it anymore, I now have a Miata and a hatred for any blue devil products.
@@ittueaday Oh I Already know what to use and what not to use Because after Working for AutoZone for 9 years and counting, You learn a thing or Two about certain Products. But as for me not being Satisfied with the test Results I got from Vehicle and Test kit. I had decided to ask my Coworkers and they clarified that my Issue wasn't what I thought it was. So I feel Confident that my Vehicle doesn't have a busted head gasket. However, I was warned about that fact that I "Might" have Transmission issues down the Road because it's an older vehicle. 2004 to be Exact.👍
In this case it looks like exhaust gasses leaking into the coolant could have been easily detected just by removing the radiator cap and watching the bubbles. Could have saved the cost of the test kit.
Hey Eric! Congrats on 100k viewers. I've been enjoying your stuff since you showed us how to burn out studs on a Ram way back when. Any ideas for a positive diagnostic on a head gasket when the juice doesn't give a result? So far I've got one steam cleaned cylinder, no positive result with the block tester, no obvious bubbling in the radiator with 100psi to the cylinder with the valves closed (but apparently quite a bit of leakage to the adjacent cylinder?) and a pretty even set of compression test results. This is a Audi 1.8T with no coolant passages in the intake/intake gaskets...not sure where else the coolant would come from? I hate to rip it apart without a smoking gun. Except for the quart of coolant loss each week and the huge cloud of smoke on cold start...
@@ellis2311 fun one. Tore it apart. Had machine shop deck and pressure test. Passed pressure test. Reinstalled. Problem remained, slowly got worse over a year. Tore it apart again, crack in head between the valves that wasn't obvious the first time. Lesson is sometimes it's better to let stuff be good and broken before you try to fix it. Or do your own pressure testing.
Sent a note to Napa recommending they sponsor South Main Auto. They responded as if the local Napa store was sponsoring the local little league team. I don’t know, maybe you can get pizza and a uniform out of them... dunderheads. Hello, NAPA is honored by your inquiry and for thinking of us regarding this situation. NAPA Headquarters/Genuine Parts Company defers to our Regional representation as it pertains to community involvement, local sponsorships, and donations. We recommend that you contact your local NAPA store and/or Distribution Center (where our Regional Management is located) to present your request for review. You may also consider sending a written proposal directly to NAPA’s Headquarters in Atlanta at the following address: 2999 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30339. Thank you again. Kind Regards, Customer Service NAPA
Would a bad intake manifold gasket on a gm 3800 cause the same symptoms? I keep having to fill up my coolant but there are no visible leaks I think its internal. I already changed the intake manifold gaskets and it continues to do the same thing. The weird thing is the car dont overheat.
It could if it's a wet manifold that seals off a portion of the crankcase. If it's a wet manifold that doesn't seal the crankcase, it may still be leaking in secret from the manifold without getting exhaust gases in the cooling system.
The latter case was happening with my 03 f150 last year. Definitely losing coolant, but couldn't see it without tearing things apart, and it wasn't getting exhaust gases in it or contaminating the oil, either. Turned out to be a blown intake gasket at the back of the manifold.
@@OneTrueCat we put brand new lower and upper intake manifold gaskets and it continues to do the same thing. No one can figure out where the coolant is going. We keep having to fill it up.
That probably is going to be a head gasket then, unfortunately. You could try using UV dye to make sure it's not a pinhole leak, but there's only a few options for an internal leak, and they all kinda suck. Good luck, friend.
Somewhere on the car there is a pressure (also filling cap), be it on the radiator or the coolant reservoir. Take off that cap and use the tester. Retired mechanic in Land Down Under.
For a severly overheated engine with a blown head gasket does replacing the head gasket fix the issues or if there usually other issues that keep popping up down the line? I had a similar problem myswlf and I am not sure whether I want to fix it or trade in the car.
Severely overheated engines usually need new heads, especially aluminum engines. Even iron heads can crack or warp. Blocks too. Even if you want to keep the car it's better to just swap in a junkyard engine with low miles.
