How to Tell if Your Car has a Blown Head Gasket

How do you tell if your car has a blown head gasket? Today I'll show you a tool you can use to find out and 7 symptoms to look for to help diagnose a leaking head gasket.
Tool I used in Video: amzn.to/2p5mz9v
Another video you might like, Why is my Car Losing Coolant: • Why is My Car Losing C...
If a BleepinJeep video has ever helped you consider returning the favor by:
• Supporting us on Patreon here: / bleepinjeep
• Becoming a Member here on KZbin: bit.ly/2wGeSec
• Buying a T-Shirt Here: www.bleepinjeep...
• Or Just leaving a kind comment on FB here: / bleepinjeep
This product is meant for entertainment purposes only. Your mileage may vary. Do not try this at home. Void where prohibited. Some assembly required. For off-road use only. Slippery when wet. Batteries not included. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle, heavy equipment, cherokee XJ, wrangler TJ, wrangler JK, or any Jeep vehicle, especially the newer Fiat ones. How-to videos may be too intense for some viewers and children under 30 years of age. Please remain seated until the 4x4 ride has come to a complete stop. Studies have shown viewing these videos causes increased cancer risks in laboratory test people. I am not a professional, I have no training, I'm not even particularly good at horse whispering. Don't believe everything that you know. Please keep your hands in the vehicle at all times. Do not tap on glass. Do not eat anything that has been on the floor for more than 3 days. Keep your hands to yourself. Not to be taken internally. Reproduction strictly prohibited. Driver does not carry cash. Objects in Bleepinjeep mirrors may be farther than they appear.

[@oliverrobey6973]

I've been researching all day looking for the signs that tell me it's a blown head your 6-minute video taught me more than six minutes then I've learned my entire life of searching on KZbin thank

[@luci-fer250]

pull off radiator cap rev your engine at 3000rpm for 15 seconds then suddenly remove foot from gas pedal if antifreeze sprays out high you have a blown head gasket.....no tools necessary......just advice from a 40 year mechanic who doesnt want you to buy tools you dont need. this video was like a commercial for the tool he was using.

[@johndc2998]

kevin lockhart +1 thank you

[@luci-fer250]

John McGrath you are welcome

[@nvrlift-xj3dp]

kevin lockhart or just pull your plugs and if you have water in there or the plugs are wet then it’s blown

[@nvrlift-xj3dp]

kevin lockhart or if it’s smoking white smoke a ton

[@gs9194]

kevin lockhart you are a legend man keep up .

[@1970chevelle396]

How I always check for a blown head gasket is, I take the radiator cap off then hold the probe from a gas analyzer near where the cap goes with the engine running. If there is any hydrocarbons it's bad. The testers with the fluid that changes color don't work very well if it just barley leaks.

[@southseapirate1]

Could you elaborate further?

[@1970chevelle396]

southseapirate1 I explained everything. Very simple test. If there is any hydrocarbons at all in the radiator that means combustion gas is getting into the cooling system, Which you should never see.

[@qaz3000]

DAMN that's a great idea man ! I'll try it fo sure. Are there instances where the HG was blown and it did not show ? Atleast with this technique your guarantied no false positive !

[@elyeli6250]

You can test for a blown head gasket by pulling the radiator cap off (when it is cold) and start the engine. It will bubble like boiling water or You can usually smell the harsh fumes. Anyway my 2003 dakota blew a gasket after overheating.

[@elesjuan]

"My Milkshake brings all the engines to the (junk)yard..."

[@johnbeer5242]

elesjuan and they like revs better than yours😂😭😭

[@johnbeer5242]

dam right Revs better than yours😂😭

[@jasonthomas2410]

I could fix it, but I have to charge

[@averyheaneytheshit]

Good one!!!

[@ipdjbt]

These kits are great investments, but I would recommend buying the dual chamber tester. They help eliminate false positives if you happen to suck in some coolant into the chamber.

