Checking the oil cap is in no way an indication of head gasket. If you have a bad oring around that cap condensation and water gets in that spot and causes milk color. Common as hell. Just sayin
I have a p0300 with misfires at 6 7 and 8 but mainly 8. Thing is I have zero symptoms no shake, no overheat, no smoke, fuel trims normal. No big coolant leaks but somehow I'm missing just a bit of coolant but the combustion test never hit yellow. Can I still have a very small leaking head gasket?
Dude,as soon as your car is in someone's garage as soon as you question anything THEY blow a gasket......that's why I learned on my own .....u go to get a head gasket done you'll be in for a valve job and resurfacing for sure....valve stem seals.the whole nine.
To check for compression entering cooling system, I just take the hose off my cooling system pressure tester and put hose in a clear container of water and check for air bubbles.
Pete, thanks for the video. I've done some head gasket replacement before but it was a diesel with a cast iron block and head. I did check the head with a machined straight edge like you said. I've been really hesitant to mess with aluminum blocks due hearing you always have to machine them. I had heard the heat will cause the metal to distort a little. It's good to know that is not the case. Are there any tricks to removing the head bolts other than reversing the bolt tightening order to minimize distorting when removing? Now I might just have to tackle a project I have been putting off just for that reason.
Hey Troy, If it's still running you can crack the bolts while the engine is still hot, that will prevent stripping the threads. Loosen the head evenly. Let it cool before taking them out. If 1 or 2 get tight again you know the head move a little.
Amazing video once again!. Just thinking if someone is actually going for a head gasket replacement, what other parts should one change just as a precaution? Because as the mechanics say since you have opened up the engine, lets change other stuff that as well might break and would again require tearing up the whole engine. I think for a 20 year old engine with 180 km on it, valve seals and piston rings may be changed and about the main bearings and pistons themselves? At the same time i believe fixing something that ain't broke yet might cause some other problem due to human error. What does your experience say about that :)
If you are doing the work yourself, you can take the heads to a local machine shop and have them check flatness. My local guy will check a set of heads and a block for $20. He even does it in front of you if you would like so you know he isn't trying to sell you something you don't need.
@@PetesGarage agreed. I have nothing bad to say about him. Awesome guy with a good personality,honest and takes pride in his work. Can't ask for any better.
"The more you know, the less you get ripped off." So guys, get educated in car maintenance and don't ever get ripped off. Not all auto mechanics are honest.
Hi Pete! I have a 96 Camaro Z28 will these test prove if I have an head gasket leak/oil. Car leaks just a drop here and there and oil looks good and the car doesn’t overheat. Thanks Pete very informative videos!
Got pudding goo on oil cap. Little white smoke from oil dip stick area. Loosing coolant but the only leak i see is lower intake. 3800 engine, grand Prix. Always had some white smoke but not a big cloud. Oil itself is normal color. Pressure test isn't holding. My personal mechanic thinks it's intake. Auto shop didn't do leak down or dye, says head gasket. Doesn't seem like head gasket from most symptoms not showing, just seems like coolant leaking somewhere ...
How can i stop small leak on head gasket.engine oil leak out very small amount.i always wash my engine if it catch my eye.but it still ok since it not mix my coolant.
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. Thanks much brother!
I have dihatsu coure car.when it starts air bubbles comes out with smelly compression gas.then I noticed that considerable amount of coolent available on the 2 nd piston of the cylinder.I removed that plug and started again.coolent comes out from the plug hole.this engine never over heated or boiled.what can be the reason? please reply me.
Hey, I have a case of vanishing coolant. No milk in the oil, no low cylinder pressure. Could a pressure test on the coolant system tell me that one of the gaskets is bad? I was thinking either intake manifold or head gasket would be blown if the pressure goes down provided there are no other obvious leaks.
8:39 I know this video was 4 years ago, but I hope you replaced that orange hose that is kinked up on the snap on cylinder leakdown tester before 90+ psi of pressure explodes in your face. A lot of things could've happened in those 4 years.
My 2018 Nissan Pathfinder with 73000 miles has always ran great, no mechanical problems. about 2 months ago and only occasionally, not always it would blow white smoke out of the exhaust when I started it up. I took it to a mechanic who looked at the oil and said it was extremely dirty. I had regular oil changes. He changed the oil twice and put an additive in it. It still ran great no signs of mechanical trouble but within a week or so it would blow white smoke when i started it up. Not always. The about a week later it conked out on me and came to a stop. I had it towed to my house. The mechanic that said it blew a gasket without looking at it or testing it in any way. He is very busy and doesn't want to work on it. I am having it diagnosed by another mechanic, next week. Your video is very informative and I am hoping it is not a blown head gasket, maybe a valve, cylinder, spark plug or whatever. It starts right up and has a very faint sound from the engine if you listen closely. I'm not driving it at all until I find out what is the problem. The other mechanic seems to think someone put dirt or something in the oil to intentionally contaminate it??? Hope my problem is fixable. I'm 73 on fixed income and can't afford another car. Thank you.
Enjoyed many of your videos, good, technical & to the point. This was terrible, its like you're doing show & tell and talking to Children in Kindergarten.
I just watched a video with similar looking gauge but not snapon. When calibrated right gauge was fully clockwise when 1st gauge was just at 20 psi. His cylinder showed 100 leakdown but flow at 20 psi was so little he couldn't detect where leakage was coming from. I'm puzzled about big difference in psi on 1st gauge.