I forget to take fluid out of the radiator at first. The first try it immediately turned green. Dumped the fluid sucked coolant out and retested and it never turned from blue. Can green coolant mixing turn it all green or do I have head gasket issues
mine did same thing.. it was staying blue till the radiator fuild rose high enough to get sucked into the tube, then it went green.. thats just the color or the antifreeze in the blue solution... drain radiator lower and try again..
nothing left now except the crying,lol,but soo true if you're the car owner and really can't afford the repair and this is your families only ride:(,I was actually in a shop getting my moms car inspected and this woman came in and they told her what was wrong with her car and she left in tears,so sad to see,but cars are just so expensive to fix these days you almost have no choice but to fix them yourself,or at least try.
If it goes to green then yellow, yes it is 100%. If it stays blue, possibly you could still have a leak, it just means it didn't leak enough during the test (or no leak).
![Testing For a Bad Head Gasket [Chemical Test Kit]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/R6tztnUMMsE/mqdefault.jpg)
So funny how serious and shy that he is compared to newer videos LOL
I've been told this test is not always the best, but it was obvious this engine has problems. Great Video!
My step-brother was quoted $1235.00 for both head gaskets on his ford taurus. He asked me if I knew how to check for this. I purchased one of these and tested the gases in the radiator and reservoir only to find that he did not have any leaks on either head. I charged him for the kit $62 (name brand kit on Amazon) I watched this video to see if you did the same test as I did. 😆 Good video
A negative test doesn't mean there isn't a compromised gasket. It could be very minor leak.
@@benspragge33
He has had other questionable quotes from this shop. And he has been driving it now for 6 years since the con quote. I have used this test on other vehicles and found bad and good head gasket cases.
@@sirsweetness8332 that's great! Yes, it's a very good test. Glad he's been able to use it for so long. Just wanted to let others know, just like a battery load test, if it passes, it might still be a bad battery; you'd have to check each cell for electrolytes, etc. This test is similar; you may have a blown head gasket, just either (1) very minor, (2) not from cylinder to coolant or have it (3) cylinder to oil or (4) cylinder to cylinder.
Wow thanks. I've read about these sorts of tester kits but it's just so much easier to understand when you see it in action. Great practical demonstration.
Glad they had this kit back in the 80's.
I've been working on cars for 35 years. (Not as an occupation). I've never seen such a thing. Great video.
Even years ago you were rocking Eric O. You got the skills, shout out from Louisiana.
Hello SMA/Eric, I really enjoy your videos. I've learned a great deal from them, and I appreciate the time and effort to make them possible for all of us to learn. I've come across a big challenge in my own garage, on a vehicle model you work on very regularly. I have a 2002 Dodge Caravan with 242,000 miles. I am the first and only owner, and through the years, I've replaced just about everything. I recently hit a big challenge, and decided to take it on with some guidance, and education across several of your videos. My vehicle has been losing coolant for some time, and through some investigation, I determined that the rear head gasket was leaking coolant down the back side of the block. The pink crusty areas on the block just below the head gasket was the give away. I've removed the heads, and took them to a machine shop to be refurbished, and was preparing the head area on the block for the new gaskets, and came to realize when cleaning up the head area on the block, that several of the head bolt inserts threaded into the head bolt holes have detached (unthreaded) from the bottom of the tapped head bolt holes, and are now anywhere from 1/4" to 2" below head surface. Normally, I believe they should be about 3" below the block surface, threaded into the tapped head bolt hole. The inserts themselves are about 1" deep on inside for the head bolt to thread into. They basically came up, as I removed the head bolts, and eventually let go of the head bolt before it came out. Other than threading the head bolt back in, letting it bottom out in the insert, and driving them back down with some pressure and torque, I don't know of any way to get them to reseat at the bottom of the head bolt holes. I've been searching the internet, and can not find any info about this type of issue, except when they are stripped out. In which case, the inserts are drilled out, the hole is re-tapped, and new inserts are added. A couple of inserts that I tested, successfully re-threaded the head bolt back in with just some twisting by hand, but of course the head bolt is no where near the needed depth to hold down the the cylinder head. I haven't yet tried any heavy torque or pressure to see if the insert will work it's way back down, and rethread back into the block. Can you recommend an approach? Maybe these inserts are now considered "shot", and unreliable, not sure. Thanks, and keep going with the great videos. Greg
My cylinder heads were at the machine shop, so I couldn't look at them at the time I notice the difference in the head bolt hole depths. The cylinder head on the Chrysler 3.3L V6 motor has staggered head bolt heights. It's not a monolithic height where the head bolts are driven into the block, especially inside the valve cover. With the head bolts all being the same length, they will thread into the engine block at different depths, so I may be okay here.
