Diagnosing a Bad Head Gasket: How to Spot the Telltale Signs So You're Not Ripped Off.

[@RepairGeek]

Tools used in this video: Cooling System Pressure Tester: amzn.to/3zjrWpA Combustion Gas Leak Test Kit: amzn.to/3JUX186 WiFi Borescope: amzn.to/3lS3QiF Compression Tester: amzn.to/40pVa27 My Amazon Store: www.amazon.com/shop/repairgeek Help support the channel, buy using my Amazon links As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and your cost is exactly the same.

[@alexshatner3907]

I have a 2010 Toyota Yaris 1.5 engine, my question is I have overheating problems, and bubbling when cold through the radiator cap opening, but I do not have milky oil, nor white smoke out the exhaust pipe,so based on just the bubbling on a cold start, what part of the head gasket do I have the problem with that is causing the overheating? my cylinder compression test is #1 190 lbs #2 189 lbs #3 190 lbs # 4 220 lbs as we speak.

[@Billy-w4r]

What will take to get my truck on the road what can I put to fix my blows head gasket

[@Billy-w4r]

I need to know what product I can use to take care of the problem so I use

[@franktarawa1300]

Fantastic video. Thank you for sharing your expertise with us. I have just replaced the radiator in my Camry. There was no coolant left in the reservoir and I had to add two liters in the engine. I caught it just in time. Yours is the best video ever. Regards from Sydney Australia.

[@EBMproductions1]

*so i am on my third blown head gasket and this is within two months since the last fix and i babied the car(never pushed it or went over 120kph(80mph) with the car so what might be the reason it continuously blows as this is verrry frustrating right now*

[@stevenginnever5343]

I'm a little over middle age and can't believe how someone so young, can be so articulate. Your knowledge and delivery on problems are so professional. You really are a breath of fresh air on KZbin. Cheers Steve.

[@dynamicadrenalin]

Honestly, I almost skipped the video when I saw a young guy and a Honda. Glad I didn't. I'm impressed. I seldom subscribe to anything. This guy gets one.

[@SummerEaze]

It's called having a passion

[@SupraSav]

@@SummerEaze Having passion does not mean one can magically speak well.

[@arcademode2910]

Totally concur!

[@EBMproductions1]

*so i am on my third blown head gasket and this is within two months since the last fix and i babied the car(never pushed it or went over 120kph(80mph) with the car so what might be the reason it continuously blows as this is verrry frustrating right now*

[@FB1Dpresents]

Rarely do I leave comments on social media, and this will be the 1st one this year. You, sir, just taught me a very valuable lesson, and that is that you can never trust people who claim they look out for your best interests. One of the greatest explanations I've ever seen of anything in my 37 years of living.

[@pesopaid5499]

I gotta agree with this guy I got the same problem but caught it really early and I had no knowledge of my car prior to this video now I feel like an expert. You’re truly doing gods work.

[@stephencook7337]

Rule of thumb is, the longer you wait to fix a problem the worse it gets. So you should stop immediately upon discovering a problem with your car. It can mean the difference between replacing the gasket or replacing the vehicle altogether. Excellent video.

[@vincemarshall8550]

or trying different things to sort the problem until you eventually and very expensively replace the whole vehicle ....these issues never givingly present themselves

[@TM-fx5le]

@@vincemarshall8550why are you guys replacing a vehicle because the engines bad? Just drop a new motor in lol

[@vincemarshall8550]

@@TM-fx5le not a nice job in a transit mate but i get your point

[@AlmightyEvil1]

This comment is underrated

[@e47kz]

Don’t all these problems practically make the car totaled in terms of cost to repair. Requiring extensive labor. Like what’s the average cost to replace a head gasket with labor. $5k+… especially today’s rates. What’s the cost for a used engine + labor…

[@JimFatima-nb3fl]

Unbelievable how easy it is to understand the diagnosis of whatever the problem may be going on. So glad I came across this.

[@Premium_pazar_jeans]

He just explains good

[@theestorestlucia]

This has been the MOST USEFUL video on bad head gasket and overheating I have found on youtube. I have had some of these symptoms for months and finally understand what needs to be done.

[@LuisCarlos-r5q]

I have watched dozens of videos about blown head gasket related and, by far, this is the best ever I watched. Congratulations.

