12 Ways of How To Test A Blown Head Gasket Compared- PART1

[@hrhbear]

Never on KZbin have I ever seen a guy like you who is so well educated and informed and such a good teacher to those of us who dont know much about our cars. I have learned so much from you in just this one video because you took time to explain that all that glitters may not be gold which is so true. I really wish that more guys on KZbin would be as good as you and as educated as you in informing us how car engines run and what tests are available to test things that could be very costly in the end. So keep up the good work and Thank you so much for taking time to educate us!

[@SchrodingersBox]

Dang- made my whole week Brah!!! Thank you!!!

[@flowerchild777]

@HRH Kashogghi You've said well; this one's a keeper for future reference.

[@Specialized61]

TY, it's on a 79 GMC that my dad left me. He bought it new in 79. I just lost my mom in Feb. they both loved this truck. It's got about 165,000 miles. I always knew I was gonna rebuilt the engine and so noes the time. I'm gonna go .030 over, cast Pistons, mild hyd cam, double roller chain, high volume oil pump and a three angle valve job . Decked, squared , line honed and balanced. Keep it a daily driver. Mom and pop will be happy and so will I. I just bought a good spray gun from Eastwood and going the satin black on the body.

[@danconley433]

This is the best series of videos I have ever seen on blown head gaskets. Well done, Dude!

[@shanegoff217]

Ive been an automotive tech for 35 years also and I have not seen 1 video where I disagreed with you. You are VERY knowledgable and make perfect sense every time. Keep up the great videos! You have saved alot of people from alot of wasted time and money! Nice Firebird by the way!

[@SchrodingersBox]

Wow, thanks! Much appreciated!!

[@dvsdad1300]

As a shop owner, I like to watch these type of videos to always learn something new but more to catch people doing something stupid. I watched the entire thing and enjoyed every second. You are doing a great job. Keep it up. :)

[@SchrodingersBox]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@XXWEREMAN54XX]

Well done but did anyone else think he may have missed on the Shade tree method of looking under the oil fill cap and noticing what looked to me at 22:31 "Engine Mayonnaise" that was in the center underside of his oil filler cap. It usually is found there and is caused by oil and water and heat mixing together to produce this milky whitish slimy film.

[@violetta40]

Wow, you explain it in great detail .Finally i am understanding how this all works. Keep up these excellent videos, please. I have liked and subscribed.

[@jjjpetersen]

I'm an auto technician of 35yrs & your video is well done very thorough. Great job!

[@SchrodingersBox]

Thanks man!! Most auto techs hate me lol.

[@kaktusjack1033]

awesome experiment and an awesome trans am! Thanks for the upload

[@Jazz-i2b]

You are my favorite vehicle teacher. What you teach is so helpful! Thank you!

[@catfeline1530]

One thing that makes your videos so completely enjoyable, in addition to the fantastic knowledge you share, is that you have great wit that you shoot off at the most unexpected moment. You also have a tendency to go on a spontaneous colorful rant in the middle of you lectures, and I like that a lot too. Your channel is great.

[@LukeYunker]

OMG. You said exactly what I wanted to! He is such an awesome teacher, well educated and clear in his choice of words.

[@allendula]

I found this on another webpage and I thought that it was interesting: Hi all. Great Article, but just a bit of a correction. Adding oil makes it a wet compression test. A leak down test is when compressed air via a compressor is used to pressurize the cylinder whilst the piston is at top dead center. At this point the intake and exhaust valves are closed creating a "sealed" chamber. The level of air loss determines the condition of that cylinder and it's associated components. So... if you have a high loss of air you should be able to work out what has failed. If you hear an excess of air venting from the intake.. the inlet valve is damaged. An excess from the exhaust... the exhaust valve is damaged. Pull the dip stick... hear an excess of air from here and your rings are shot, or head gasket leaking into oil gallery. Bubbles in the coolant and you've got a head gasket leak into a coolant gallery. This test is normally done after a compression and wet compression is done. It is the most accurate but much more time consuming to set up.. Hope this helps guys...

[@deweylee2449]

One other thing that was missed with the compression test is that typically wihile spinning the engine over you should open the throttle wide open. I also don't think recall that he talked about disabling the fuel system and ignition system . Really don't want a spark around unused fuel being ignited by a sparking spark plug wire or starting up. Of course starting would not have happened with all the plugs out. The wires just laying there does leave the potential for a spark that could ignite fuel vapors being spewed from the open plug holes .

[@rickw.9298]

Nice & thorough walk thru of the subject. Go back and read your spark plugs. You’ll find #3 shows a ‘washing’ has occured. This corresponds with your positive #3 wet paper test.