I came from "Eric O. Gets A Honda Civic" video. Great idea to film in real time when you first found the issue.
I knew I should have come to your channel first Eric…would have saved a load of time. 👍
holy smokes, pretty happy to of come across your channel! More stunned that i havent before. Great videos man.. Thanks for taking the time
Mark Davison YW :)
Hi Eric, watching your video on exaust gas tester. Over here we have Ford rangers that have problems with exaust gas cooler and they give the same symptoms of a head gasket. Trust me I've changed a few. You should let people know its not necessarily the head gasket. Keep up the good work
Hello Eric, had a Ford Transit van several years ago and it would spit out fluid from the overflow, but not all the time, and only after many hours of driving. I tested it with a kit and another shop tested it a few days later when more problems arose. We both came up with negative result. In the end another shop close to where owner lived about 800km (525 miles) away said try Rislone sealant (NZ product). I had never heard of it. At $100 AUS not cheap, but it worked. Did a whole lot of research, even talking to the tech people in NZ. Chemically Rislone sealant does nothing until it comes into contact with high temp exhaust gas and then seals the crack and even reasonable sized head gasket leaks. Can stay in the system and even if system is drained and left with no coolant, does not clog up like Chemiweld does. But result was no further problems. Looks like it may have been a very fine crack in the valve seat area or something else really difficult to diagnose. Saved a full tear down and even another cylinder head (lots of $$$$). Moral is, this combustion gas tester is not 100% foolproof. I thought it was and got caught out. But an obvious one like in your test told you and the owner that car is now suitable for junk pile only. Shame considering condition of rest of the vehicle. Retired mechanic in Land Down Under.
Can't wait for the head gasket replacement video!
Wellll.... unfortunately I called the customer with the quote and they denied the repair. He only paid a grand for the car just a bit ago so he is gonna sell it as is and call it a loss. To bad to cuz it's from SC and has ZERO Rust on it and only 150k miles. Can't win them all I guess! Thanks for watching!
I have a gas analyzer, and nowadays i only use it for blown gasket issues... yet i still watch the videos.... excellent stuff!!! i work mostly on european cars, but i wish i didn't have to:))
Awesome. Thank you Eric. Love your channel. Learn so much from all your videos. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge. Also thanks for the peeks behind the scenes at your shop. Priceless
Thanks for the tip! Easy way to verify if you have blown head gasket!
South Main Auto Repair, Excellent video dude! Thanks!
i found your channel last week. i have subscribed because you keep it real.
***** we are for rizzle :)
you can remove tester from radiator and pump bulb a few times with fresh air and fluid will change back to blue and you can reuse it ;)
In theory yes. But don't stick used stuff back with unused test fluid. Supposedly you can, but when I did, it changed the colour of all the fluid - and would not return to original colour. Bob. Retired mechanic in Land Down Under.
Might not be a bad idea to run this test on a car you'd like to buy. Kind of throw it on there while your doing your other inspections, come back give her a squeeze or 20 and see what happens.
I've actually heard of previous owners/dealers RTVing the reservoir hoses from radiator so if you happen to just check the reservoir's coolant you wouldn't know anything is wrong.
Very helpful i didnt know it was that easy to check for a blown head gasket
Good demo, especially since you showed it on a BAD hg!
Best tutorial on the subject. One question: do you have to seal (in any way) the bottom of the tester to a radiator itself to ensure you're only sucking the air from the radiator, and not from the outside?
