Thread: Engine Head Gasket?

To test if a head gasket is leaking I use a gutted spark plug with a compressor fitting bronzed onto it, set the cylinder a bee's dick or more over TDC on compression stroke, put a socket and breaker bar on the harmonic balancer nut with the breaker bar resting against something solid, and set your regulator on your air comp to about 10 psi and put the air into it, do same for each cylinder, KEEPING YER PINKIES OUT THE WAY coz it is surprising how much torque you get with that little bit of air.
I reckon that sometimes a crook head gasket can act like a reed valve, you can pressure test a cooling system from the radiator and it seems watertight but there is no fooling if you do the test with a little air.
Another advantage of checking this way is that you can stick you ear in the exhaust and air intake and can hear if you have a leaky valve/s.

Anybody that does this test be aware that you can hurt yourself if you don't do it properly

KEEP YER PINKIES (and face) OUTTA THE WAY,

Did anyone mention a simple compression test?
(I like the screw-in type you can manage on your own)

Maybe it would have to be at a pretty advanced stage to show up that way?

Cheers,
Paul

Another thing to check is your transmission fluid. If this car has an automatic and if it has a cooler that is inside the radiator you may be losing fluid into the transmission.
I learned this through experience with the wife's Volvo 960. The transmission cooler on those cars is inside the radiator, i.e. the hot transmission fluid is cooled by the hot engine coolant (no wonder they got bought by the Chinese). The seal between the transmission cooling circuit and the engine cooling circuit failed allowing engine coolant into the transmission. The symptom was that the coolant kept going away - no visible leaks, no milky engine oil no steaming exhaust etc. The first transmission failure was fixed under warranty by the local Volvo dealer (Volvo Center of San Antonio ). They did not find the cause of the problem. When the transmission died the second time I called the Volvo Center and they disavowed any responsibility () and told me it would be ~$5,000 to replace the transmission () so I dug into it an found the leak. The transmission fluid looked brown and muddy, not burned. After that I switched to an external cooler and re-routed the transmission cooling lines to suit.

Cheers,
Rob

Originally Posted by rob streeper

Another thing to check is your transmission fluid. If this car has an automatic and if it has a cooler that is inside the radiator you may be losing fluid into the transmission.
I learned this through experience with the wife's Volvo 960. The transmission cooler on those cars is inside the radiator, i.e. the hot transmission fluid is cooled by the hot engine coolant (no wonder they got bought by the Chinese).
Cheers,
Rob

That's common practice with most vehicles, and was a pretty reliable heat exchanger system with all metal radiators, but now with the press together radiators they probably have more chance of leaks.

Bad karma when they fail.

Rob

Another test is to get a mate to blow really hard into the exhaust pipe while you look for bubbles in the radiator.
Also listen for bubbles in the windscreen washer bottle and fuel tank too just in case.
Of course you need to do this with the engine off or your mate might not be after this.



Sorry I just couldn't help myself.

Originally Posted by nearnexus

That's common practice with most vehicles, but now with the press together radiators they probably have more chance of leaks.



Rob

Rob,

I pulled apart the radiator in question. The transmission heat exchanger inside was only supported on one end and it was about 18 inches long. So over the life of the car it is in the radiator core bouncing up and down until it developed a leak. Like I said, no wonder the Chinese bought them and pretty cheaply at that.

Cheers,
Rob

Crikey, that's pretty poor engineering.

I briefly looked at the Volvo 4x4 waggons as a second hand buy, but the tales of woe and financial ruin (on the net) that went with them soon put me off.

Just because it looks good doesn't necessarily mean it is

Rob

Just a quick note to let you know I've been taking it all in. Works gone silly since Monday morning, I haven't had the minutes to touch it since.

Regards Phil.

Originally Posted by Jekyll and Hyde

Bursons sell them, called Tee-Kay head check...

They do indeed. My local Thomastown branch had two in stock. They could do it for $110. So I have one now. Made in N.Z. I also have a compression tester I brought off the farm. I'll try and have a crack at it tonight.

Regards Phil.

Originally Posted by kwijibo99

Another test is to get a mate to blow really hard into the exhaust pipe while you look for bubbles in the radiator.
Also listen for bubbles in the windscreen washer bottle and fuel tank too just in case.
Of course you need to do this with the engine off or your mate might not be after this.