[@nasharmstrong6854]

im a gal and i wish i had seen this before i bought that used pos..really want to see the steel seller video.. thanks

[@davidlanfair]

I have one of those 4.3 chevy's from 2000. The intake manifold leak was obvious. Now rebuilt. the noise's I am hearing sounds like a 'bad' 'blown head gasket'. Lots of that mud sludge creamy. Should be a fun spring fixing. Thanks for sharing your troubleshooting techniques, really helps me wrap my head around the problem.

[@marclester4056]

thank you for taking the time for videos, you sir are awesome!!

[@SchrodingersBox]

marc lester Thanks for taking time to comment- 98% of people will watch something like this and have no idea what we are doing here so it is always refreshing to know there are people like you out there who appreciate though process.

[@greggreen1280]

marc lester u

[@greggreen1280]

Danua

[@edwardturello2782]

I'm a newcomer to your video presentations, I just happened to stumble on the one you did on fuel trims which I found fascinating and illuminating, and now I found this one which further proves that there is a genius behind the videos. Keep it up Matt, I just wish I had discovered you sooner

[@SchrodingersBox]

Better late than never!!! You will be busy catching up I am sure!

[@spelunkerd]

Great to see this done scientifically, with a little more time than most flat rate mechanics would spend.

[@Jafromobile]

15:25 lol! Hey was that a WS6? Nice car! I'm helping a friend with a Firehawk at the moment. Small tiny bumper tap set off his airbags and did a whole lot of damage to the interior and glass. Enough for the insurance company to total it. Sad. It doesn't even need body work.

[@SchrodingersBox]

***** Firehawks are "in" these days! Fix it- it's worth $$!

[@Jafromobile]

This I know! lol. It's black on black on black. It's the hardest thing in the world to find interior parts for.

[@kmas8229]

Schrodingers Box Hello! I have a Volvo 940 Turbo from 1997. I understand that your black beauty is you baby. My Volvo is my baby. And I think my baby is hurtin'. The story goes: I noticed that the temperature went sky-high after a good drive. After I shut off my engine it went down. It was appearant that after I opened the lid for the coolant that there was air in the system. I let her run idle for a while, revving a bit and noticed the water level sunk to the bottom and went over the top, spilling over the tank. I filled with coolant and this repeated itself a few times before it went dead still at max-level. Most of the air was then removed. I noticed that the coolant (I use blue coolant) was a little kinda.. blue-gray-ish. (I've used different brands of coolant since I'm a student and travel alot. and they sell a different brands of coolant at the city I'm studying in) I took her for a spin, and oh boy she ran great. The coolant kept its level and all seems okay. The exhaust is not white, or anything, and I haven't noticed any oily water on the dipstick, nor any performance change. She's still kickin' like a mad viking. So my question is: What do think is wrong? Is it the head gasket? Please answer, I have a feeling this will keep me up all night.

[@SchrodingersBox]

kissmyasssuckers Nothing I can do- all you have is a list of symptoms. I need data to make a diagnosis. What is the compression? What is the fuel trim static vs load? Was a leakdown test done? What is the static vs load coolant pressure? With just your description it is impossible to make a diagnosis.

[@kmas8229]

I have no clue..sadly we don't own a garage or any of the necessary equipment to do those tests :(

[@matthewgodson3246]

A blown head gasket is definitely a generic term I use it when describing my wife quite often when she's angry

[@SchrodingersBox]

Yeah. "Shark Week" often causes that behavior lol.

[@sethmuse6838]

To beat a dead horse even more, an extra compression check by ammeter connected to o-scope and clamped on the positive battery lead could help narrow down which cylinder(s) require less current to turn over the engine. Downside is that test is not definitive for bad head gasket. Great demonstration and thank you!

[@SchrodingersBox]

Yes at the time of the video I did not have a scope. Since getting a scope that is my primary detection method.

[@ohzeschnitzel]

Great video. Where could I get a Carbon dioxide tester like yours from? It seems like the easiest test for the average joe. I am looking to buy a bmw e46 and where I am from they get driven hard, so I need to be confident head gasket isn't an issue. Thanks so much

[@DaytonCarCare]

+ohze schnitzel Common item you could order online.

[@beckyhfigueroa387]

I'm a girl with almost zero mechanical knowledge and found these videos in hopes to help my husband who enjoys looking up how to fix our vehicles. These videos were actually interesting and your humor is great. Especially the part of about annoying liberals. I laughed out loud while cleaning house alone. I realized I wasn't listening to talk radio, I was on this third video! Good job!

[@SchrodingersBox]

Thanks Becky. Its funny how many comments I get like this... Maybe the gals should just fix their own cars while their guys clean the house!!!