Hell yeah this video helped me out and hell no because I now know I have a blown gasket :(
Before he became the official Dodge Caravan Channel!
Oh man the old school vids
Videos are so much better now!!!!
Coffee colored oil, and or smoke in the exhaust with a sweet smell can also be a blown head gasket
4:00 those guys are smart enough to realize they don’t know it all and can still learn things. Even doctors and surgeons consult with each other from time to time. Or, like an idiot, someone else has their 5 gas and is out of town for the holidays...
Hey Eric you rock man!
How about finding a head gasket that is blown cylinder to cylinder or possibly to an oil port?
A cylinder leak down test is probably best but very time consuming. Especially on the vehicles where the plugs are on the firewall and have to be accessed from underneath the vehicle. And then finding top dead center for each cylinder and taking a reading, writing it down bla bla bla.
I found a blown head gasket once with a home made cylinder leak down tester on my 2000 Ford Windstar 3.8L. The gasket was blown between #2 and #3 cylinders and burning up some coolant as well. The mini van ran absolutely terrible when I finally just had to fix it.
I was hoping there might be a way to use a smoke machine but some engines may only leak when the engine gets hot and things expand.
I have a 2005 Malibu 3.5 v6. Had since 09 and was my first car. Bought it 46k and now have 192k. One time I left the radiator cap off right after I bought it and it overheated. The engine disabled itself though and I think that prevented most damage from occuring. Tonight I went and rented this kit from Autozone. Even though my car doesn't overheat I've had many tell me GM is known for head gasket problems. Anyway I filled up the test tube with the blue fluid and let the run for a good long while and it remained blue. I guess that rules out a head gasket issue
I don't want coolant to overflow from the radiator into test fluid after warming engine up. So to ensure the coolant doesn't go into the fluid can i put the tester in the overflow reservoir instead of directly into the radiator's neck and still get accurate results?
would have been nice if you video the headgasket change
Thanks for the video, will do tomorrow. I bought a 01 regal couple months and started to notice a little oil in radiator. Hoping its just intake gasket. This should point me in the right direction.
I am a little confused about the block tester if it does not change the color I am not happy with the result , I always compare it to gas analyzer I have had vehicles that read about 150 hc and liquid not changing color , it changes quick over 300 hc as I stated every vehicle I used both test , good video thanks
I agree. I used one of the uview testers and it never turn colors. Then I watch a video that scanner danner did and chose to pay a shop 50.00 to test my coolant system with a gas analyzer and it was positive for 130 hc. so I'm guessing that you have to have a real bad head gasket leak for the chemical test to show anything. probably 300 hc or more like you mention.
Joel Automotive In action HC's can come from a variety of sources. CO only comes from combustion. When using a 5-gas analyzer always check for CO, not HC's.
im sure this is not in ur case but in general u will need to drain the coolent level less than half just enough to not have the coolent/antifreeze or water to go inside the test tube this is a correct way to check combustion gases but will need to drain some coolent or water for getting the gases in not coolent
You rock, thank you for sharing!
Thanks 😊 man good job 👍
Thank u, I’m running to autozone right now
Yea that tester came in handy 3-4 yrs i think,when i couldn't figured out an intermittent air pocket/overheating concern...
Would have never thought of it cause it was the first time for me on that particular model car i was working on but sure enough when i used this bad boy,color change...
Had to even take pictures for the warranty company lol..
guayaco3299 Lol nice. Hold it by the tail pipe... send the pic. Cant believe they wanted a pic haha
Yea.service manager thought the guy was maybe a newby,never heard of the tester...
Lol ahhh we all gotta start somewhere
Yesss Sirrr....
Maybe he wanted to compare the pic to a video.lol..
Hahaha you betya!!
Thanks bud. you always got the right answers lol
Pretty neat trick
Eric, do you think by revving and seeing the fluid rise that that could be an indicator in itself?
No, the water pump spinning off the pulleys obviously the higher the revs and the more coolant gets circulated then causing fluid to rise a little. Easy way to tell if you have a blown head gasket, if the car is cold and you start it and within minutes the coolant pipes are hot then exhaust gasses are building in the cooling system and that’s a problem. Several simply ways to see if you have blown head gasket.