[@TheJoeman11]

Good technician who methodically covers the range of scenarios involved with head gasket issues.

[@stephenparris8680]

Sir, I have watched so many videos trying to get a full understanding of how to diagnose a problem with my combustion. This was by far the most thorough and succinct I’ve found. Thank you thank you.

[@josburd6429]

I drove a Nissan with a bad head gasket for 2 months and 300 miles , I just kept extra coolant and oil in my truck to top it off, but it got annoying and after 2 months I was able to save some money to put as down payment on a newer , better car, drive safe and God bless ❤

[@SineN0mine3]

2 months of driving with a bad head gasket will damage your engine badly enough that you shouldn't feel okay with selling it, except to a dealer or scrap yard. It's quite simple for a mechanic to change the gasket, if you find yourself in this situation and can't afford the repair you should probably consider selling it there and then. The mechanic, or some car enthusiast can repair the engine and you can use the funds to buy a cheaper car. It's a tough call to make since we're usually reliant on our cars to get to work, but the car's worth a lot more money with a working engine that has a bad gasket than it is once the engine itself is damaged. The gaskets themselves are usually $100 or less, it's the labour to install them which is expensive. Compared to a new engine which may cost thousands, and has an even higher labour cost you're really incentivised to act quickly once you discover a bad gasket.

[@javierreyes786]

I did the exact same thing on my Nissan except I ended up overfilling the oil after topping it up every few weeks, the engine hydrolocked and I was shopping for a used car that same week, won't make that mistake again

[@williamfletcher4084]

I am much less car stupid now . No need to ask questions because you answered them before I had the chance. Great video man for real...much thanks

[@karlrensburg3472]

Awesome tutorial, another one I learned over the years is after the engine reaches operating temperature, one shouldn't have water dripping out the exhaust , that is a sign of coolant leaking at the head.

[@JA-rc4uy]

ASE certified master technician here. This is a great video, very well presented. But I have one correction. At 15:20, when using the engine block tester, you don’t draw coolant into the test vial. You simply use the bulb at the top of the vial to draw air from the radiator THROUGH the vial. If hydrocarbons/carbon monoxide are present in the air samples, that is what causes the test fluid to change color. Coolant being drawn into the vial and touching the test fluid can compromise the results.

[@islandbeaches395]

coolant in the oil or open the engine cover look in the hole no specials tools.

[@JA-rc4uy]

@@islandbeaches395 A head gasket can fail in more than one way. If it fails between the combustion chamber and a coolant passage, which is what happened in this video, then it won’t mix coolant with the oil. Just checking for coolant in the oil does not tell you if a gasket is good or bad And what the heck do you mean by “open the engine cover and look in the hole”??? Tell me you don’t know how an engine operates without telling me.

[@tomdude75]

I'm losing coolant with no visible leaks, and no obvious signs of head gasket failure, any ideas what it could be

[@JA-rc4uy]

⁠@@tomdude75 The cooling system is supposed to operate as a sealed system. If the coolant goes low, maybe even empty over time, then there is a leak somewhere. The leak is either external or internal. An external leak you can see if it’s large enough. But sometimes it’s small and will evaporate fairly quickly, if that is happening you can still usually tell that there is a leak because after the coolant dries it will leave a white residue wherever the leak is located.. Another way an engine can loose coolant with no other real noticeable symptoms is if the head gasket fails between the coolant jacket and the combustion chamber, but the leak is small. This is what happened to the most recent engine I repaired. The head gasket had gone bad, but the leak was small and not enough to cause white smoke out the tailpipe, not enough to cause any drivability concerns or overheating as long as the coolant was topped off. But it was still leaking into the cylinder and burning it off causing it to eventually go low. It is my brother-in-laws car and that is why he had me take a look at it, because it was loosing coolant with no noticeable leaks and no obvious head gasket issues. This COULD be what is happening, as not all head gasket failures are immediately obvious, at least not until the leak becomes large enough.

[@Hubbardbilly]

@@JA-rc4uywould a compression test identify this issue?

[@ThunderbirdRocket]

Tremendous tutorial ! The amount of information , and specificity , and video shots , and simple to understand terminology ; has , without any doubt , whatsoever , made the greatest impact on my learning this particular topic . Thanks mate !! 👊🏼

[@Cathlene-z1x]

You get the hero award. This video is wonderful. I learned a lot. Thank you.