[@jumpinjojo]

2:47 His girlfriend goes wild.

[@greyslump2124]

joseph migliore underrated comment

He drives a Jeep by choice... We sure he has a gf?

[@jonathon490]

hahahahahaha so good

[@erikanderson2046]

As a jeep *former* jeep owner i can say the best way is to just assume its blown.. the test should be to find a *good* headgasket 🤣 i miss my jeep so much 😭

[@shimxininahi8024]

Several ways coolant can mix with oil or oil mix with coolant. The presents of exhaust gases more like means something is cracked or the head is wrapped or the block, than leaky head gasket. All the signs of contamination will show itself at the highest point, the radiator opening. All the guessing could only be reviewed after its all apart. Product is a money maker.

[@lsswappedcessna]

You should've clarified that small amounts of smoke/steam are normal, as a car that has just started will run rich/burn off condensation in the exhaust, but a plume of steam is a bad sign.

[@sgloki]

You should begin the test cold, because EARLY failure of head gaskets can leak when cold, but seal when the engine has heated and the metal expanded.... but yes, you should continue to test until the vehicle reaches operating temperature and the Tstat is open.

[@glenturney4750]

Another easy way is to open your hood, start your engine, then grab the top radiator hose and squeeze the air out of it. If it begins inflating like a balloon, "TA-DAAAH!" Open your checkbook, 'cause it's gonna cost ya.

[@darianlord1474]

Got a 2010 challenger 5.7 when I left work my temp gauge red lined started seeing white smoke coming from the front of my car the smell is sweet smelling... Popped the hood and saw that the coolant was boiling and coming out of the reservoir...after letting the car cool off I checked the cap and tightened it down after taking it off to put more coolant then drove to the store which is 4 minutes from my place started red lining again and boiling so I'm going out on a limb here and saying head gasket or could it possibly be the cap? What do you think?

[@JonnyDIY]

Ahh the dreaded "Cappuccino Froth" on the underside of the Oil Cap 😫

[@pra3t0rian]

Best thumbnail evar.

[@MrRoadking8468]

My Jk 3.8 trys to overheat only going I70 West from Denver. After a new radiator, thermostat, water pump, pressure test with dye that shows a leak down however,no dye found under a blacklight. Did the block test, no color change, any ideas?

[@patmiller2415]

I have an oil (mostly) floating on the top of the coolant (not much) in the radiator & reservoir, I believe (& positive) it's NOT a blown head gasket. There is NO water in the oil & it's not milky. I just have an oil leak at the "oil filter adapter" which I plan to replace the gasket & o-ring soon. Where is the "engine oil cooler" on 94 Chevy K1500 4x4 & what does it look like? If it's not an "engine oil cooler", what else could it be that causes this oil leak problem? Need help & advice ASAP, please.

[@wju425]

I'm a retired mechanic. I don't need any gadgets to tell me I have exhaust gas in the coolant. My nose will tell me.

[@69noraa]

Idiot

[@stormer1092]

In my case with my 4.7 i used a leakdown tester in cylinder 1 and got a nice bubbly sensation from the radiator.

[@southseapirate1]

Got bubbles on my 4.7. My signs were that, coolant not going down in res, along with my tester fluid turning green.

[@salrussano1]

Well its a 3.7 so theirs that

[@01trsmar]

Sal....It doesnt have a bad head gasket...Furthermore,people need to change the coolant,reason headgaskets go bad in the 1st place !

[@salrussano1]

Its a 3.7 i meant its junk..i am a diesel mechanic for almost 30 years now.i think i know a thing or too.peace

[@dirtrusty7228]

01trsmar, I've had the same coolant for the last 230,000 miles in my Toyota. Headgaskets blow because of shitty engineering.

[@carlschroeder3003]

@@dirtrusty7228 your a dumbass your suppose to change it either every 5 years or 150,000 miles

[@evanthepanther]

Their, there, they're. Learn the difference.