Very useful Eric. I just started having minor coolant loss on my 2006 Caravan with 165k on it. Would you like to do a video on how to replace a head gasket? You can use my van!
Nice try, however, if you don't ask you'll never know the answer..
How accurate is that test compared the 5 gas analyzer?
I used the AutoZone tester and I cannot get the sapphire blue to change color! Did a test multiple times over an hour just won’t change! But I did a engine flush of the system and coolant change the day before! I have White exhaust smoke tailpipe smoke for 20 minutes and then it is absolutely clear no smoke! It’s summer! Engine seems to run fine you tell me!
Thank you bro!!!!
Hello, I'm having a problem with my engine. Everytime I open my radiator cap pressure is coming out even if the engine is cold and not run for 24hrs the pressure stays there. I have a new radiator, new radiator cap(correct pressure rate), all hoses are good and no external coolant leak, temperature is normal. What might be the problem?. My engine is mitsubishi 4d56 diesel 2.5literr never been rebuild and have 140K miles
Another great video.😶🌫
Thank you so much
Ive have a 2011 Subaru STi, my Car doesn’t overheat and running fine, but there are some oil in the coolant and testet with an coolant tester but it didnt went yellow only green. The Car is petrol and not Diesel. What can be the problem? I also checked the oilcap and there are no milky gooo in the oilcap that indicates coolant in the oil.
I just did that test and mine turned yellow. Is there any slim chance it could be something else wrong with it. Haven’t owned this car for even a year and the fact I have a blown head gasket makes me wanna ........
Do you have to wait for the engine to warm up to operating temperature or you can start the test right away?
Hi There.
I have an 03 Chevy Silverado 6 leader. Slow to start, But not all the time. Replaced every sensor I could think of, Cam sensor, Crank sensor, Gas filter, New fuel pump,wires&plugs, Fuel injectors. Even switched out the throttle body. Catalytic converter seems to be open. But still have a multi misfire code. Did this test and the fluid turned green but not yellow. Any thoughts would be appreciated thank you.
Also believe on your videos have been very helpful and awesome thank you for your time.marty
Thanks for the video.
Got a crook alternator too by the sounds of things
Thanks for that - My I suspect that my Fiat Doblo gasket has blown & so will see If i can get one of these testers of Ebay.
those head gaskets are easy to change out on those minivans
thanks! verry wel expland.
I’m assuming this device will also work on a vehicle which uses a radiator cap on an overflow tank like some chevys
In your opinion, what is the best head gasket sealer to use? I need to try and get a few more miles hopefully
the bubbles are sort of a give away. mine i can only sqeeze the bulb a few times. i assume because no gasses to suck after a few pumps
Thanks
The cheap easy way to find out over gas analyzers
How would this be done if the rad cap is not on top of the radiator I have a Dodge Stratus
what is the science behind this? how is the liquid reacting to the leak?
Will this procedure work with a car like a 97 Mustang GT with a coolant reservoir?
Thanks!
2007 Jeep Patriot. I flushed the cooling system. my Jeep has good heat,does not over heat. is not burning coolant, no white smoke from the tail pipe. its not loosing coolant. Jeep runs fine,does not lose power.
yet when i bleed the cooling system air cant stop coming from the Radiator.
or bubbles from the cooling system.
do i have a bad head gasket ??
Would the bubbles and or the pressure coming from the radiator mean a blown head gasket? one one or more cylinders?
Got a 2010 3.3l Grand Caravan blows out the radiators. 3 in 4 months. This time coolant sprayed all over the engine so not sure where the cause is. Was thinking originally bad thermostat. But with the overheating has happened 6 times already. Looks like this test could be a better test. There is also a major oil leak loss of 4 qts in 2 weeks. Not my own vehicle but relative who imo bought a piece of junk. But for now 4 families use the vehicle and its on the road from 3am to 11pm every day about 350 miles per day and nobody among them has money to get another vehicle so if I can repair or 1st off diagnose this in between their driving time. Then they can decide to repair and rent a vehicle for a day or 2. Or hope they can get another vehicle. Life in the fast lane.