[@kaleidoscope8743]

I really appreciated your demonstrating these tests with a control and distinguishing the limits of what they indicate and prove or disprove. I was skeptical of the chemical CO test you did first, but I feel more confident in that method now.

[@SchrodingersBox]

The chemical test is remarkably accurate. Normally I just do a relative compression test but in applications where I cant do that, the chemical test is my secondary go-to.

[@kenfirestick1842]

Really helpful! I’ve had a shop tell me blown gasket but I don’t think so but no sure what it is ... misfire #5 and replaced coil and spark plug but same ... has never overheated but misfires when idle .. I bought the scientific test you showed first and it passed with flying colors ... still testing and using your videos - thank you so much for taking the time

[@bg147]

Good information. I never knew there were this many tests. One thing I have learned over the years is if a vehicle starts to overheat due to a suspected blown head gasket, pull over and shut the motor down for two minutes or so and restart. The shut down will allow the hot coolant to bathe the thermostat and it will open. Just a stop gap, of course, but it can give you a chance to get home or to a shop. All of this assumes the driver keeps an eye on the temp gauge... a very big assumption.

[@jeffreywilsonrubikscubeonb2428]

Also, cranking the heater to full heat and fan speed will help bring the temp down a bit..might just be enough to limp home or a shop as well

[@johna7287]

@@jeffreywilsonrubikscubeonb2428 I've had to do that once in the heat of summer. Not fun but saved me!!

[@jeffreywilsonrubikscubeonb2428]

Hey Matt…I have the day off today so I was happy to see these 3 recent uploads! Just finished watching part 1 of your head gasket tests and very good video for sure! I was able to pick out which plug was from the cylinder that was burning coolant just by looking at it by the way. I didn't get a good look as you were moving the plugs around quite a bit but there was a moment where you could see a noticeable white "crusty" looking spot on that one plug that was visibly more pronounced than on any of the other plugs. It was on the underside of the curved electrode (the side that would be furthest downward in the chamber while installed in the car) In my experience in the field I have never seen a plug that was burning coolant that didn't have noticeable white deposits. I wouldn't call a head gasket based on this visual inspection alone, but reading plugs is very useful for helping in what diagnostic direction you want to go in :) There is some good info out there on the net about plug reading, and I think you may come to like it. Just another little weapon for your arsenal to help in finding direction. Great vid!

[@cootah420]

22:25 to 22:35 Guy checks cap for white sludge, said it looked fine.... Shows to camera and there definitely white sludge in it! lmao.

[@SchrodingersBox]

Um no there wasn't. And if there was why was there no emulsion in the oil despite it being old? Awaiting you answerr

[@cootah420]

Schrodingers Box I have a gm 3400 that im doing head gaskets on right now, the oil looked fine same as your's. The oil cap and pcv valves are sludged right up. There is clearly white goop inside that cap from 22:25 to 22:35. Just look at the video. Ik that car and know the oil cap is not normally white inside. Proof, its in the vid.

[@tonyk6815]

Cootah, FYI, you are completely mistaken here. The oil cap is clean, the white stuff you see deep inside the cap is not white sludge. Just want to through it out there so that readers here don't question Schrodinger's credibility.

[@YokoSmash]

cootah420 I'm seeing the goop too lol

[@johnbaker4915]

@@SchrodingersBox There was definitely emulsification in the cap, you can see it deep in there. That can be caused by daily short journeys where the engine does not get hot enough. It could also be caused by any other small source of moisture such as an engine rebuild where the engine was open to condensation for some time.

[@M2007-u4v]

Got a slow coolant leak on my 2001 Chevy Silverado. No leaks on the ground and no milky substance on dip stick or oil cap. I did a combustion test with the similar test that you have on the video...but I dont have a radiator cap, so I did it in the coolant reservoir. That came back as negative. There is white smoke coming out of my exhaust but it is really cold here in Wisconsin. Would you think it is a wearing head gasket, intake manifold gasket, or am I just going crazy???

[@SchrodingersBox]

The combustion test is conclusive. You will need to pressure test the system and find the leak. If you have pressurized reservoir cap (like a radiator cap) then that could be faulty- I see that all the time on GM "N" cars

[@jasonbell5152]

In a real blown head gasket situation = engine is toast, car undriveable, check engine light flashing = get a new car or new engine, depending on blue book value. The cost of a HG repair job is outrageously prohibitive and will probably not remedy all additional latent engine damage in domino effect result of a real blown HG. Coolant in the oil = engine totally screwed. A blown HG is bad news. A minor leak where CO2 and coolant are slightly mixing is the red flag indicator that things will just get worse and why it is crucially important to perform a full engine coolant flush per manufacturer schedule with the proper 50/50 coolant. Never allow garages to top up the coolant. Almost all garages just do the drain & fill routine. That's no good. The system has to be completely flushed and replaced with perfect 50/50.