[@niceguy2171]

One last symptom he didn't mention in the list of them is; exhaust leaking from the head area..on 2 GM's (a 4 banger and a V6) both leaked to the outside corner of the head, without blowing into the coolant or the coolant getting into the oil. One last tip, on the smaller newer aluminum head and/or block engines so prevalent out there now, but the valve covers and re-torque the heads after 20-50K miles, you would be surprised at how many are almost falling off when you do! As the metals lead themselves to more movement than the study cast iron of days of old.

[@benferguson4629]

This video is very useful thank you.

[@my2centz196]

Think my head gasket is gone on my 02 jeep liberty. I've had one problem after another with it however it's never overheated once which is crazy. Waterpump started leaking from gasket so replaced that, radiator leaked replaced that and hoses started spraying out the radiator cap on the overflow replaced that and thermostat but still to much pressure on radiator hose and still blowing out the overflow. Well the radiator cap on the overflow which is a stupid place to put on if you ask me. Much easier to trouble shoot with radiator cap and separate overflow

[@Bucknik]

My car has a 2015 pentastar engine and was overheating. Mechanic said air in coolant. Pulls heads, nothing wrong with heads or gasket. What's the likely problem?

[@whoisfluffy3476]

On my sedan i get bubbles in my reservoir and white smoke when the engine gets fully warmed up. Would this be the head gasket or warped heads or other issues?

[@Th0rnFTW]

let engine get to working temperature, then squeeze the water pipes/hoses on radiator, if they are hard as rock u have pressure from engine getting into them to your coolant system. If your hoses are squishy, then u should be fine, if they are hard on squeeze or u cannot squeeze them,u are in trouble =)

[@jp-us9rq]

I went to mail something it was in the 40s the temp I only drove about a mile not going fast or nothing was at a stop sign on a hill pulled out had to give a lot of gas i didnt see a car coming some white smoke came out I'mdont know if it was condensation or what but I cant get it to do it again soni hope it was a fluke

[@harvestblades]

Anyway to tell before you tear into it whether it's simply the gasket vs a cracked head?

[@biggerdaddy2981]

OK here's one for you 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0. Dead a radiator flush one burping the system coolant started blasting like a geyser out of my radiator. Any help would be useful right as of now I'm changing the radiator water pump thermostat several the lines but not true this is actually going to fix the problem

[@wiley0714]

Confusing post. You did a radiator flush ( then you have to squeeze the hoses to burp the air out of the system) , after the engines heated up and the thermostat opens to allow the coolant to flow through , then if you put the cap back on the radiator you shouldn't have any fluid coming like a geyser out of anywhere. Unless you have some type of loose hose clamp or something

[@biggerdaddy2981]

@@wiley0714 Not sure exactly what to say. I burp the radiator like I was told to by leaving the engine and waited for it to take the coolant level down. But it never really dropped much at all and from what I know it should have dropped some and need a little more. So kept waiting for it to drop a little did then I put more. While waiting for it to drop more I looked away for a minute. While looking away I heard like a boiling sound turned back to the radiator to see it shooting straight up in the air. Shut it down to just watch it keep boiling over. Waited till it stopped put a little more in and it was full again put the radiator cap back on and called it a night. Went to work the next morning all good on my way stopped for a beer run cause u know all good things start with a beer run, too walk out and see to the antifreeze just pouring out from under the car. Popped the hood seen it shooting from the general direction of the radiator. So ordered one radiator thermostat and water pump and a couple of hoses. Now to the present time removed all of these parts and while I have it opened not sure if that could have been extreme pressure because of a blown head gasket. If so might as well pull it also and check but not sure if I would know what I was looking for. Oh and replacing the valve gasket. New comer to working on my own engine. Always been intrigued by electronics and do most of the work on them myself, so why not do the same on engines. Sorry rather winded question but I only have so much time in a day with 12 hour work days and a 8 year old son, so most of my tinkering time is hours i should be sleeping. And need to do the lower main on my wrangler so need to get this figured out

[@luci-fer250]

read my post....plus i have never had to purge my cooling system i just leave the radiator cap off. and sometimes the white guk under the cap is condensation.