I am trying to figure out if my sons truck has a blown head gasket or a cracked head. Would a cracked head show the same results by turning the chemical yellow or a light green?
Thank You !!
good one, thank you...
Hi Eric, just have a quick question if you could help please. I have a Hyundai Elantra 2009 when I start it I see a wet spot on the ground where the tailpipe is just wondering if the head gasket is about to go. I did some basic head gasket test like looking for bubbles in the radiator reservoir, milky engine oil, milky coolant they all seemed to be fine. Just wondering how much of a water discharge is too much? Thank you kindly
So I ran this test in my 02 wrx today for like 3-4 minutes starting from cold, the fluid barely changed at all, if anything at all the after fluid was just so slightly more cyan then before, but is that long enough to determine a bad head gasket? I bought it and the guy said it was on its way out, but nothing has raised any red flags as to it actually being bad
I got the Same results as you did and I'm wondering if it's leaking or not too. This has me worried!!😟
@@qpTheDarknessqp I can’t say as for the leaks, but what I did for mine was pour blue devil pour and go into the system to try and remedy the issue. DO NOT DO THAT. I poured it in, and let it idle for the specified amount of time, followed all the directions to a tee, and my car overheated, after countless hours of work and pain, i found the radiator had been clogged completely, so I fixed that up, then I just wanted to “look” at the water pump so I had to take out all the timing belts and stuff and ended up having to replace a lot of stuff, it was worked on for pretty much weeks, I cleaned everything out and it still overheated, I had to buy a new thermostat (a mishimoto one) and that finally got it to stop overheating, but there was still a bunch of little pieces of blue devil crap pieces in the system, I never did the test again to see if it was still turning blue, but my guess would be that it did nothing and didn’t help anything and almost broke my car entirely. If your going to fix it do it the right way, do not use the “fix in a bottle,” I sold the car (actually for a profit) but I just did not want to deal with it anymore, I now have a Miata and a hatred for any blue devil products.
@@ittueaday Oh I Already know what to use and what not to use Because after Working for AutoZone for 9 years and counting, You learn a thing or Two about certain Products. But as for me not being Satisfied with the test Results I got from Vehicle and Test kit. I had decided to ask my Coworkers and they clarified that my Issue wasn't what I thought it was. So I feel Confident that my Vehicle doesn't have a busted head gasket. However, I was warned about that fact that I "Might" have Transmission issues down the Road because it's an older vehicle. 2004 to be Exact.👍
@@qpTheDarknessqp ok good to hear, just don’t want anyone going down the path I had to go down, was not fun and I feel very stupid for doing it
Good Tip!
In this case it looks like exhaust gasses leaking into the coolant could have been easily detected just by removing the radiator cap and watching the bubbles. Could have saved the cost of the test kit.
good videos man, keep it up!
Thanks Brandon Chris
In this case what wuold you recomend..? Head gasket or engine? ...
Up to the customer.. I'd pull the head if it was mine...
Would this catch an external head gasket leak? Also would it catch a leak that changes from hot to cold.
Its only going to find an internal leak of exhaust into the cooling system.
Hey Eric! Congrats on 100k viewers. I've been enjoying your stuff since you showed us how to burn out studs on a Ram way back when. Any ideas for a positive diagnostic on a head gasket when the juice doesn't give a result? So far I've got one steam cleaned cylinder, no positive result with the block tester, no obvious bubbling in the radiator with 100psi to the cylinder with the valves closed (but apparently quite a bit of leakage to the adjacent cylinder?) and a pretty even set of compression test results. This is a Audi 1.8T with no coolant passages in the intake/intake gaskets...not sure where else the coolant would come from? I hate to rip it apart without a smoking gun. Except for the quart of coolant loss each week and the huge cloud of smoke on cold start...
Hey did you ever figure out where the coolant was coming from?