[@SchrodingersBox]

+Jason Bell That's hardly true at all. The determining factors are the bearing condition, not the simple fact there is coolant in oil.

[@jasonbell5152]

+Schrodingers Box You're right. But most motorists don't recognize the symptoms of a blown HG and continue driving the vehicle as normal in its highly defective state instead of pulling over, shutting down and calling a tow. The cars come in for service only after internal components have been subject to sustained degradation. A mechanic, not the owner, spots the contamination, this after driven hundreds of miles post-HG breach. Most owners don't check fluids or tire pressure, take the vehicle for granted. Once a real HG fails, because the owner didn't regularly change the coolant or the pump failed or whatever, the repair bill is huge. If the bill matches or exceeds the car's value, sell the car to a wrecker and get a new one. For most average cars, except for the fortunate ones who catch the problem quick, the extensive repair bill isn't worth it. Only financially benefits some lucky auto garage.

[@harrington6225]

Test

[@mccyaolison3517]

The best series I have ever watched. Tnx

[@jkugler1776]

"that was more annoying than listening to a liberal" lol you caught me off guard there

[@movingupautodiagnostics8645]

Sad but true, I have to change my head gasket. This video is just great, clear explanation and testing. How did you get so good at this? Being a molecular biologist is a handful. I'm trying to do well at this by watching guys like you and I'm a musician.

[@fh8210]

O.K. "more annoying than listening to a liberal". That's hilarious. Thanks. I needed that.

[@halishahowell6020]

i knew th man was a genius...heeee

[@TheLeftRbabieskillers]

Yup giggle a little at that too.

[@cindiowens9700]

11 +q++1b

[@steveconde6820]

Pa

[@labradormcgraw2409]

Wow! This guy really knows his stuff! Absolutely no guess-work here; it's all scientific evidence. By a clear country mile, the best head gasket video on KZbin.

[@sampagett5735]

Anyone else want to admit.. You're here because you have a Subaru? 😂😬

[@spventures9395]

Yep 🙄

[@peterohalloran845]

YUP. Real hot car. Not in a good way.

[@wholenation5071]

Volkswagen Passat

Mercedes Benz cargo van here..

[@joshchristian6101]

BuT TheY'rE GrEaT CaRs.

[@johncraw6716]

I appreciated the emphasis on diagnosis. I'm an orthopaedic hand surgeon by trade, and I entertain myself (and save money) by working on cars and boats. I appreciate the scientific approach. I love the "plug and pray" analogy from another video. I see that a lot on youtube and mechanic shops actually. One of my mentors in orthopaedic surgery always taught, "an ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure, so do a pound of diagnosis for every ounce of cure." I think that philosophy applies to this field as well.

[@SchrodingersBox]

That's awesome! I have also heard that quote before as well and couldn't agree more. It is totally applicable to any field since a scientific approach is always the best unless it's for some kind of artistic application lol.

[@234dilligaf]

I gave you a thumbs up immediately after saying the compressor noise was more annoying than listening to a liberal. Personally I would rather hear a dog barking than a liberal.

[@DigitalUniverseReviews]

Really Great stuff ! Really the amount of forums I've read for clear answers if my head gasket has blown! Then i found this goes through the lot and you even despell the false readings you can get. You obviously take great care and time in creating these videos, big thank you for sharing your knowledge. I will use to check mine now. Just one thing, if when running the car with the radiator cap off and you rev the engine up if the coolant pumps out of the radiator does this tell you your head / block is blown or it that normal?

[@LouLope]

"That was more annoying than listening to a liberal." @15:20 -LOL, love that comment.

[@agentyup7604]

I just got to that comment - had to pause the video, and have a great LOL. Awesome comment!

[@larrymendoza759]

Im gonna use that one on my wife

[@donwillcox6470]

Its funny because he is bitter enough to have that on his mind all the time :)

[@CarlosOrtiz-ht6rn]

Amazing presentation! Thank you for this. Now I understand how to test head gasket for myself.

[@SchrodingersBox]

Glad it helped!

[@abdyfe]

good mechanic

[@85Studios]

Very good point about "There is a cause for a head Gasket" A lot of my friends think "Oh I'll just replace the head Gasket" I told them "No... You need to check out the engine cooling system, Compression, Head, etc etc. Once you pull off the head gasket if you see where it is blown at, look at the head and see if there is a spot there either raised or otherwise. You can also warp a head if you let it overheat. Sadly..

[@SchrodingersBox]

Good for you!! exactly correct. A blown head gasket is a result, not a cause.