[@biggerdaddy2981]

@@luci-fer250 yay that is going to be fun. Wish it could have waited another week before this happened was in the middle of reinforcing rafters in the garage so I could mount my crane. Then this winter I was going to pull the engine. Would be a lot easier to work on with the engine out. And not doubting your trick to c if it's blown, but why doesn't anybody else put this in a video so people can figure out or easier. And that's what I figured it was with the coolant level dropping I was surprised to not find one video on that

[@thatguy3790]

Bad thermostat can cause that

[@8avexp]

If you have a vacuum gauge, the needle will be all over the place if the head gasket is blown.

[@midnightsmoker3767]

Good information thank you.

[@adamtaft1062]

What's up Matt been watching you for a while you help me a lot back in XJ half door days so check it out I got a rebuild my 2000 Cherokee XJ sport 4.0L..what master rebuild kit would you recommend taking it all the way down .. new pistons crank Cam new left hers top and bottom end seals..ect?..

[@Level_Up_Nation]

How do you check it if you don't have a radiator cap, just overflow tank.

[@rubyisabel7634]

Love your videos. Your a good teacher

[@cooders71]

Hey Matt, I have a quick question that will probably need a not so quick answer. I have an 01 XJ with the 0331 head and it's cracked. My brother has an 04 Grand Cherokee WJ that just spun a bearing (or something). Everywhere I've looked says that head won't work for me but I can't find any explanation on why. Do you have any insight? I know this is an old video and chances of you seeing this are slim but I'm at the end of my knowledge and need help.

[@luci-fer250]

2 things oil gallies are different and antifreeze travel route could be different

[@relaxeful]

Great video as always

[@Khorsathedark]

Nice, I didn't know about the exhaust gas in the radiator tester thing.

[@MrMrsregor]

if it turns yellow it could be a blown headgasket, cracked or warped block, or a cracked or warped heads

[@rick850angler6]

Hey matt my xj has a weird tapping sound or tick when i shut it off sounds crazy...?

[@vegasxventures]

Does this mean we’re getting and xk project?

[@MrRoadking8468]

How dependable is this test?

[@chanakaruwansampathdesilva1197]

Hi today my car was boiled,when i open my engine.radiator extra tank cap was pop uped.after re fill the radiator it was runing normal condition.i was face this befor two week.will you please advise the reason?

[@markpersaud5768]

Check your radiator cap

[@PropGuyGabe]

I just replace the head gasket on my xj yesterday lol! not fun

[@carlitoseuceda2000]

Shit is never fun but it has to be done /:

[@elirobertson2324]

How long that take you?

[@PropGuyGabe]

@@elirobertson2324 all day

[@spartanboxing1]

Blown head gasket? It’s as easy as checking the oil, if oil looks milky brown then you have a blown head gasket. Advice to you from a 30 year Ace Auto technician.

[@nitrous07me]

shark correct but what about if it’s just burning it off in the cylinders? U wouldn’t find anything in the oil

[@NutsandBoltsAuto]

Damn.. What a shame. 30yrs and still havent learned that a head gasket can blow in multiple ways.. Between cylinders, to engine bay, into coolant, into cylinder.. :/

[@southseapirate1]

Then it's still not enough time... You have more learning to do.

[@luci-fer250]

love the sarcasm...lol

[@sonnykelley1259]

It depends on where the head gasket blew out on the exhaust side or the intake side ,if it was on the exhaust side you could have oil in the radiator & whit smoke blowing out the exhaust

[@republicansareoffendedeasi821]

check your radiator for oil and check your dipstick for water and if you have a shit ton of steam coming out of your exhaust then yes you has a blown head gasket don't waste your money for something you can do for free.