@@ellis2311 fun one. Tore it apart. Had machine shop deck and pressure test. Passed pressure test. Reinstalled. Problem remained, slowly got worse over a year. Tore it apart again, crack in head between the valves that wasn't obvious the first time. Lesson is sometimes it's better to let stuff be good and broken before you try to fix it. Or do your own pressure testing.
Blowing out all the coolant. What else could it be?
Can this test be done on a 97' f150, remember it has no radiator cap instead a reservoir setup ?
If car is a no start, can you still use this test?
Sent a note to Napa recommending they sponsor South Main Auto. They responded as if the local Napa store was sponsoring the local little league team. I don’t know, maybe you can get pizza and a uniform out of them... dunderheads. Hello,
NAPA is honored by your inquiry and for thinking of us regarding this situation. NAPA Headquarters/Genuine Parts Company defers to our Regional representation as it pertains to community involvement, local sponsorships, and donations. We recommend that you contact your local NAPA store and/or Distribution Center (where our Regional Management is located) to present your request for review. You may also consider sending a written proposal directly to NAPA’s Headquarters in Atlanta at the following address: 2999 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30339. Thank you again.
Kind Regards,
Customer Service
NAPA
The shape of that tester is really something lol
Would a bad intake manifold gasket on a gm 3800 cause the same symptoms? I keep having to fill up my coolant but there are no visible leaks I think its internal. I already changed the intake manifold gaskets and it continues to do the same thing. The weird thing is the car dont overheat.
It could if it's a wet manifold that seals off a portion of the crankcase. If it's a wet manifold that doesn't seal the crankcase, it may still be leaking in secret from the manifold without getting exhaust gases in the cooling system.
The latter case was happening with my 03 f150 last year. Definitely losing coolant, but couldn't see it without tearing things apart, and it wasn't getting exhaust gases in it or contaminating the oil, either. Turned out to be a blown intake gasket at the back of the manifold.
@@OneTrueCat we put brand new lower and upper intake manifold gaskets and it continues to do the same thing. No one can figure out where the coolant is going. We keep having to fill it up.
That probably is going to be a head gasket then, unfortunately. You could try using UV dye to make sure it's not a pinhole leak, but there's only a few options for an internal leak, and they all kinda suck. Good luck, friend.
can you have good compression, normal burn on plugs, and still have a blown head gasket
Yes
Dpes this work on diesel cars?
Can you use this test on a "closed" cooling system that has no radiator cap also? Putting it into the coolant reservoir?
Somewhere on the car there is a pressure (also filling cap), be it on the radiator or the coolant reservoir. Take off that cap and use the tester. Retired mechanic in Land Down Under.
What if the blue liquid turns green
I squeeze the ball but it doesn't release, air doesn't release , it trap in the ball. any comment?
For a severly overheated engine with a blown head gasket does replacing the head gasket fix the issues or if there usually other issues that keep popping up down the line? I had a similar problem myswlf and I am not sure whether I want to fix it or trade in the car.
Severely overheated engines usually need new heads, especially aluminum engines. Even iron heads can crack or warp. Blocks too. Even if you want to keep the car it's better to just swap in a junkyard engine with low miles.
Yea she blown 🔥
Very helpfullo
I forget to take fluid out of the radiator at first. The first try it immediately turned green. Dumped the fluid sucked coolant out and retested and it never turned from blue. Can green coolant mixing turn it all green or do I have head gasket issues
mine did same thing.. it was staying blue till the radiator fuild rose high enough to get sucked into the tube, then it went green.. thats just the color or the antifreeze in the blue solution... drain radiator lower and try again..
Be nice to see the same test on a good car first!
nothing left now except the crying,lol,but soo true if you're the car owner and really can't afford the repair and this is your families only ride:(,I was actually in a shop getting my moms car inspected and this woman came in and they told her what was wrong with her car and she left in tears,so sad to see,but cars are just so expensive to fix these days you almost have no choice but to fix them yourself,or at least try.
Will this test absolutely determine if the head gasket is bad ?
If it goes to green then yellow, yes it is 100%. If it stays blue, possibly you could still have a leak, it just means it didn't leak enough during the test (or no leak).