Also if you have the head surfaced you only have a set amount that can be removed so if you have it machined when you don't need to and for some reason the gasket goes and warps the head a little you may not be able to have it repaired because there's not enough material left because you had it cut originally for no reason.
I wish I had you work on my car. I was losing antifreeze after feeling up reservoir. Shop conducted pressure test on engine and said it passed. They installed new water pump and once everything was put back together the antifreeze in the reservoir started bubbling.
I had the leak down test done as I've had several hoses fail with no apparent overheating, so there was bubbling in the collant reservoir at 90 psi on cyl 3 (6 cylinder engine)... mechanic said head resurface and gasket replacement. No mix of fluids anywhere. Is his diagnostic right? Alternative solutions? Thanks for your video. Very informative.
@@PetesGarage Thanks for sharing your opinion... Last question, Would a sealant additive be worth trying? The leak seems to be very small... Is it too bad to continue driving as it is?
I have a 02 camaro ls1, got ported heads, cam, valvetrain etc done. Problem is once i got the work done car overheats only with ac on, on hot summer days 85° and up. New radiator, new fans, 160 tstat, new cap, new overflow tank, mls head gaskets were installed during the mods. Bled the cooling system multiple times. Car will overheat on both city and highway driving (again only with ac on). Turn ac off and temps drop back down, can drive the car all day without ac and wont overheat. Can drive the car with ac on cooler weather and wont overheat. Idk what else to check for or what to do.
Can a bad rocker arm cause compression issues? I have a p219a code which is air/fuel imbalance. Can a leakage in the cylinder cause this code? Thank you
Wow, my mechanic said he was going to do everything you said, skim, gasket change, for £600+. Covid 19 forced him to cancel. Said the minor oil leak was the head gasket, no milky oil or coolant, no white smoke from the exhaust. But he also didn't do any tests. Got a 2nd opinion from a chap who was going to overhaul the Pierburg 2B5 Carb, asked him if he could change the head gasket, he asked why. No way he said, it's just your rocker cover gasket. Said the same as you Pete, can't leak oil from the head gasket! God works in mysterious ways! 👍
Hello, so I wanted to know why are things never 100%, why is there always a leak, does the leak prevent the engine from blowing up; does the leak balance out the different kinds pressures????
Like said it doesn't matter if it leaks within that acceptable small amount. I think it's not 100% perfect (if that possible) because it would be more expensive to overengineer it for that when the end result would be very similar / the same As we all know balloons leak but do the job for the day or two they are inflated. Then those foil balloons last longer but more expensive.. That's my take on it. Always about the cost v fit for purpose
If I have milky fluid at the dipstick and inside of the oilfill spout, as well as bubbling in the overflow tank. All symptoms occurred within about a couple hundred mile window. Think it's possible that just the head gasket is compromised or more likely the block is also cracked or a valve or piston is cracked? Or is there another way to determine more specifically if it is the head gasket or cracked head or cracked valve and or piston? Thanks for caring enough to help us out!! Much appreciated couldn't do it without you!😎
You could do the second leak down test I performed. If the block or head is cracked you will see air bubbling in the reservoir. A cracked piston would leak into the crankcase and you would have to take of the head to be 100% sure on that one.
So my 97' honda odyssey with 320,000 miles has upper and lower radiator hoses only a year old that collapse. Then the radiator empties to about a 3rd to a 1/4 coolant bottle low but while the overflow reservoir is full and overflowing at the same time and Pisses on the ground. There is rusty like sediment in the radiator and only the new cap I put on and its a tiny bit cloudy. I think this is original radiator from 1997 but I don't know it's a single one owner before me. Is my head gasket leaking or should I just overhaul and get new hoses (entire engine) new radiator, thermostat, housing,temp sensor and water pump or what? Much appreciated of anyone's help thanks 😊
@Pete's Garage yep very true but it's sort of sentimental. It used to be my house after my girlfriend cheating on me and never gave me much of an issue even with the mileage. If it's not worth it I guess this is time to let her go :(
I got a 1999 3.3l dodge grand caravan and when I start it in the morning and drive, it drive perfect until the temperature gauge get to the middle spot, and now the engine start to miss fire and drive badly, if I left the car off for 8 hours it would drive perfect again until it heat up and so and so, I hope you can help me with that problem before I take to a mechanic and get ripped off. Thanks in advance.
@@PetesGarage thank you so much for replying Pete, l changed the coil a week ago and it didn't help, some mechanic told me that it could be a head Gasket, he said when the car heat's up the water can get in true the head Gasket into the cilinder and that's why the misfire happen, I don't know if should change it because that's a big job.
I needed this Video, Im 16 and Just bought a 1999 Ford F-150 Triton and I Believe it has a Head Gasket Leak but I'm not Sure. It doesn't Overheat or Even really Change within a 40 Minute Drive. The Coolant Resivour is A Mirror Black and Not Frothy/Milky, Just A Mirror Black. The Engine Starts AMAZING, Not even Hesitating... The Oil Dipstick Seems to be Normal. I'm having the Coolant Flushed next week to See if that Clears up the Coolant or it it gets bad again. I don't know much about cars and I don't have anyone around who can help me... Any thoughts from Anyone would be Appreciated. Thanks! 👍🏼
RuggedRebel57 I would have the coolant flushed and then keep an eye on it. It's possible that it will turn dark again if it's really dirty. As long as it's not overheating and or losing coolant i don't think you need to worry.