[@mattdavis822]

Good info .

[@resting2528]

Coolant in your crank case will also leave a yellowish cream inside the oil cap.

[@WILSON.1]

Do you have that contraption for the tail pipe for sale?

[@01trsmar]

You dont need it,it was an example of what it looks like if the head gasket was shot...You use the test on the radiator,not exhaust pipe !! His head gasket wasnt shot !

[@WILSON.1]

01trsmar No shit

[@maxdeniel]

Thanks for your video. I have a question, from min 0:32 to 0:55 while the radiator cap was open, vapor was getting out the hose.., is that normal? in this case I'm assuming that your car is OK, because you had to take some vapors from your exhaust in order to show us how the liquid turns yellow... but then, why the vapors coming out from the beginning? Thank you in advance.

[@bleepinjeep]

I thought that was a bad sign too but it was just steam.

[@wyattoneable]

Thanks Matt.

[@emergencylowmaneuvering7350]

liquid coming out of tailpipe. Specially if not humid day and engine is warm.

[@zombie95xx]

If you got a blown head gasket it would show on a compression gauge if your purge the cooling system

[@missmackanointed1mack367]

Hi HwRu how can I tell if it’s a blown head gasket

[@Amie-]

Omg THANK YOU for this.

[@axe609]

You forgot the smell test. If you are getting coolant in the exhaust you can smell it.

[@Tony32]

Can I use that kit as a pregnancy test?

[@kryskozlowski142]

The weird thing about the powertech v6 and v8 engines, they like to mix coolant and oil not because of this, but because of a leaking timing cover gasket. Did at least 3 or 4 in the past couple of years that had this problem

[@wiley0714]

Nice. I bought another used Commander a month ago. An 08, replacing my missed (traded) 06. I'm looking at your headlights I'm thinking you should try the headlight restoration kit cuz I got great results with it. ( I'm not sponsored by 3M) but I was impressed because the ended up actually looking crystal clear

[@johnbeer5242]

😂😭😂 oh yes oh yes like that 😂😭😂😭😂😭😭😂😭😂 hahahahahhaha

[@ricktherican]

Do you have an email where I can write to?

[@gregorythoman8281]

If you have a blown head gasket you will have coolant in your oil. Just check your oil.

[@sonnykelley1259]

You are wrong

[@rcmike09]

When shaking the bottles, why didnt you just put the caps back on them.

[@freeaudiobooks7469]

Alright who put the unskippable commercial in 🔫

[@natepalacios2781]

Ol buddy did it

[@delinquentdesign]

What about oil in the coolant aha!

[@flat6targa]

delinquentdesign I know coolant in the oil makes it milky

[@delinquentdesign]

Flat6 Hemi oil in the coolant

[@Trasher6]

If you had a auto trans, the trans cooler in the radiator is bad, aha

[@delinquentdesign]

Mike Moore I have HAD☝️an atf leak in my radiator. yes oil in the coolant

[@republicansareoffendedeasi821]

Or all your water ends of any oil pan.

[@nathancurtis3056]

Danger don't fuck with your radiator if the engine is running unless you are a trained mechanic .

[@monoracer_]

This blue fluid looks like it is the same as aquarium co2 test fluid

[@seery188]

You can recycle the fluid by sucking fresh air through it,

[@rustybrowneye]

God damn it I left my DiGiorno in the oven a little too long again.

[@hey_buddy_waz_up]

If you need test fluid to tell you if you have a blown head gasket, you have no business being under the hood.

[@priscillag1113]

is that bromothymol blue?

[@coltonspellman7170]

What does it mean if it turns green

[@jasperq7146]

Another great vid. Thanks Matt :)

[@svborek]

Besides oil in the radiator

[@thelagmeister]

The 4's and 5's stay alive while the 7's die.

[@butchcassidy5398]

IT'S A JEEP THING!

