Is this a blown head gasket?

[levymetal]

Hey guys,

I fitted a new radiator about a week ago. Checked the levels a few days after, needed a bit of top up. Checked today, and the overflow bottle was completely empty. Radiator was a bit down too. Funny thing is, there were no visible leaks this time . Took radiator cap off, was faced with this:



Head gasket? If so, can someone tell me the best way to commit suicide.

purchase price $4,500.00
wheels (stockies) $112.00
pre-roady $77.00
windscreen $160.00
wiper switch $50.00
taillight looms $20.00
tie rod ends $65.00
tyres $288.00
roady $720.00
transfer + stamp duty $150.00
sale of old wheels -$100.00
fix strut $100.00
remote case $40.00
bonnet badge $20.00
lpg + plugs etc $950.00
taillights $109.00
door pods $50.00
courtesy lights $20.00
trip computer $30.00
headunit $200.00
water pump etc $100.00
CAI $30.00
tune $66.00
more lights + garnish $30.00
oxy sensor $62.00
timing light $35.00
holden boot badge $27.00
speakers + spacers $132.00
battery $137.50
ignition coil $72.00
radiator $340.00
top hose+ thermostat $31.00
coolant + water $36.00
total cost: $8,659.50

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Just looks like a bit of crap floating around in the system. Losing coolant could be either an air lock or a dodgy cap.

[levymetal]

yeah, well i hope... when i flushed the system i forgot to turn the heater up on the climate control, so there could have still been some crap there (and air), but it's strange that my system sucked up the entire overflow bottle. the cap came new with the radiator, there's a couple of spots of coolant around it but definitely no big leaks :S

[aussieghostrider]

if you had air trapped in the system can force water out from anywhere ..

Head gaskets rarely go on these engines ....no bubbles when engines running and oil not milky then you ok.

overflow bottle you mean like the series 1 engines have ?

look at your bonnet and see if theres any steam/stain marks from hot coolant pissing out...

you put new radiator so make sure all hoses are ok and clamps are done up tight , go for a drive and let engine get to half temp on guage then pop bonnet going over all hoses on the engine , heater tap , thermostat all hoses ... if theres a leak you will see it when engines at half temp.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

It's a recovery cap, so if it opens too soon, it will fill your overflow bottle, and then it overflows, then as it cools, it will suck the remainder back into the radiator emptying the overflow. But it sounds like it could be an airlock, it will do the same thing as air expands more than liquid when heated. It will push coolant into the overflow.

[levymetal]

if you had air trapped in the system can force water out from anywhere ..

Head gaskets rarely go on these engines ....no bubbles when engines running then you ok.

overflow bottle you mean like the series 1 engines have ?

look at your bonnet and see if theres any steam/stain marks from hot coolant pissing out...

you put new radiator so make sure all hoses are ok and clamps are done up tight.

overflow bottle like the series 2 engines have, this is a 5ltr but it's closer to the s2 design. there are no leaks anywhere, coolant is very obvious when it leaks. you don't lose a whole overflow bottle from a loose fitting and not see it . bubbles though... should i run the engine with the cap off and check for bubbles?

It's a recovery cap, so if it opens too soon, it will fill your overflow bottle, and then it overflows, then as it cools, it will suck the remainder back into the radiator emptying the overflow. But it sounds like it could be an airlock, it will do the same thing as air expands more than liquid when heated. It will push coolant into the overflow.

this would happen when the engine was running, thus the reason i don't see a leak. how do i properly check for an air lock? i posted a thread a while ago about this when i was looking for the bleed screw, turns out you just fill up 5ltrs as best you can, and it'll bleed itself...

[levymetal]

oh shit, i just realised i am meant to run it with the cap off to bleed it. feel like kicking myself in the head sometimes. i'll do that, and see how i go.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Run it with the cap off until the thermostat opens, then top it up.

[levymetal]

probably blew the head gasket because i didn't do this. well, not the cars fault this time.

thanks for the help, your advice is always tops

[wrx884]

Dont 4get 2 turn on ur heater wen filling up also, u can gently squeeze the radiator hoses a couple times while filling up 2 help along gettin the air bubbles out.

