How do I know if the head is blown on my car? What are the basic signs?

Question

I have a 97 Eclipse. My car has been overheating. The other day, the temp gauge was buried past the H. But when it did that, I didn't smell antifreeze, like I normally do. Every now & then, smoke comes out of the tailpipe, but not all of the time. Sometimes it seems to pour water out of it & other times, it doesn't (sometimes there's a puddle where my car's been, but not always). The temp hand doesn't always goes up. It's strange. Sometimes I drive it & can tell something is wrong & others, it's like nothing is wrong (I dont drive far, though, just to work mainly). My boyfriend's brother said it's the head. That I need to replace it. I can't afford a mechanic. He said he'd give me a good price to fix it (labor wise). He's good @ working on cars, I just want to make sure he's not trying to lie to me about what it is, before I pay him to fix it. What are the usual signs of a blown head? What would it do if it were just the head gasket? Any other suggestions?

Answer 1

A bad head gasket will cause contamination of the coolant with fuel mixture and some exhaust. The air/fuel mixture in the compression stroke will blow into the engine coolant passages.
You would be losing coolant with a bad head gasket.

If the stat was bad, it would probably climb up to hot, then go back down once the stat finally opened, and work fine as long as the engine stays warm.

You can get a pressure system test or chemical test done to see if this is the problem. Also, a little coolant will be drawn inside the cylinder on the intake stroke. This coolant will cause the cylinder head and top of the piston to look very clean. So if you pull the plugs, all your piston tops should be carbon black.
If you have a clean one (silver), head gasket leak.

Some water dripping is normal from the exhaust, especially if the car doesn't travel very far. It is condensation. It is not good to drive a car for only short trips, as this will eat up an exhaust system from trapped moisture.

Answer 2

Signs of a blown head gasket are:

1) water in the oil sump. (you might see this on the dipstick when you pull it out.)

2) oil in the cooling system. (you can see this by removing the cap---when it's cool, of course.)

3) white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe (that's steam and anti-freeze), because the coolant is traveling through the blown head gasket into the cylinders.

4) blue smoke coming from the exhaust pipe (that's oil), because the oil is leaking from oil passages in the block and head, and moving to the cylinders.

Check to make sure any hidden water hoses do not have pin-hole leaks; this can spray water onto or near the block/head junction making you think the steam is coming from a blown head gasket.

This was not a problem in the old days of under-head cams and carburetors; but it's a heck of a hassle to fix now. Repair bills can total a used car. Good luck.

Answer 3

a blown head/head gasket can cause various problems like, overheating, oil in water or vica versa, engine miss fire due to compression leaking from the cylinders through the gasket, cold air through the heater vents when it should be warm, water in the cylinders causing hydraulicking and a heap load of white smoke out of the exhaust. your problems may not necessary be the head you could just have a water leak causing the puddle under the car and to overheat when the water level is low. on cold days water will come out of the exhaust that's just condensation, obviously if it's pouring out then it could be a little more than that. my advice would be take it to the garage and get a proper check carried out.

Answer 4

Man, it sounds like a warped/cracked head.
But the intermitentness (sp) of it is a bit baffling.
Now if that puddle or the water from the exhaust is tinged with antifreeze, you got your answer.
Otherwise, if in doubt, just drive it till you got a problem.

Now if you finally get to where it is too hard to start and/or idle, chances are you crossed the bridge for headwork. It may just need to be milled (head flattened.) Just make sure that the valves and pistons can't be mashed by taking off warped metal.
Oh, also be sure it isn't cracked since aluminum heads can't be repaired (except with maybe liquid glass but that is for you to chance.)

Answer 5

Another old school way to see if you've got coolant issues is take the spark plugs out one by one. If you have one or two plugs that are nice and shiny clean there is a possibility of a head or head gasket issue.
I doubt if he's lying to you. Most people just don't want to tear into a cylinder head job just for the kicks. Its a bear of a job. If he's knowledgeable let him do it if that's the problem.

Answer 6

When my head gasket blew...my car over heated, gaskets blew, locked up and would not start. It caused the engine to flood and killed the engine.
I would suggest that you get it fixed before it gets worst. Sounds like you have been lucky with it so far.


Check out these sites...they may help.
http://www.trustmymechanic.com/htmlmessage6.html

http://www.faqfarm.com/Q/What_are_the_signs_of_a_blown_head_gasket

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/cadillac-seville-cadillac-eldorado-forum/8952-blown-head-gasket-how-check.html

Answer 7

your motor oil will be milky and motor will be miss fireing