what are the symptoms of a cracked head?

Question

i have a nissan 240sx, it is running hot. the problem progressed. it ran hot once just idling in a parkinglot. than maybe a month down the road it would over heat and then run fine, and over heat later. and now it overheats immediately. i havent seen any oil in the water or water in the oil i have replaced the thermostat, no fix. and i strait wired the fan to the battery. and it helped but not much. do you think this is a cracked head or maybe a water pump or clogged radiator? or what. my brother says cracked head. and it was vapor locking, so i would pour water over the throtle body on it, and then it would crank for me. so it is posible i cracked the head maybe. but it runs like it has been, just hot. it has an aluminum intakeand throttle body. so.... any suggestions?

no leaks or anything, no white smoke. it is burning oil i know, cause one of my piston rings are going, but it has been that way for a months now. but they are usually ok untill about 4k rpms. so if i have a cracked head, i will for sure have water in my oil?

Answer 1

This is a rather inexpensive diagnosis to make. Have your cooling system pressure checked at any dealer or independent mechanic who has the special hand pump / radiator cap unit to do the test. The same unit also tests radiator pressure caps so you're getting two tests with one visit. This test will pretty much let you know if you have an internal head gasket of cracked head issue. If that's not it sigh deeply and do the easy things next. Have the cooling system acid cleaned and flushed. Inspect the interior radiator cooling tubes for buildup of corrosion and rust. Check the water pump "weep hole" for a leak. Be sure your electric or mechanical fan is working properly. If necessary slap on a new radiator. It costs nearly as much to have the end tanks removed and tubes rodded out and run the risk of an old radiator with the lowsey plastic end tanks complete with a large O ring leak if not perfectly sealed at both ends.

Answer 2

Cracked Head Symptoms

Answer 3

maybe the water pump or radiator clogged. If the head was cracked you'd be loosing water/antifreeze and see the leak. You will have coolant in the oil, it will be milky like looking. Start it up and look under it for any coolant leak. Change the antifreeze, it doesn't last forever. How hot is it getting? If you run it really hot then the heads can warp and crack. If your brother isn't any kind of mechanic then have a real one look at it. You can get an estimate for almost nothing and you may be able to fix the problem yourself.

Answer 4

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RE:
what are the symptoms of a cracked head?
i have a nissan 240sx, it is running hot. the problem progressed. it ran hot once just idling in a parkinglot. than maybe a month down the road it would over heat and then run fine, and over heat later. and now it overheats immediately. i havent seen any oil in the water or water in the oil i have...

Answer 5

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The simplest way to check whether the head gasket has blown is check the colour of the oil. Take the oil filler cap off, and look for white 'mayonnaise' type sludge under it. Basically, if the head gasket is blown, water will be let into the sump and eventually turns a creamy white colour. If you have this, i would be pretty certain that your head gasket has blown.

Answer 6

Sounds like yer on the right track. Can you borrow a compression gauge from a buddy ( or a Discount auto parts store)? If you get low readings on 1 or more cyl. , you won't know if it's just the gasket or head until ya pull' er apart . Good Luck =^ )

Answer 7

Does it smoke white? You have blown head gasket if it does.
If you have no leak, I would inspect the water pump. After replacing it, make sure you bleed the cooling system.

Answer 8

I know this has NOTHING to do with your car but... when i read the headline i thought you ment "what are the symptoms of a CRACK HEAD" hahahahah