[@jimtoth-p8v]

This is one of the best You Tube videos on the subject ever made. The explanations of the cause and effects are extremely well done. The way he actually shows the situation and explains it should be a model for all You Tube videos wrt automotive mechanics,

[@virgilgreenfield1136]

Excellent teaching! Thank you for being so detailed and covering the essentials in terms a novice could understand. Keep videos like this coming. Thank you!

[@andrewsweeney9470]

Best explanation of head gasket failure I have seen. Thank you!

[@MarkMalone-ni5nt]

Easily one of the best explanations on the types and causes of various head gasket failure modes. Excellent approach using the removed head for the explanation.

[@AlanBurkhart-e1n]

Amazingly detailed and logical description of the head gasket issue. Im astounded at how you explained in detail but still made it so the novice could comprehend. You sir are The Maestro. And I HAD to subscribe to your channel!

[@abdirahmanhabib398]

Man o man if you are not a professor I don't know what you are!!!!! Explanation on point. I'm a rookie lube tech on my way to wrenching, and this was absolutely gold. Thank you.

[@dihylan]

Beautiful and coherent articulation of what the head gasket's role is, and moreover, why you are leaving your engine to certain demise if not repaired in a timely manner.

[@MrDilley777]

This is the best video on how to tell what part of the head gasket is blown Ive seen and now I know whats wrong with my wifes car, thank you very much!!!!😊😊😊

[@anthonyiannone7618]

excellent explanation . The one thing i do is pressurize the cylinder with air and watch the cooling system for bubbles , like you said but without running the engine. Ive used this technique several times on Hondas and it worked for me

[@chriswoods3851]

absolutely the g.o.a.t explanation about blown head gaskets.

[@btd-cf2000]

Excellent, thorough description. I really appreciated the distinction made between the higher pressure oil passage ways, but the fact that the coolant system stays under pressure (albeit lower) after the motor is shut off. Great points, and helpful in diagnosing different symptoms. I've done motor swaps and head gasket replacements on several motors and still learned something. Well done.

[@davesmith2150]

Great explanation mine I did it 3 times and I finally found it it was a cracked head deep in the oil gally so I got a new head and problem solved...the main problem was oil in the coolant like you said the oil has more pressure then the coolant so it was blowing into the coolant. I had no coolant in the oil.

[@vanrolle710]

Thanks I think this video was on point and it explained all the symptoms' and diagnoses. I live in the Bahamas and is very much appreciative of all the equipment you use to diagnose this problem. I will continue to follow you for more mechanical videos .. Again Thanks

[@JessicaBarhamGonzalez]

I'm a 35 year old female many men and women have completely lost my attention and failed and left me lost and not saying they didn't have the knowledge but they sure wasn't meant to be a teacher wow this futs a really great teacher. I now understand thank you sir'

[@islandbeaches395]

Every day I learn something new.

[@ExitVelocity]

Very intelligent dude and great at explaining things. Videos are very informative. Thanks

[@fr3edomcry]

I love how you explain the workings and issues of an engine. This video was very helpful

[@paulstrangers2943]

Very methodically detailed video on this topic. My tacoma has bubbles in the radiator.

[@protusochieng4533]

Watchimg from 🇰🇪Kenya. Very well explained. Be blessed. Exactly the reason i abandoned the tractor at the farm today. Being i a novice in auto world..i feel empowered. Mine is damaged between 2 cylinders. Fret but now informed 😊

[@oliverqueen6587]

Yeah initially I thought my car had a Leaking radiator but the bubbling radiator (radiator cap removed and engine on idle) combined with misfire in cylinder 1 in the cold morning confirmed what the issue was. Thanks for the details 😊.

[@delva87]

What was the issue?

[@yamigekido9554]

This has been incredibly informative to me my head gasket just blew and this video helped me diagnose what exactly happened

[@eddkennedy6458]

Great advice, a leakdown test is also beneficial, also water entering a cylinder can end up coming out the exhaust and can also cause an engine lockup situation usually when you attempt to start up in the morning or when the engine has been off for some time.

