Do I have a blown head gasket?

[myjaja 10+ year member]

If its cooling back down when revd waterpump is cycling the coolant. You can have a leak ome were and getting air in the coolant causing the bubbles. Also make sure that the fan is working properly. Theres a reason you overheated 3 times

I think its my heater core leaking. My windows get fogged up with a green color at times and I can smell it. But underneath the hood, I see no signs of any leakage. The fans do work, and I even changed both the temp switch/fan switch. I did notice my fans do turn on after the car is off now after the over heating started. Ive had the car for about 4-5 years, and the fans never turned on once the car is off until now.

 

[hellz 10+ year member]

Change rad cap and thermostat and make sure u bleed the air out of the coolant good on that f22

this is most likely your culprit. while it is not uncommon to blow a gasket, this is normally the first thing to replace in the troubleshooting process as they tend to go bad more often. also a good idea to replace if the car is used to you, or you have had the vehicle for a long time and this is something new that just started happening. autozone can do a pressure test on your rad and should be fairly accurate in determining the issue

 

[Whytellyou]

Thermostat is going bad.

 

[Gbob2003 10+ year member]

Little rule of thumb... If there is a white milky liquid underneath the coolant cap then thats how you know if its the head gasket. Otherwise there isnt very many ways to actually tell if its a head gasket.

 

[myjaja 10+ year member]

Good news!! I took it to midas and they did a pressure test. Turns out it had a leak, that's why it had bubbles under true radiator cap. It was just loose clamps on the top pipe connected to the radiator. I'm so glad it's not a head gasket problem. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

What do you think? @Spider Monkey

 

[Shinju 10+ year member]

I think its my heater core leaking. My windows get fogged up with a green color at times and I can smell it. But underneath the hood, I see no signs of any leakage. The fans do work, and I even changed both the temp switch/fan switch. I did notice my fans do turn on after the car is off now after the over heating started. Ive had the car for about 4-5 years, and the fans never turned on once the car is off until now.

What about this issue? That is NOT good to be breathing in those fumes like that.

 

[myjaja 10+ year member]

What about this issue? That is NOT good to be breathing in those fumes like that.

They didn't say anything about the heater core, and I forgot to ask them about it. I was just happy that it wasn't a blown head gasket. I still think I have a bad heater core. It's been like that for about two years though. I'll replace it, it's only like $50 brand new off eBay

 

[Shinju 10+ year member]

Heater Core replacements are a PITA, Be ready for a long day.

BUT breathing in Antifreeze vapor is not good.

 

[ideal concepts 10+ year member]

Iirc book time on heater core is about 8-10 hours. If you are good and know what you are doing can get done in 3. But thats if you did them all the time. Did they recheck after fixing the clamp?

 

[myjaja 10+ year member]

Heater Core replacements are a PITA, Be ready for a long day.
BUT breathing in Antifreeze vapor is not good.

oh, Ill just take it to my friend. He owns a car repair shop. He wont charge me much for labor.

 

[myjaja 10+ year member]

Iirc book time on heater core is about 8-10 hours. If you are good and know what you are doing can get done in 3. But thats if you did them all the time. Did they recheck after fixing the clamp?

Yeah, they didnt see any leaks under the hood or under the car. Also, theirs no more bubbles in the radiator now.

Are the fans suppose to stay on after you take the key out of the ignition on this car? Ive had the car for like 4-5 years and theyve never done that until these past 3 weeks.

 

[brodeisel 10+ year member]

@Spider Monkey help this guy out.

 

[ideal concepts 10+ year member]

They can if temp is on the high side.