cracked head or head gasket?

[tmt23]

ive got a v6 vs ecotech
i think i've done the head gasket or cracked the head
how do i tell which one to replace without taking it apart first?

[James39]

Please expalin the problem.. May only need an inlet manifold gasket...

[tmt23]

well the car overheated the other night
the car was low on oil so topped it up
ive done the test through the radiator and the liquid changed colour
it drives fine but idles like crap
so im suspecting its the head or gasket

[James39]

well the car overheated the other night
the car was low on oil so topped it up
ive done the test through the radiator and the liquid changed colour
it drives fine but idles like crap
so im suspecting its the head or gasket

I would be checking the inlet manifold gasket first as it is much cheaper to do, if you are lucky it will only be the gaskets for inlet manifold...

But there is no way to know if you have a cracked head or blown gead gasket untill you take the heads off.

[tmt23]

there isn't any water in the oil now
it's not using alot of water as well
when it overheated the temp gauge only went half way
but the car stalling when it overheated just made it seem like ive done the head

[James39]

But there was water in the oil before? that would tell me you have a blown head or inlet manifold gasket.. these things do not fix themselves lol

[tmt23]

there was water in it before
before it overheated all the water shot out through the overflow i think

[James39]

I forgot to add, you need to do a compression test on each cylinder and note which one has stuff all pressure. That should tell you where it is blown.
But in any case if you do have a blown head gasket it would be wise to replace both…

[PanthaVS]

Head Gaskets can blow in different ways.

1. The gasket blows between the cylinder and the water jackets.
= Air in the radiator / Water going through the engine and out the exhaust.
2. The gasket blows between the water jacket and the outside of the block.
= Water leaks out (Slowly) when it gets up to temp and pressure forces the water out through the hole.

The latter of the 2 will result in your overflow bottle always emptying as it sucks water back out of it when it cools down.