how can you tell if a head gasket is leaking?

Answer 1

bubbles in the radiator
when the engine is still cold remove the cap fill the radiator start car and look do you see bubbles its bad
2nd do you see oil or antifreeze spiting out of it to the outside of the car its bad

Answer 2

Headgaskets can leak in several ways.Hot combustion gases can leak into the cooling system. This is bad. The engine overheats quickly from startup and will empty the cooling system of coolant .Goodbye engine if you keep driving.
Headgaskets can blow between cylinders and cause extreme loss of power. This is generally accompanied by a warped cylinder head and requires expensive repairs.
Headgaskets can also leak coolant into the engine oil.This creates a milky looking oil. Also bad because coolant is not a good lubricant.
Loss of coolant with no apparent leaks is the first clue of problems. There is a chemical test that can be done quickly and cheaply by most shops that will detect the presence of carbon monoxide in the coolant.
The compression test will also alert you to a serious loss of compression. It usually occurs in side by side cylinders.
Hope that helps,Mike

Answer 3

my sweet 1 is right, also if its the head gasket you will notice white smoke coming out of your tailpipe when the car is driving. that would be the coolant being burned in the cylinders. get it checked RIGHT AWAY! good luck.

Answer 4

look at your oil,does it look milky?,also is there white smoke coming out of the tailpipe?is your coolant going down?if any of these things are occuring,then i would say its a head gasket.

Answer 5

Cylinder pressure test. See if it leaks.

Answer 6

check your oil if its been bad for awhile the oil will look like a milkshake. but i reccomend compression check

Answer 7

There will be oil seeping out of it. Wipe it off with a rag then check it carefully to see where its coming from

Answer 8

the sure way is a compression test