Sorry I just couldn't help myself.

Wasn't there a joke about a guy who tried to blow up a bus and burnt his lips on the tailpipe?

Originally Posted by rob streeper

Wasn't there a joke about a guy who tried to blow up a bus and burnt his lips on the tailpipe?

I recall it being an IRA joke, and hense Irish. -San Antonio. Late 2012, I packed up and shipped a rather lavish 6 spindle German CNC lathe to Cox Manufacturing, in San An, from a customer of mine that got in trouble and went under. Christmas last year I was on stand-by to go and put it back together. The US agent got wind of that and vetoed it. Broke my heart, I was really looking forward to a trip to TX.

Putting this thread to bed. Saturday I caught up with Stu, and we networked it. I had a bottle of the Burson version of Chem weld / bars leaks. Not sure why I had it, its just been sitting on a shelf.

I re-read the instructions, for the Tee-Kay head check. It mentioned high concertrations of Glycol masking the effect. So Saturday arvo, I flushed the system, and refilled it with water. Still nothing, nada, zip, zero. I have no idea what those bubbles were. I'd hardly think that a water pump would cavitate at idle.

Because its such an insignificant leak, I'm looking for a pin hole. I dosed it up with the fix leak goo, topped it off with water. Let it get up to temp, then took it for a flogging, for two major laps of home. Then rinced it out, and put Gylcol back into it. (Good news was, Repco was selling that Techtaloy 90, which they normally want $22 bucks for $5 bucks) The vans full of it, I went to a few shops and stocked up.

I threw another rad cap at it also, but I put a 0.9 bar one on instead of the 1.1 bar. Hopefully that will help.

Regards Phil.

Good luck with it Phil, I hope you have a win with it
Rob.

Originally Posted by Ropetangler

Good luck with it Phil, I hope you have a win with it

It never rains but it pours Rob. My young bloke has been in the U.S the past few weeks scouting out Uni's to do his masters in a few years time. Thats why I've had all the time in the world to play with that. He's on a plane tonight on his way home. (Its been doing my head in, with those school shootings over there, he's been away 42 days)

In the mean time, my 18 y.o daughter, who's had her licence for all of 10 weeks. She couldn't possibly go to the same Uni as her brother. She's off to Deakin. I cant tell you how thrilled I am to put a 4th car / insurance / rego into the family. I swear they are just testing my breaking point.

So we found this little VW Polo. http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d.../?Cr=0&sdmvc=1

1.4 litre, 6 speed, run on an oily rag, lots of airbags. (I got out voted for a 15 year old Ford laser that needed CV joints and a timing belt, for 20% of the price).

Fast forward to last weekend. 3 week old second hand car.

If you have 5 seconds, watch this now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGxWGmX9vEQ

The friggen cup holder, its actually quite impressive when it works. Last week end. 18 year old daughter, out with 18 year old friend. Apparantly becuase its "so cool", it got exercised about a dozen times in a minute.

You can guess the rest. Jammed half in / half out, daughter in tears. She hasn't fallen far from the block, friend black-banned.

$203 dollars for a replacement from VW Epping here in town. Google is littered with faulty reports of failed Polo cup holders. To the point where you can just buy a blanking plate to put over the dash hole. One second hand one I'm watching in the U.K, has has 20 bids. I spent an hour on it, I cant get it out until I pull the radio. It has to be the most over engineered device I've ever seen. I count atleast 6 springs, a rack and pinion (in plastic), thats before you get it out.

You have to pull the radio unit out to get at the tabs to pull the cup holder, that needs 4 removal keys. VW agent here denigned all knowedge of those despite my Hi-vis shirt. So I've ordered a set from the U.K.

Ebay US has plenty of new ones for $39 bucks, but they are left hand drive. The curve of the dash changes the hand.

Sorry to vent, but if its not one things its another, like I dont have enough to do.

Regards Phil.

Best regards. Phil.

Originally Posted by Machtool

(I got out voted for a 15 year old Ford laser that needed CV joints and a timing belt, for 20% of the price).

Wow the're good.. they even left you feeling that you had a vote.

$203 for a cup holder...... I'm getting old. Though there might be a job in fixing them lol


Stuart