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I know this is an old thread but I wanted to do an update in case it helped anyone in the future. I went ahead and replaced the head gasket. Again I had no car experience, but I used information on this forum and the process went very smooth. I also took advantage of the timing belt replacement vmanual to perform that service as well. The video was extremely detailed and even allowed a complete novice like me to feel comfortable doing this procedure.
The reason I decided to replace the head gasket was because I was losing about an overflow container worth of coolant every week. I checked all suggested sources for coolant leaks and I could never find one. I also never saw any coolant on the ground, and the car would not overheat. Once I finished my head gasket replacement I filled up the coolant and I noticed coolant pouring onto the floor. I took a look and it ended up being the o ring and gasket behind the thermostat housing. This was one area where I did not check because I thought since I had the hose on tight I was good to go. The prior owner must have had a similar problem, but they decided to fix it with blue goop instead of the proper gasket and o ring. Once I got those two seals set in place, the car stopped leaking coolant. Now I am wondering if I ever had a problem with my head gasket. When I took off the head gasket, it didn’t look blown. The next couple weeks will tell if I am having any type of continued coolant loss.
I just wanted to give people dealing with a coolant loss issue another place to check for leaks because on my car it did not appear to be leaking from those seals before I took the head off, but now looking back I am almost sure that is where I was losing coolant. I was lucky because I have multiple vehicles but if someone is in a hurry to get this problem fixed I think this would be another good place to look for coolant loss problems.
I know this is an old thread but I wanted to ask a question related to this project. I ended up leaving the car alone last year and just refilling coolant when needed (about every 2 weeks). I drove it like this for the last year. 1 Month ago I got another car and so I decided to take off the head gasket from this car off to see what it looked like. The head and block actually look better than I thought they would. I do not see much pitting at all. Now that I have the thing apart I cleaned up the mating surfaces with a rag and some mineral spirits but they don’t look even close to “mirror finish” like Eric posted previously. What should I do to clean up these mating surfaces? I have looked around the internet at responses and it seems everyone has a different opinion for an aluminum block. Some people say use scotch brite pads, other people say just mineral spirits, other people say copper brush. I just want to make sure I can get it as clean as it needs to be without messing up the mating surface. Would pictures be helpful?
Money is tight right now but on the other hand I don’t want to redo the head gasket during winter. I am considering whether to buy new head bolts or use the old ones. #EricTheCarGuy do you recommend buying new head bolts (around $100) or will the old bolts work fine? Thanks!
Money is tight right now but on the other hand I don’t want to redo the head gasket during winter. I am considering whether to buy new head bolts or use the old ones. #EricTheCarGuy do you recommend buying new head bolts (around $100) or will the old bolts work fine? Thanks!
I was pricing out some head gasket options on Ebay and I have a few questions. Is stamped steel (what I believe came OEM) the same thing as multi layered steel? Does anyone know if an option like this http://goo.gl/MXn7ui would work, or do I need to pay more for a name brand from a local parts store? Thanks.
I was pricing out some head gasket options on Ebay and I have a few questions. Is stamped steel (what I believe came OEM) the same thing as multi layered steel? Does anyone know if an option like this http://goo.gl/MXn7ui would work, or do I need to pay more for a name brand from a local parts store? Thanks.
I wanted to say thanks again for all the replies I have gotten on this thread. I have been a longtime lurker, but this was my first post and this forum has been more than helpful. I know next to nothing about cars and car repairs but I am so poor it has become a necessity to start learning. Because I felt like the first block test was inconclusive I decided to buy some test liquid from another parts store (Napa). I used this liquid on a warm engine and after 2-3 minutes the liquid became light green almost yellow. I do believe I have a blown head gasket, or at least(most) some defect related to the engine block. I wanted to let everyone know that not all test solutions are the same because I used the OEM brand from Autozone (8oz for $8.99) and the solution only turned very light blue not yellow or green with the exact same testing procedure. The Napa product was 5.50 for 16 oz and starts out as a much darker blue making it easier to distinguish a color difference. I have been looking for a good head gasket replacement write up or video but I cannot seem to find one. If anyone could point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated.
