Possible Blown Head Gasket

[92nolatist]

Hey guys, so i searched a bit couldn't find anybody that had my exact same problem and i want to find a definite answer on this.

I just bought a chip from Jeff and had i set for 18 lbs of boost and i only had my MBC set at 15 but i turned it up to 18. I installed the chip and have been trying to get it to run right-been really lean both at idle and partial throttle cruising; but thats another thread for another time. So today i jumped on a local highway to see how the car felt with the chip; it felt awesome and it pulled quite nice. I was in 4th and went WOT and the same for 5th up to 110mph. Got off the exit a couple mins later, stopped at a red light and noticed my temp gauge was rising FAST so i turned my heat on full. Gauge stopped at line before red mark. Got moving again, temp went down to half way, stopped- temp rose; moving temp down, etc. Pulled in my drive way and saw coolant blowing out of the overflow tube on reservoir with a whole lot of steam. My engine has 171,000 miles on it. Got the car 30,000 ago with a blown HG and fixed it kind of cheaply just to get the car running.

So im thinking that i blew my HG. If some others feel different, please chime in.

Thank you in advance,
Dave M.

 

[1990gsx1781]

are your fans turning on when they should?

 

[Insane Performa]

Probably not the head gasket. Like said above are the fans kicking on?

 

[njc1064]

The simplest indicator of a leaking head gasket is that despite having a good radiator cap and overflow hose to the overflow bottle that properly allows coolant to be pulled back into the engine as the engine cools, not all of the coolant that was pushed out is pulled back in. Do the following:

1. Allow the engine to fully cool
2. Remove the radiator cap and top off the coolant
3. Replace the radiator cap.
4. Fill the overflow bottle to the Min mark.
5. Drive the car.
6. Allow the engine to fully cool.
7. See if the level in the overflow bottle has returned to Min. If not, either combustion gases have displaced coolant in the block, or your radiator cap of overflow hose is not sealing properly.

You can also run the engine at full operating temperature and watch for (combustion gas) bubbles in the overflow.

But, again, check to make sure your fans are kicking on (i think they kick on around 210 degrees).

 

[92nolatist]

are your fans turning on when they should?

Quite honestly i dont even know. I didnt pay attention and i shut the car down pretty fast to avoid damaging something. Ill definitely check though and ill get back to all you guys.


*EDIT* I actually have shit ripped apart right now so i cant check tonight, but i will tomorrow. Thanks for your help so far guys.

 

[92nolatist]

Well guys, tests came back positive. Im in the first stages of a blown head gasket; my friend who is also a mechanic said that its not too serious and i could keep adding coolant and watch it carefully, but i said that im gonna just take it apart and rebuild it with a cometic MLS gasket and others things ive been wanting to do.

Thank you all for helping me figure this out.

Oh and my fans did turn on, but like i said im just gonna rebuild it with better parts.

Thank you again. 6 bolt topend rebuild- Take 3.

 

[96eclipzGsT]

Did you try replacing the thermostat? Its 3 bucks. I wouldn't go tearing the head off before I did a compression test, leak down test.

 

[#40Fan]

I had an upper radiator hose that was soft and would expand as the car warmed up. Because it expanded it didn't let the engine build up pressure in the cooling system, causing it to overheat a little while stopped.

When the fans kicked on, was there hot air being sucked through the radiator?

 

[92nolatist]

I replaced the thermostat and it hasnt overheated yet but im still gonna do the HG cause it is DEFINITELY blown, just not bad enough to be smoking white out the exhaust. I used a exhuast gas analyzer to check if any gases were in my coolant and there was. Hydro Carbons were at 58 PPM.

#40Fan---- my hoses are soft and they do expand a little and im gonna replace them too.

 

[njc1064]

Well guys, tests came back positive. Im in the first stages of a blown head gasket; my friend who is also a mechanic said that its not too serious and i could keep adding coolant and watch it carefully, but i said that im gonna just take it apart and rebuild it with a cometic MLS gasket and others things ive been wanting to do.

Thank you all for helping me figure this out.

Oh and my fans did turn on, but like i said im just gonna rebuild it with better parts.

Thank you again. 6 bolt topend rebuild- Take 3.

I would really choose carefully in regards to a new head gasket. Although a cometic MLS gasket may seem like a great addition, it can be a potential headache! These gaskets are meant for perfectly flat surfaces, meaning that unless both the block and head are going to be machine perfectly, it simply may not seal.

With that said, many people have excellent luck with the oem composite gasket and some arp head studs! Its more forgiving and will likely hold whatever you can throw at it!

 

[92nolatist]

^^^^^Well what about a Mitsu MLS??? The head is getting sent out to get decked. Im doing ARP studs anyway.

 

[njc1064]

MLS head gaskets in general are meant for near perfect mating surfaces, it is not brand specific. Like i said, plenty of people run an oem composite gasket with some arp head studs and have excellent results

 

[92nolatist]

Hmm, ok sounds good. I just learned something about MLS head gaskets today. Thanks for the good info njc1064, ill go with the OEM composite gasket then.

Thanks guys, you definitely saved me a lot of time guessing and cursing, . Oh and some money too.

 

[96eclipzGsT]

I replaced the thermostat and it hasnt overheated yet but im still gonna do the HG cause it is DEFINITELY blown, just not bad enough to be smoking white out the exhaust. I used a exhuast gas analyzer to check if any gases were in my coolant and there was. Hydro Carbons were at 58 PPM.

#40Fan---- my hoses are soft and they do expand a little and im gonna replace them too.

Those tests don't work for shit. Try it on a car that you know has a good HG. Coolant leak down, and compression test is the only way to go.

 

[TSIMonsteR]

The simplest indicator of a leaking head gasket is that despite having a good radiator cap and overflow hose to the overflow bottle that properly allows coolant to be pulled back into the engine as the engine cools, not all of the coolant that was pushed out is pulled back in. Do the following:

1. Allow the engine to fully cool
2. Remove the radiator cap and top off the coolant
3. Replace the radiator cap.
4. Fill the overflow bottle to the Min mark.
5. Drive the car.
6. Allow the engine to fully cool.
7. See if the level in the overflow bottle has returned to Min. If not, either combustion gases have displaced coolant in the block, or your radiator cap of overflow hose is not sealing properly.

You can also run the engine at full operating temperature and watch for (combustion gas) bubbles in the overflow.

But, again, check to make sure your fans are kicking on (i think they kick on around 210 degrees).

A leak in the system (ie, turbo water lines, water lines to the oil housing, etc) would also cause the level to differ.

 

[blade970]

So is the car currently torn apart now or is it still together>?

 

[92nolatist]

it is being torn apart as we speak

 

[92nolatist]

A leak in the system (ie, turbo water lines, water lines to the oil housing, etc) would also cause the level to differ.

There are no external leaks that i saw; and i checked every one of the lines/hoses.