settle disput about head gaskets

[buckysaccord93]

if your head gasket is shot. will your car smoke all the time? (idle,driving,starting)

or

can it only do it every once in awhile but still be shot

[quickangel93]

all the time. your draining coolant into the cylinders. water can burn but it could cause a bad spark. then you got white smoking pouring out your exhaust from the water evaporating. you could also get a oil and coolant mixture. very bad, could cause major wear in the engine and cause overheat

[buckysaccord93]

so whats the problem if your car only does it once in awhile it smoke on start up like its struggling for gas? i dont recall what color smoke it is though

[cb7rush]

mine did that on startup and then after about 5 times of starting it never started up again..my headgasket was shot to hell and It appeared that I had bent valves..but IDK..

[Losiracer2]

mine was leaking into cyl. 2 and 3, everytime I started it up it would stumble for 30 sec or so and then clear itself out after the coolant was burnt off, but it gradually got worse over the course of 3k miles, then I did the headgasket and milled the head.

[ChIoVnIdCa]

if your head gasket is shot. will your car smoke all the time? (idle,driving,starting)

or

can it only do it every once in awhile but still be shot

Okay... I had a car with a bad head gasket. It did not smoke at all and ran perfect. It was pushing exhaust into the coolant and out the overflow tank. I could idle it all day. I could drive it for a while but after I sat in traffic for like 30 mins it would push all the coolant out... You can do a block test. You can rent the tool and fluid from autozone for free.




edit.... with your last post... That sounds like a head gasket issue... You can also do a leak down test

[deevergote]

Coolant will make white smoke, and have a sweet smell. It's quite obvious.

[wed3k]

sometimes it is intermittent.

[kronikally420]

Sorry didn't mean to jack the thread, I guess I was thinking it was a debate thread...

"Okay... I had a car with a bad head gasket. It did not smoke at all and ran perfect. It was pushing exhaust into the coolant and out the overflow tank. I could idle it all day. I could drive it for a while but after I sat in traffic for like 30 mins it would push all the coolant out... You can do a block test. You can rent the tool and fluid from autozone for free."


I have this exact same problem.

Except for it is not going out of my overflow tank, it is going out the hose(s). (replaced new clamps ect)

Can an overflow tank "go bad"? Maybe the hose is stopped up that leads down into the tank...I just thought of this.

I have a fairly new headgasket on my car. (Around 3 months old)

Is it possible a 3 month old metal gasket has blown?
(Torqued to spec, and did in 3 sets, in proper sequence)

Another thing I was concerned with was, SAY I put on the head gasket backwards or upside down or whatnot...
(I did pay attention, but I was very hot and exhausted when I did it, so I can't rule it out..)
You know, where the water jackets are partially covered?

It seems the gasket will go on any which way with the dial pins intact.
Leaving the possibility of partially covering water jackets therefore not providing maximum waterflow and ultimately building excess pressure and giving the same symptoms..??(This is the worse I would have done, I would have noticed otherwise, but for conversation sake, do tell)


I will take the head off soon...(Again..)

When I do, I will have the head checked for cracks and resurfaced (Anything else I should/could do while it is off?)..(The car got warm a few times and HOT twice)

Edit: It runs a tad on the warm side ever since I replaced the head and headgasket. Although it did not run prior to that due to bent valves, so I can't compare(a6). But I do have an f22a1 that does run a bit cooler. (My a6 runs a bit above halfway, the a1 midway or below.)