Another question I have is at this point would a leak down test be helpful in determining whether I even want to repair the head gasket, or junk the car? Since there is a proven passage between cylinders and cooling system, would I just be losing all compression from that cylinder to the cooling system, or would I still be able to gain any information? I really can’t afford another car but I don’t want to dump $ into this head gasket repair if I won’t end up with a reliable engine. I have heard many times that you should not replace a head gasket without finding the root cause of the problem. I am trying to think of a reason for which the head gasket would have blown and I cannot. 2 years ago the car overheated because I neglected the coolant in the summer, but in the last 2 years I have not lost any coolant until recently. Since the overheat the temp gauge has not passed 1/4 mark. If I decide to keep the car I will definitely replace the lower radiator hose, but where else could I look for clues about why this condition occurred?
I wanted to say thanks again for all the replies I have gotten on this thread. I have been a longtime lurker, but this was my first post and this forum has been more than helpful. I know next to nothing about cars and car repairs but I am so poor it has become a necessity to start learning. Because I felt like the first block test was inconclusive I decided to buy some test liquid from another parts store (Napa). I used this liquid on a warm engine and after 2-3 minutes the liquid became light green almost yellow. I do believe I have a blown head gasket, or at least(most) some defect related to the engine block. I wanted to let everyone know that not all test solutions are the same because I used the OEM brand from Autozone (8oz for $8.99) and the solution only turned very light blue not yellow or green with the exact same testing procedure. The Napa product was 5.50 for 16 oz and starts out as a much darker blue making it easier to distinguish a color difference. I have been looking for a good head gasket replacement write up or video but I cannot seem to find one. If anyone could point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated.
Another question I have is at this point would a leak down test be helpful in determining whether I even want to repair the head gasket, or junk the car? Since there is a proven passage between cylinders and cooling system, would I just be losing all compression from that cylinder to the cooling system, or would I still be able to gain any information? I really can’t afford another car but I don’t want to dump $ into this head gasket repair if I won’t end up with a reliable engine. I have heard many times that you should not replace a head gasket without finding the root cause of the problem. I am trying to think of a reason for which the head gasket would have blown and I cannot. 2 years ago the car overheated because I neglected the coolant in the summer, but in the last 2 years I have not lost any coolant until recently. Since the overheat the temp gauge has not passed 1/4 mark. If I decide to keep the car I will definitely replace the lower radiator hose, but where else could I look for clues about why this condition occurred?
I just read the question “With the engine running have you checked for bubbles in the coolant reservoir?” again and I realized I read it incorrectly the first time. I have never paid attention to what the reservoir was doing but I will check that when I get a chance. I was referring to what the coolant was doing inside an open radiator. I am guessing I would do this by leaving the rad cap on or else I doubt coolant would be pushed into the reservoir. I know that the coolant reservoir on this car is not pressurized, but would a poor fitting cap (threads on reservoir cap stripped) cause a big drop in coolant? Thanks for all the responses I really appreciate it.
I just read the question “With the engine running have you checked for bubbles in the coolant reservoir?” again and I realized I read it incorrectly the first time. I have never paid attention to what the reservoir was doing but I will check that when I get a chance. I was referring to what the coolant was doing inside an open radiator. I am guessing I would do this by leaving the rad cap on or else I doubt coolant would be pushed into the reservoir. I know that the coolant reservoir on this car is not pressurized, but would a poor fitting cap (threads on reservoir cap stripped) cause a big drop in coolant? Thanks for all the responses I really appreciate it.
About every 10 days I am losing a filled overflow container worth of fluid. When the engine is at a cold start the the coolant does not bubble. After the engine warms up it will start to boil. The biggest thing that worried me was when I pressure tested the cooling system it made the car hard to start. This makes me think that without compression in the cylinders the coolant was able to seep in.
About every 10 days I am losing a filled overflow container worth of fluid. When the engine is at a cold start the the coolant does not bubble. After the engine warms up it will start to boil. The biggest thing that worried me was when I pressure tested the cooling system it made the car hard to start. This makes me think that without compression in the cylinders the coolant was able to seep in.