[greenfoam]

probably blew the head gasket because i didn't do this. well, not the cars fault this time.

thanks for the help, your advice is always tops

The head gasket will be fine man, I drove mine around once with the cap not on properly and it was fine they are tough

[Tsunamix]

Water expands when hot, if the system is full to the max before it gets hot, it will force water out the overflow. Then when it gets cool, the water will shrink a little, sucking water in from the overflow bottle.

It should NOT suck the whole bottle full though.

I would - Take the radiator cap off and let the engine idle up to temp. SLOWLY pour water in until the system overflows. Cap it and fill the overflow bottle up to about 75%. Check it in a day's time and make sure theres water in the overflow bottle. If not - you have a water leak.

POINTS TO REMEMBER -

Cast alloy components handle heat changes better than cast iron. adding water slowly will keep temp changes to a minimum, and reduce the VERY REAL CHANCE OF CRACKING BLOCK AND HEADS through heat stress. Get the idea ?

There will always be foamy brown crap in the water. Unfortunate but true.

[levymetal]

Yeah this is what I did. I started it up and let it run with the cap off. Heater full on. Water just kept on coming out of the neck, so I got a rubber glove and held it over the radiator neck so the water would go into the overflow instead. I let it do this for 10 minutes, then I heard a sound and took the glove away and saw the level drop a bit (thermostat finally opening?), so I topped it up, put the cap on, and drove to work. When I drove out the driveway I think I heard a bit of water running behind the dash, which pissed me off because I spent all that time trying to get the air out. Maybe I was just dreaming though. Hopefully it's all good now. It's such a simple concept in theory, why is it so troublesome in practice?

[rob drag racer]

looks like trans fluid to me

[Blown V6 Hatch]

Agreed, i would say it's tranny fluid too. Is it one of those cheap chinese alloy radiators?

If thats the case, you will want to be very careful because if there is trans fluid getting into the coolant, there will be coolant getting into the trans fluid. You will have yourself a stuffed auto in no time.....

Pull the dipstick out of the auto and see what the fluid looks like. If it's milky, you have a problem.

[levymetal]

haha, i got an alloy radiator, tried to avoid the cheap ones shipped from shanghai/hong kong but it probably was made in china anyway. a tiny bit of trans fluid like that might be my fault though, dripped a bit of oil out of the cooler hoses when i changed radiators and it's possible that a bit landed in the bottom radiator hose.

i'll check the auto tomorrow to see if there's water in it though

[rob drag racer]

Blown V6 Hatch is right if it makes its way back ya might have an issue can always whack some sort of stop leak in it good luck i hope it isnt a leak and its just spillage

[Blown V6 Hatch]

haha, i got an alloy radiator, tried to avoid the cheap ones shipped from shanghai/hong kong but it probably was made in china anyway. a tiny bit of trans fluid like that might be my fault though, dripped a bit of oil out of the cooler hoses when i changed radiators and it's possible that a bit landed in the bottom radiator hose.

i'll check the auto tomorrow to see if there's water in it though

By that photo, it's more than a couple of drops....

[levymetal]

that stuff was only on the top, once i got rid of it i didn't see any more. i checked my auto fluid, looks fine but i guess it's kinda hard to tell on a dipstick.

the fluid level is already a bit lower again after driving it to work and back. i can just tell that i'm going to keep loosing coolant, where is it going?! engine oil looks good too. checked overflow bottle after driving, it's not near the top at all so it's not overflowing (tonight anyway). might take it into a radiator shop to get a pressure test i think.

[rob drag racer]

sounds like an intake gasket has a leak

[Scooter79]

Hey Levymetal, did you get it sorted out? What was the problem?

[vlv8vic]

i know it's a little late in the topic but these are the same symptoms i had when i did a head on the camry. It didn't show water in the oil until it had been sitting in the shed for 2 weeks without any love. it constantly wanted to overflow and bubble, and ran fine over short distances but on longer trips got very hot.