[@coquimonster31]

"more annoying than listening to a liberal" I lost it laughing! I knew I liked this guy

[@stephanyodaniel7970]

Thankyou Dude cause this problem is a pain in the butt , too much money too many directions , I like to one stop , it's hell just working on these things

[@stephanyodaniel7970]

One stop shop

[@mrbackyardmechanic3956]

Great informative video. Like the Liberal comment... Got to find part 2 lol...

[@Dr2009king]

You are always the best in this field .. keep going.

[@matthewgodson3246]

A milky oil cap can be simply from cold weather condensation.

[@chriswilson6719]

Love your videos. I'm pretty sure I have a blown head gasket on my 1998 F-150, I will do the compression test to confirm. One of the indicator's I have had is I can smell combustion products in the degass bottle (coolant reservoir) when I take the cap off, you may want to add this to your shade tree mechanic inventory of tests, although not as definitive as the bubbly oil, I really like that one.

[@NiteRythemzRadio]

more annoying than listening to a liberal? Im subbing! Great source of info, you have.

[@topshelfautollc1806]

Very thorough and informative THANK YOU SO MUCH! Very well done!

[@tynewtoniii]

more annoying than listening to a liberal. lol damn dude your a winner in my book.

[@234dilligaf]

Same here.

[@bobsmith674]

Very well done. Very informative, to the point, and no annoying music. You rock. I'm surprised you don't read plugs though. Plug condition can give you some good info.

[@OlTrailDog]

"More annoying than listening to a liberal" LOL Thumbs up!

[@parkour16]

the air compresion test through the coolant system could be done using only one spark plug in the cylinder we want to test (in the other we let it free) and see the response in the coolant (as you did)

[@dave4925yahoo]

"THAT WAS MORE ANNOYING THAN LISTENING TO A LIBERAL" ROFL That's going to get you a ton of dislikes, but it was hilarious!

[@SchrodingersBox]

Lol it gets less hates than you'd think... but only because liberals don't watch my videos. My videos involve using logic and reson to take responsibility for your own situations instead of showing how to depend on the government so your emotions feel happy.

[@dblunt137]

Schrodingers Box "take responsibility" EXACTLY!! Be a fuckin MAN instead of lying pussies who can only do things when the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor and guns..level the playing field and see what biches cryin foul

[@happydayz5321]

Why would the TRUTH generate dislikes ? Libtards will be Libtards ..

[@jamesrhodes8897]

I am the liberal who commented and I liked the video.

[@BuildItFixItDIY]

And conversely, a ton of likes too. . .I'm on my 8th page of comments, hitting 'like' on every commenter's positive comment related to that.

[@tungym]

Thanks for your video again! I am losing coolant slowly 250ml per week. Also misfire in one cylinder Coolant UV dye test negative Radiator compression test normal Cylinder compression test normal Oil and coolant looks normal CO2 test/ head gasket leak dye test normal Finally I use a cheapo borescope and I can see greenish coolant inside the misfire cylinder ! Bingo

[@OneLegged-honda-mechanic]

"More annoying than listening to a liberal" - lmao.

[@SchrodingersBox]

Ha, yeah that was actually 2 jokes in one because it's also an inside reference to my "diagnosing belt squeal" where I make the original comment. Not too many liberals on my channel because my videos require the use of rational, logical thinking instead of emotional reaction.

[@OneLegged-honda-mechanic]

Love it! I am a veteran technician of 20 years, but watch your videos because I always enjoy listening to other peoples perspective and points of views. You and I are very like minded and especially enjoy your scientific approaches on diagnoses. Thank you

[@Specialized61]

I'm losing coolant with no leaks showing do I'm thinking its blown head gasket. This is a great video. You know your stuff. Ty

[@SchrodingersBox]

Specialized61 Compression test or leakdown test is te only way to know for sure. Good luck.

[@Lloyd_Christmas-Swanson]

Not all of us libs are bad 😂😂

[@82_KID]

I like him too but. Trump 2024

[@thesetruths1404]

Nice instructions. Thanks! Question for you, as to what product and how much you think I should use. I have a 1995 Subaru 1.8L 4-CYL boxer Impreza, 177,000 miles. I have 76 and 78 PSI dry compression in #2 and 4 of one head (driver side). This started a few days ago, we noticed while on a highway trip the power was weak and I can hear it missing as the RPMs drop from driving to idle. I don't have overheating, excessive oil consumption (drippy seals, I add a quart about every 900 miles), smoking, or fluids cross contamination. I'm waiting to have a leak down and another dry/wet compression test at a different shop. The first shop only did dry compression and wasn't too bright or helpful. If I end up having a head gasket leak between those two cylinders, what products would I possibly try to mend it? It must not be too bad of a leak, whatever it is, for the compression to build to 78psi dry. The other two good cylinders are 130ish psi. If it ends up being a valve leak, what products and strength could I try to get them clean? After cleaning, I will have valve clearances checked, as it's probably never been done.

