has my head gasket gone?

[VT1988]

my car keeps over heating last week it needed 4L of water yesterday, i topped it up with another 1L, and again today with another 1L inside the radiator it has like a rainbow look to it i dont know if thats the coolant mixing with it or oil. Also when i put the water in the radiator it keeps getting sucked down into the collent bottle. My temp gauge goes up and down from hot to just below half, it doesnt happen every day but i just noticed im always topping up the water.

[sxc_sound]

If your using straight water, it has a lower boiling point and will evaporate quicker. To check the head gasket, take off the oil cap and see if there is water under the lid. Also on the dipstick the oil will be a thick gluggy light brown goo, instead of your transparent brown oil. Hope its not the gasket :P, my vl i had cost $2,500 for a new head and gasket set

[Gero SV6]

Do it run ruff? A test that sometime work is to take the radiator cap off,fill it up and start the engine if after a few minute bubbles come out of the radiator neck every 30 seconds or so.If it dose it might of blown the gasket but the might just have air in.A workshop will have a tester. look for leaks or a white/green bulit around the engine and the themostat housing and down the side of the radiator.

[south21]

Commodore heads are almost bullet proof, could be the manifold gasket does it blow excess steam out the exhaust when first starting up in the morning, does the steam smell like coolant.

[VT1988]

If your using straight water, it has a lower boiling point and will evaporate quicker. To check the head gasket, take off the oil cap and see if there is water under the lid. Also on the dipstick the oil will be a thick gluggy light brown goo, instead of your transparent brown oil. Hope its not the gasket :P, my vl i had cost $2,500 for a new head and gasket set

Do it run ruff? A test that sometime work is to take the radiator cap off,fill it up and start the engine if after a few minute bubbles come out of the radiator neck every 30 seconds or so.If it dose it might of blown the gasket but the might just have air in.A workshop will have a tester. look for leaks or a white/green bulit around the engine and the themostat housing and down the side of the radiator.

Commodore heads are almost bullet proof, could be the manifold gasket does it blow excess steam out the exhaust when first starting up in the morning, does the steam smell like coolant.

i looked under my oil cap its more like yogurt but it looks like there's a bit of water in there, the dip stick looks like normal, and i topped it up with a bit more water and yeh there were bubbles and it was steaming a bit this morning but i thought just because it was cold doesnt smell like coolant though