[@johndorflinger2344]

Or you could just warm the engine up with the radiator cap off and lay the exhaust gas analyzer prove above the coolant and check for the presence of hydrocarbons.

[@matthewfredrickmfkrz1934]

Be better if you did it on a Jeep with a bad gasket

[@Jonnymechanic-302]

There's actually a couple ways if you're building pressure that's one sign take the radiator cap off and smell into the radiator and you smell exhaust fumes that's another way not all head gaskets blow where there's an oil jacket and mixes in with the oil some head gaskets blow on the combustion side make my Honda Civic 😂😂 but thank goodness on the mechanic so it only cost me parts

[@sky-walker639]

just pull the dipstick and if the oil is milky then its blown if it looks like oil its good

[@kradikt666]

Or the oil cap some foamy shit

[@hey_buddy_waz_up]

@@kradikt666 foamy shit might be condensation.

[@frankgarcia8901]

How hard is it to replace the automatic transmission on a yj 94 jeep

[@bleepinjeep]

hard

[@williamsmilton6316]

A bong pipe happy smoking

[@jamesberlo4298]

Couldn't be a Cracked Block and not a Head Gasket ?

[@oveidasinclair982]

If you see green liquid in your tail pipe...duhhhh

[@terryfrederickson2774]

you mite tell people a simple test to see if there is pressure in system before removing cap,, just pinch the radiator hose, if its soft remove the cap, if its hard DONT REMOVE THE CAP

[@luci-fer250]

yup

[@tswaff8106]

Is it a chrysler? End of test

[@01trsmar]

? His head gasket want shot....Honda,Toyota,Mazda,Ford,GM,VW,BMW,Mercedes,Audi etc all have problems ,even more than Chrysler products !

[@thetrollwhoknows9928]

Chrysler 3.7 just get rid of it.

[@newlion7013]

Its a chrysler hello

[@jm.4071]

That tool looks.. really.. odd... 😂

[@Edwin777-z9x]

3.7 is the worst engine ever made by human kind!

[@charlestredway8253]

What a waste of my time and money with that contraption. It doesn't let you know where all of the possibilities of leakage is happening.

[@ugenegareth9339]

2 Esdras 7:100

[@Lukedawg1984]

Anyone who knows mechanics can tell if you have a blown head gasket w/o that dumb tool and fluid. Whatever happen to real mechanics? Gees! Rookies!

[@StrainingDingelberry]

Luke Dawg anyone can tell but it’s always good to have re assurance, so that your not the guy that just throws parts at stuff and wastes money without proper diagnosis.

[@lazyfucker5244]

I’ve used that many time on blown head gaskets and they pass even when head gasket is toast. If I relied on this tool I would never fix cars.

[@BryantAvant]

Nope. I had a ton of people look at my Jeep and couldn't tell me what the problem was until one of them ran this test

[@Lukedawg1984]

Bryant A obviously not a single one knew what they were doing then!

[@BryantAvant]

Why is that the deal with most mechanics? I'm in the technology industry and I can diagnose a computer or tech problem quickly and fix it correctly but most mechanics can't. Maybe I should have been a mechanic, I'd be taking in customers.

[@luckytailor3303]

I change my head gasket every thousand miles like my socks ,no need for the test.

[@Rad-Soup]

Get a new one?

[@1NIGHTMAREGAMER]

Car wasn't runing lol

[@Diddy_Doodat]

Don't buy this or listen to this guy. GTFOH bruh who are you fooling with this product

[@soulsnatcher9228]

What a waist of money

[@jimchance5006]

Is it a Subaru? Yes your head gasket is bad. Is it a Toyota Tercel? Yes tour head gasket is bad. Is it a jeep? Burn it and buy a Toyota. Is it any other Toyota? No. Your head gasket will last a million miles.

[@luckytailor3303]

87 Plymouth Colt e 1.5 mitsubishi

[@lopez12345ml]

Hit the gym