[@rustynutz4493]

Love It! MAGA!

[@jackolivas4569]

thanks for taking the time! I am no scientist but I still enjoyed both of your headgasket diagnostic videos. one thing I ponder is if you have gone out of your way to find out where the air goes in a car with a cracked head or block after performing the compressed air test. what mean is if you have noticed this air flowing out of the pcv valve or oil cap or the like. I would be interested about your findings on that type of scenario. excellent work.

[@howiboy]

"more annoying than listening to a liberal" Subscribed

[@xdygmnyrdf]

judging by the comments i can assume liberals dont watch this channel, theyre not interested in car repair because they only drive their mom's car.

[@sweetsadise523]

oh wow, you've given me the knowledge and understanding I need to know about Head Gasket. I previously own an 2003 Buick regal ls. After church Tuesday my engine started smoking took a look at it today it the smoke was coming from that area. This actually helped my curiousness. Thanks :-)

[@66crush9]

Occam's razor applied to diagnostics/repairs on cars... love this channel!

[@Inspironator]

I'd give you 4 thumbs up for the two videos in this series, 2 for each, if I could. I like that you show so many different ways of testing this from the most sophisticated to the least... SUBSCRIBED!

[@elguapo3436]

Thank you! Your cartesian methodology and precise sens of details got me subscribed! I really liked the name of the channel, hell the cat is alive'n kicking 👍

[@dixoncider7256]

Very cool video. Lots of options for testing. I was really surprised one of the spark plugs didnt look different.

[@SchrodingersBox]

+Dixon Cider I very seldom see the spark plugs look different because people usually change them before I see the car

[@heathero1183]

Great video! Unfortunately, I have torn apart much of the vehicle after diagnosing a bad water pump, due to several overheating episodes and disappearing coolant. (Water pump was diagnosed by no movement of coolant in the radiator when running with cap off and then removing accsy belt and being able to freely spin the pump.) The timing cover is filthy and so is the underside of the vehicle, seems it has been loosing coolant for some time! Then after seeing the amount of coolant everywhere, even in the crevices under the intake manifold, I suspected leaking of the head gasket. At this point I have the intake off, Throttle body off, radiator off, valve covers off, but yet tried the leak down test and not sure what to make of it. First, I set the Compressor at 75psi but suspiciously only would see 30psi on my tool psi...... once connected the tool to each spark plug (at TDC), I only got one of 6 cylinders to read less than 20% leak. Other cylinders were off the charts, like 90% plus and the tester psi dial 0 and some of those cylinders would make noise, air gushing out mosting from adjacent intake, while others reading 90% would not make any noise. Given the tear down condition, can this test be useful at this point?? Just wish I had used the bulb test BEFORE tearing apart! Now I almost think I should proceed with the water pump/timing chain replacement and reassemble, then do the bulb test and if that is bad another tear down!! Or do you think there is a definitive test I can do with the tear down I have done or just proceed with the cyclinder removal/inspection/gasket replacement since I am already to this point? Worst part is that this is a 2003 Suzuki Grand Vitara and I am learning these are awful to work on!!! Regardless, I am repeating the leak down tests, but think my tool may be bad??? First off I should see same pressure at tool as I set my compressor no? Thanks!

[@markbrassette3406]

Very good demonstration of the tests! I'll be checking out my Honda CR-V today. Hoping for no yellow test fluid...

[@benl8834]

Well detailed. Trying to help a friend. This one strikes me strange. Not confirmed that it is a blown head gasket, but was told it could be one. A friend of mine has a 2006 Maxima. Mechanic said one cylinder misfiring, but couldn't determine which one. All coils changed, by I believe her son. Check engine light still shows one cylinder misfiriing. This car normally burns oil and leaks some oil. Something strange happened one time. Most of the oil leaked out after parking in the garage. Refilled the oil. The oil hasn't leaked out since, but now the oil level stays at the full level on the dip stick. Someone said it appears to be a blown head gasket. I did see the oil that leaked out and it was discolored, a sort of tan tint, but it did not seem diluted and still seem very oily and no water visible. I found that strange, since oil and water don't mix. Could this be transmission fluid getting in there somehow. I had a Ford Mavaerick that did that because of a bad vacuum valve. Or, do you think somehow water is getting into the oil and diluting it, and keeping at the full level. Oil hasn't been added for a while, which is unusual. Does this sound like a blown head gasket. There is some white smoke when given the gas according to her son. Is Barrs head gasket treatment worth a try. Why would the oil pour out that one time. Could it be pressure pressure somehow got in there and pushed it out? Could the PCV valve somehow be involved also?

