Evidence of blown head gasket?

[barnesjtsl]

What is the main result of a blown head gasket?

Is it overheating? Water in the oil? Both?

My car is overheating. I have no water in the oil?

Thanks

[Danno]

do you have oil in the water? you can leak air from cylinder to cylinder, oil into the cylinder, air into the oil, etc etc. the list goes on and on.

Look for the three things mixing
Oil in the combustion
Water in the combustion

Air in the Oil
Coolant in the oil

Oil in the coolant
(you prob won't see air in the coolant)

[4uall]

Or hopefully it is something simple with an equally simple solution (see below)

http://forum.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtop ... on#p126761

[barnesjtsl]

Danno'

I don't have oil in the water, or water in the oil. When I start the car cold it does not run too rough, a little for a second then evens out (this is how it has always been).

I do get some condensation coming from the tailpipe collecting on the ground but it goes away after a few minutes.

[Danno]

compression test of the cylinders?

[barnesjtsl]

FYI. The car is a 79 2000.

One more thing. When I start the car and let it idle in the driveway. It gets warm and slowly continues above 190. I let it run for a bit but longer but it continues to keep getting warmer and I turn it off before it gets too hot.

The radiator, top and bottom stay cool and the lower hose from the external thermostat stays cool. The thermostat is new.

Hopefully a bubble in the system, but I have been letting it cool down and filling up the tee in the heater hose and filling the plug in the tee on the front of the engine and it still gets hot.

If it is a head gasket and it is loosing water from burning water in one of the cylinders should it not at least keep enough water in the system to open the thermostat before the water evaporating prevents it from opening.

[barnesjtsl]

Danno,

I'll do a compression test this weekend.

What should the compression be on a good cylinder and what would it look like with a blown head gasket?

Thanks

[Danno]

park on an incline or raise your front a little. start the engine with the radiator cap off. burp the hoses by squeezing them, and just keep adding coolant until there is no air.

If you have messed with your thermostat, then make sure it's aimed the correct direction. If you have not messed with your thermostat, then you might just have one that is stuck closed. from the sounds of your cold radiator, that's what it sounds like to me.

[Danno]

do you have the factory service manual for your car?

[maytag]

did you drill the new thermostat? if you do a search, you'll find many topics on this.

So far I haven;t heard ANY symptoms from you that would make me think head gasket. you have a cooling issue. And it's is very probably related to air in the system.

[garion]

I'm going through a similar situation here: http://fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=20798

I buying a "block tester kit" later today, and will be trying it. Here's what I'm buying: http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Catal ... 0361115491

That should tell me for sure if I have a head gasket leak. (or block, or head, as the case may be).

--John

[barnesjtsl]

maytag,

Didn't drill the thermostat. I will do that this weekend. Thanks for the headsup.

Danno,

No manual. Looks like I better start searching for one.

[4uall]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA7KVQq9vKA&feature=plcp

[garion]

Highly recommend that you do that test. I just did it, and got a positive result. I did not get a positive result until I reved the engine a few times though, so I suspect I'm in the 'early' stages of failure.

[2ndwind]

As above, you have a coolant circulation problem not a Head Gasket problem.