Possible head gasket problems. A girl in need of help!

[purptalon97]

My car has has been overheating my gauge is reading high. I found out my car didn't have a thermostat in it. So, I bought one and put it in. But, a friend of mine who is a mechanic said that even though the car didn't have a thermostat it still shouldn't overheat. Then he said it might be my head gasket because my radiator is fine. Then he asked me how many miles were on my car. He said he asked because if it's my head gasket and my car has 175,000 miles or more on it then I will need a whole new engine? He said if I just replace the head gasket it will crack my block? Is this true?

 

[freeman 188]

I have never heard tell of a new head gasket cracking a block, but if the head gasket is gone and you have been overheating for awhile it is a good idea to get the head checked to see if it is warped and while your at it try and get the block checked as well just to be sure before you decide to put it together and still have the same problem ,good luck

 

[purptalon97]

Well I've never seen it smoke just the gauge is reading hot.

 

[1fastlaser]

You wont need a new motor unless there is a problem with the motor to begin with.

I would make sure your running 50/50 or or alittle more water then coolant, and make sure you burp all the bubbles out of the coolant system, by filling it up, and running the car with the radiator cap off till the thermostat opens. You could have had a thermostat, and it went bad...you never know with this money hungry mechanics. Just do a yahoo search "how to burp a coolant system" Im sure you will find some answers.

Next if all goes well, do a compression test, and take notes to the numbers each cylinder has. Get the specs to what it should read around, and if you have a cylinder that is reading a lower number by 10 or 20psi less, then its time for a leak down test in that cylinder.

And it definatly will not crack your block if you put a new head gasket on. The best is to make sure the coolant system is properly bleed or "burped", then do a compression test on the motor to make sure the cylinders are all with in check, or specs that they should. You can also see if you are loosing coolant. Check it after a day of use when its cooled down, and see if the radiator system is still topped off.

 

[#40Fan]

Did the thermostat fix it? When does the gauge read hot? When you are driving down the highway or when in town or when sitting at an idle?

Have you checked to see if the fans work?

 

[purptalon97]

Well I know for a fact I didn't have a thermostat because I went to put the new one in and there was no old thermostat in there to begin with.

I haven't ran it since I put the new thermostat in because at the same time I was teaching my best friend to drive a 5 speed and she burned the clutch out.

 

[#40Fan]

A car will still start without a clutch.

You can still check to see if it gets hot sitting in one spot. Best way to check if the fans work.

Better figure out the overheating before spending any money on the clutch.

 

[ShawnsGarage]

Whoever you mechanic is I would not suggest going back to them. Saying that replacing the head gasket will crack the block is just ignorant. Basically most mechanics see a female and its like dollar signs.

Are you losing coolant? Pull out your oil dipstick and see if it has bubbles in the oil. If so thats a sign of head gasket. When you see the temp gauge go past halfway its a good idea to kill the engine to prevent major damage.

 

[purptalon97]

Thank you guys! I will let you know soon what happens!

 

[thewraith]

Not having a thermostat has nothing to do w/overheating- in fact you will most likely NOT OVERHEAT w/out a thermostat (clarification- if your head gasket is bad, you will overheat either way- the lack of thermostat will take you longer to overheat because the coolant will flow instantly before it warms up in the block) because there is nothing stopping/hindering the flow of water to your engine. As for a new head gasket cracking your block- find a new friend.

 

[mannyssj13]

yea dont listen to that guy he is just tryn to take ## money..good luck with ## car tho!

 

[dt23400]

its pretty hard to crack a block. a simple lil head gasket would not have any chance at doing so by itself. It would take a tremendous amount of pressure in order to do that. deffiantly find a different mechanic or a friend that knows how to do tihs if u dont know how. Unless u wanna learn ofcourse..

 

[Colt4G63 also]

Like most have said, your friend is either lying to you or just stupid. A head gasket won't crack yor engine block.

 

[96eclipzGsT]

I could be many different things causing it to overheat. Fans working? leaking coolant? radiator plugged up? A leak down test and compression test is where I would start after checking the basics. Those will tell you for sure.

 

[My1GLaser]

Are you sure its actually overheating? The coolant temp sensor can go bad and give false readings.

I would start by idling the car in the driveway and do the following:

1. Check to see if you are low on coolant? (from leaking or burning in the CC)
2. Duct tape a meat thermometer to your upper radiator hose and see what the temperature really is. (You will be able to tell that your thermostat is working when you see the temp go up and down 20 or so degrees as it opens and closes.)
3. Make sure the fans kick on like mentioned (also they should kick off when the temp goes below a certain point and not run all the time)
4. See if the overflow tank gets full of coolant (it will normally boil over if its overheating)
5. Is there steam coming from anywhere?

If all of that checks out, then replace the coolant temp sensor that feeds the dash gauge and see what happens. I think it is the small one on the thermostat housing with only one terminal, but I have a 1g so I'm not positive.

 

[2gmummy]

Haha i think it kinda funny how quick the responses where because it says "a girl in need of help"
but anyways a compression test can tell you if the head gasket is bad, also i'd check the radiator cap make sure its holding pressure, check your coolant overflow if it has a kind of milky look it may be a blown head gasket and make sure the fans work.

but good luck lets us know how it works out

 

[Calan]

Not having a thermostat has nothing to do w/overheating- in fact you will most likely NOT OVERHEAT w/out a thermostat

Not to be an ass, but you can just as easily overheat without a thermostat in some cases, due to the coolant not staying in the radiator long enough. Besides preventing flow until a certain temperature is reached, the thermostat is also a metering device that slows the flow of coolant down to allow time for heat to transfer.

...if your head gasket is bad, you will overheat either way...

I'm not sure if I read that correctly, but you can have a blown headgasket in several ways without seeing an overheating issue.

...a compression test can tell you if the head gasket is bad

Not necessarily. A leak-down test is more likely to pinpoint an HG problem than a compression test, although even then it depends on what type of HG failure you have.


OP - Here are a couple of articles that you may find helpful:

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/articles-engine-fuel/336535-do-you-have-blown-head-gasket.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/articles-engine-fuel/338152-compression-test-vs-leak-down-test.html

 

[1990AWD]

are you sure it isn't a faulty sensor giving your gauge an incorrect reading?

 

[2gmummy]

Not necessarily. A leak-down test is more likely to pinpoint an HG problem than a compression test, although even then it depends on what type of HG failure you have

So would a compression test help at all in this situation or in trying to diagnose a HG problem?

 

[ShawnsGarage]

No cause worn rings will read low number on Compression. A Leak down test will provide better results

 

[Calan]

So would a compression test help at all in this situation or in trying to diagnose a HG problem?

Well it's never a bad idea. A compression test can prove you have a problem, but it can't prove that you don't. I've heard too many people say things like "it can't be a blown head gasket, cause the compression is good"...when in reality there's several nasty things that can happen to a head or head gasket that don't show up on a compression test. It's one thing among many that you can use to help eliminate potential problems... but it can't tell the whole story by itself.

As far as the OP's over-heating issue... I would look at other potential (and more likely) culprits before blaming the HG if there are no other symptoms. The first thing is to verify it really is overheating, and then start looking at coolant level (leaks), thermostat, water pump, clogged radiator fins, fans not working, etc.

If it's a bad headgasket, you'll most likely have other symptoms besides just over-heating.

Not saying it isn't a HG issue, but there are many other things that are more likely to cause over-heating problems... especially on a DSM.