[@SchrodingersBox]

Could be anything- what data do you have?

[@benl8834]

No data, other than the code still indicates one cylinder misfiring. I told my friend the engine needs to be diagnosed. Holding off since there is so many things going on and just uses it in the neighborhood. May decide to use it until it quits, if it is too expensive to fix. Since the oil is tan and doesn't appear to have water in it, I'm wondering if it could be transmission fluid somehow getting into the oil. On this car is that possible.

[@SchrodingersBox]

Could be. maybe. But you have no data so I don't know. I would just run a beginner-level FASTTEC analysis. Just keep it at the basic, beginner level and find the issue.

[@crisprtalk6963]

I am a molecular biologist and yes looked like a few dot blot tests I did in the past. Great video, thanks for making it.

[@joehyundaitech7961]

Mat hi you have explained this better for me than anyone else on yt has and I have researched a lot of these videos thank you for this video so now I have a better understanding now after hearing your video

[@SchrodingersBox]

Thank you!!

[@Dcalvert92]

Compression test and leak down work good assuming you have no other compression issue. A valve problem, piston rings or cylinder wall issue will all cause low compression and leak down. Hearing the bubbles during leak down is absolute confirmation.

[@mannyfontno5177]

Thanks for the reply. I bought the car for my wife last month $17,000 drove home fine, was good for one week. It's been in the shop ever since, 900 bucks later. I took it back to the place I brought it from they were telling me it was more than likely a bad thermostat. That was four days ago, now their telling me it's a missing gasket on the turbo. Do most repair shops understand the types of diagnostic test you show on-line? It seems like their just guessing! Your approach is very analytical.

[@SchrodingersBox]

I don't know whether most shops use proper diagnostic procedure or not. I only know that many do not. It might also vary from tech to tech within a shop I suppose. Having no experience working in the automotive industry I can't say what the overall environment is for diagnostic ability.

[@rotorblade9508]

7:20 if you lift the probe it takes air from outside and it won’t help with the test except it mixes a bit with the air inside

[@ronmoore6598]

Absolutely fantastic and educational video! Liked and subscribed.

[@suprarace]

Awesome fixing to watch part 2 very well explained

[@overnighter]

Mate, awesome vid 👍

[@SchrodingersBox]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@overnighter]

@@SchrodingersBox I did indeed. Cheers

[@overnighter]

@@SchrodingersBox I wonder whether there is a way of pressure testing the engine oil circuit? Similar to engine leak testing?

[@overnighter]

I suspect that oil leaks through the oil cooler inside the radiator (on my 300 Tdi diesel engine). As oil is at higher pressure, 15 psi radiator testing wouldn't be sufficient I suppose? Cheers

[@Keepmovingkeepliving]

This is the first video that I seen of your and love the way you explained things. Now I'm going to watch more of the other videos you have hope there just as good. I'm a fan now.

[@JJHurst]

nice vid..you have let the cat out of the box as so to speak.. am currently changing the head gasket on my 98 BMW Z3 1.9, I wish I had seen this vid at the diagnostic stage and maybe trusted my own logic a bit more before throwing so many hoses at it! my compression gave 200 psi per cylinder and the block test came up negative so it had us stumped for a bit..but after an improvised coolant system pressure test with a bike pump, pressure gauge and improvised radiator cap we knew the coolant system was not at fault and working to spec..and as the water pump an thermo were both replaced 4k ago they were not suspect and have both since been tested and proven sound. just to make sure we ran it at fast idle and sure enough the pressure built up to almost 3 bar within 7 mins or so..that cannot be coming from anywhere else but a compromised head and or gasket. and given that the car suffered an overheat and total coolant loss a week earlier (due to a sloppy hose connector repair by previous owners mechanic) it was obvious from the get go what the issue was. I would like a word with that previous mechanic in a locked room... its been a pain but I do enjoy the detective aspect of it..! once again great vid ,sound approach.

[@websterchinyenze9914]

Well articulated. I just want ton add that the bock can warp too -particularly aluminium blocks.

[@mrpittdec28]

Thank you so much. You provide so much valuable information. You're a great teacher.

[@SchrodingersBox]

I appreciate that!

[@nzpancakes]

I would also like to add a couple tests that can work. 1. Putting 100psi directly into the cylinder at tdc and listening for bubbling. And 2. While pressurizing the cylinder put a coolant system pressure tester on the coolant overfill resevoir and see if the pressure increases, if it does then that can also very easily confirm a leak. Source: Me (Used on a v8 4.6l triton engine)

[@SchrodingersBox]

A leakdown test was indeed demonstrated in the video.

