How can you tell if your car has a cracked head gasket?

Question

How would u go about checking? (without taking it to a mechanic)

Yeah sometimes it does have vapor in the morning not always. This doesnt sound like a cheap fix. Is this kind of problem expensive to fix? it might be better for me to just get a new car.

93 camry se v6 6L 5-speed manual

Answer 1

You start at the beginning. A cracked head or head gasket can have various symptoms. While the engine is cool check the radiator water to see if any oil is present.

If no then check your oil to see if any water is present (it will look milky).

If no then start the engine with the radiator cap off. Look in the radiator to see if it blows bubbles.

If no then check the exhaust to see if much water or oil is coming out or is present in the pipe (Some water is there naturally from condensation. If it doesn't smell like anti-freeze you're OK)

If no then visually inspect around the head and valve cover to see if any anti-freeze is present.

If the answer is no to all of the questions the head and gasket are more then likely intact. The only other test I would recommend would be a compression test, but if you have never done one you may want someone to show you how or go to a mechanic.

If you answered yes to any of the questions you probably do have problems in that area, though some could be caused by mechanical problems other then a blown head gasket or a cracked head.

Answer 2

It's very likely you have a bad head gasket. You may have a cracked head (possibly 2 if it's a V6) but it's less likely the block is cracked. You have to remove the cylinder head(s) to replace the gaskets. You will then send the heads to a machine shop for inspection and resurfacing. It's at that point you will be told if the head(s) are cracked. If there is a cracked head, you will have to pay for a weld repair or a replacement core to rebuild. With the heads off, you can inspect the top of the block for any indications of cracks or other damage. While the only sure way to check the block for cracks is complete disassembly and have the block magnetically inspected, most mechanics will just consider the extent of the original problem (overheating only, no knocking or oil supply problems) and be satisfied if the block passes a visual inspection. Your first mechanic wanted to cover all possible bases and repair the car in a way that he could stand behind and would give you the best service in the long run. Sadly, that's not the best answer for someone who can't afford to go down that road. You will have to do some leg work, but if you have a 4 cylinder, you should be able to find a shop that can replace a cracked cylinder head for under $1500. A V6 would be closer to $2000. Just remember that there is no way to know for sure what you will need until the head is off the car so you will have to commit to a few hundred bucks to tear down and inspect, but that labor will go towards your total repair. One other option is to install a used engine. This can cost less than half the price of a re-man engine, but usually just have a 90 day warranty. Good luck!

Answer 3

check for oil oozing out of the top of the engine.. it is a really simple and cheap fix.. will cost you next to nothing compared to having a mechanic charge you 200 bucks to pop your hood.. and another 1000 bucks to say that your engine needs to be replaced and another 2000 to do the engine replacement
depending on the make/model of car they cost somewhere between 50-100 bucks for a guaranteed refurbished replacement .. will take you an hour to finish the job yourself.. I am sure you can find instructions for how it is done just about anywhere online.. I wont write it down because you haven't given me any kind of useful information to work with.. good luck.. dont be intimidated by the idea of working on your own car.. just research things very well before tinkering :)

Answer 4

hillbillies has the best answer describing the symptoms of a cracked head or head gasket. depending on what model of car and the engine you have prices can vary alot. i have replaced my own headgaskets for as low as $60 for the head gasket. heads are more expensive. if you are mechanically inclined you can replace either with little effort, but since you are asking this question i would suggest finding a mechanic or a friend who knows how to do this

Answer 5

the mechanic comes up to you and says "You have a cra cked head gasket." Find a friend who knows a lot about cars and ask him to check. or learn a lot about cars and then check yourself. Or go on Yahoo! Answers and ask people there and hope they give you a less smart-alecky response than this.

Answer 6

When you are driving,and your car has a thermometer,and it gets very hot,or if you notice a smell of engine coolant while driving,or if your car makes alot of white steamy smoke,you have a head gasket problem.IT also may lose power when you depress the accelorator.

Answer 7

Depending on the nature of the crack you may have one or more of these symptoms:

Loss of coolant with no apparent leak
Oil in your coolant
Coolant in your oil
Rough running
Loss of compression
Coolant leaks from around the head gasket

Answer 8

Check the oil,if it looks like chocolate milk then it possible you have a cracked head gasket,or chocolate milk look around the heads itself

Answer 9

When you start it up in the morning, does it have a lot of vapor coming out of the exhaust pipe? That is usually an indication.

Answer 10

most of the above answers are good.give us a make,year and engine size so we can point you in known places to look externally