[@nzpancakes]

Schrodingers Box Yes, you did show doing a leak down test, but not thats not the way I was talking about. I should have specified that both leak down testers that I used were broken and this was a way to test without that tool by going direct from an air compressor into a cylinder.

[@SchrodingersBox]

That would only work if the compression is lost through the cooling system though.

[@nzpancakes]

Schrodingers Box True. Well, I guess you've got me beat. :/

[@SchrodingersBox]

You could still pressurize and listen for air exiting the exaust, intake or PCV however it would be hard to quantify stand-alone without at least a compression test to confirm there was cylinder leakage.

[@aarongiggers66]

Great video! The paper dye test is different but very cool

[@SchrodingersBox]

+Aaron Giggers Yeah that didn't work as well as I hoped for some reason but I thought it was a good idea!

[@db____]

Thanks for putting this up!

[@ekimbrough1413]

Great video Schro!

[@ijohnny.]

Excellent, great teacher, great mechanic.

[@angelicarodriguez9918]

HA HA. I can easily overlook bc he's not being malicious with it and we all do it soo...Besides his videos, especially this video right here are the most thorough, accurate and detailed explanations I've not found in ANY other videos. And I've watched hundreds.

[@sanfourbensanfer3911]

best video for engine diagnosis ever seen. Lerned so much Thank u :)

[@brandonharvey7939]

Compression test is generally the way to go. Its rare that a problem doesn't show up and the other tests are redundant because it really doesnt matter what issue is indicated by a compression test. If youre losing compression, the head needs to come off and a new gasket needs to be installed when it goes back together. Only an idiot pulls a head without doing a valve job, squaring the head and block, and at the very least mic'ing and inspecting the cylinder, though its not much more labor to just drop the pan, pop off the rod caps and hone the cylinder with a cordless drill. You really should clean out your ring grooves anyways and check your ring gap before reassembly. It really doesn't matter what the specific problem is. Too many mechanics spend as much time trying to diagnose this stuff as they do fixing it....check for white smoke in your exhaust, look for white oil when in the first few seconds when you drain the pan, pull the valve covers and look for white globs in the corners. If you have all those symptoms, you can do a comp test for s's and g's but that heads coming off either way.....its also worth noting that a comp test wont work on small engines because the cam has a compression release mechanism

[@unaffiliatedperson]

the cap looked gross at at 22:35, long time ago i had blown gasket but under the radiator cap there was barely some sludge but it was kind of orange y

[@joesmith-fi1sx]

Great video ! watching now , going to do the first test tonght on my dAKOTA , been having trouble since buying it with not hot heater and hearing bubbles in dash . Also while burping the cooling system yesterday I noticed the lower rad hose was not even hot after running and revving the engine for over 20 minutes while burping witha spill free funnel . I burped alot of air from the system and heater is working a bit better but it seemed that the bubbles may have continued to come up if I kept running it . I have heard maybe my thermostat is stuck open . First I will test for blown head gasket then if not blown move to replace thermostat .... At ez lube I had a coolant replACE done and they suck it out , I was a moron and wanted to try to flush my heater core so I left it running with heat on for awhile while they were sucking out coolant then shut it off before it was done taking all coolant out , how bad is that ? I had a light bulb go off while doing it and thought whoooo this is not a good thing to be doing ! Do u think anything bad could have happened ? My temp gauge was fine the whole time and after , never going high ..

[@phantomshtter]

Fantastic video.

[@phill1830]

Fantastic video! I found this to be very informative.

[@jonathanbarnett8527]

Great video. I learned a lot. Thank you!

[@antalog]

This was amazing. SOO much information. Thanks! (and thanks for wearing a mic :))

[@SchrodingersBox]

saltthevein You're welcome, but to be honest I only wear the mic when I make videos. But I will consider wearing it all the time if it gets me compliments like this.

[@frankezendam5409]

First of all I very much like the way you teach us by explaining everything very well. I do have an interesting question for you. My Jaguar XF (V8 4.2 supercharged) does indicate low coolant fluid after 5-10 min of driving and stays on or might go out after a while. We expected a false sensor so that has been replaced to no improvement. The guy at the shop did the CO2 test and it stayed blue, phew!!! He also tested the electrical wire from the sensor to the computer. There is no decrease in fluid and when the car is started after a few hours the warning has disappeared. I started to think about temperature or locked air (but that has been checked). Do you have any ideas what to look for? KR and a happy and healthy 2020!

[@SchrodingersBox]

You might want to see one of my latest videos where a car with a head gasket failure lied on the chemical, leakdown and compression tests!!! Otherwise- pressurize the cooling system and see if a leak can be located.

[@rbbrady3651]

Excellent Information