[@johnselekta]

Perfect man thank you. Just about to check out my old overheating VW T4 camper and found a proper blockage so hoping it doesn't go this far. Pressure test kit is here so I'll try it if symptoms persist. Great vid.

[@omarcarrillo8819]

Thanks so much for the video! was banging my head over where and how my car was leaking coolant and after lots of research and observation came to the conclusion that my head gasket must be leaking coolant. I can see coolant leaking out the back of the engine block, so imma buy the parts and get ready for a big job this weekend. 2005 honda civic ex btw

[@ct3049]

Gone through many related content but this was the best, answered almost every question in mind!❤

[@kj8687]

Of all the videos I've watched on head gasket failure, this video does great job of explaining this problem. Thanks for this great video

[@Dwayne-r2l]

This guy is very professional and well trained

[@stuckinmygarage6220]

I'm not sure how much practice you do, but it's working. Kudos 👍

[@Acidalley]

Excellent indepth analysis. This video couldnt be better. Thanks for sharing

[@702HGA]

Amazing f**** video. Best, most detailed informational video I’ve yet to see online on this topic. Covered all the basis and made it easy to understand. Really needed the help figuring out my 636 leaky gasket issue & this def did it for me. Excellent job, much appreciated.

[@otip2629]

Excellent explanation.am dealing with what l hope is a blown head gasket and not a cracked head on a sport bike.l need it this precise explanation.thanks.

[@dh1380]

Mine went two weeks ago. Carbon cleaned and valves replaced, head pressure tested. New cam belt and water pump, cam follower replaced... £1250. Almost half what I paid for the car (2009 Audi TTS) 😅 If i hadn't already had the thermostat replaced and changed the PCV I wouldve got that done too. You might as well get some preventative maintenance done whilst you're in there - Saves money later down the line on the more labour intensive jobs.

[@kevinogorman6282]

Well presented and shown in detail. There are so many types of engines that require different disassembly and reassembly procedures that people need to research prior to taking on a job like this. For those that are learning or choose not to do it themselves it really helps them to understand the methods of testing and the possibilities of head gasket failure. If the symptoms are present I suggest the repair it now is the only solution, avoid extensive damage. For engines with dual timing chains and tensioners, V6 and V8 it is a task that may be above some diy capabilities as well as tools and equipment requirements.

[@garyvalto1854]

By far the best video on KZbin about this topic! congrats!

[@dissarrae]

Very informative & well made video. My late husband was a master mechanic and i worked on cars with him for 14 yrs but he left me with a blown head gasket in one vehicle & not enough experience to confidently fix it on my own so I'll be looking for your video on the engine tear-down to help guide me through it! Thanks for making such great videos!

[@bfflorida2311]

Well made video... 👏👏👏.. FYI... gas test fluid is designed to absorb GAS and if any, it reacts by changing color from blue to green and not fluid as was said in the video 15:42

[@wb6csh]

Good Video, Mr. Repair Geek! I'm now better prepared to do an initial diagnosis of my smoke/misfire problem before getting the Honds dealer involved! Muchas Gracias!

[@justchris846]

This was the best “Explanation Video” I’ve watched

[@sagewhite5776]

Amazing video. Thanks for saving me so much headache and money on diagnosis

[@Glenn_123]

Great video! This has always been a fear of mine.... I have an 04 Accord. I know this day is coming. Thanks for doing a great video.

[@clivemullings1754]

This was a first class tutorial. Excellent!

[@boinknook]

Thank you. Great explanation! Wow, all that because a stupid gasket was leaking. Wow that gasket has an extremely important job!! But an easier question: if a head gasket is blown, eventually there should be a check engine code because if you think about it, all these symptoms are going to affect emissions.

[@RepairGeek]

You could have misfire codes for sure. Most vehicles don't monitor the physical emissions, they monitor the systems that control emissions. So if the emissions controls are in place and working the car doesn't care, regardless of how harmful the emissions actually are.

[@madb9422]

​@@RepairGeekThx. It wasn't my question but thanks for the answer.

[@jeffdavis1458]

This is an excellent video. You tell the "whats", "whys", & "hows". I learned so much. Thank you!

[@thomasmastersen3709]

Outstanding and informative overview of the whole diagnostic!! Smart guy. Very smart indeed

[@ioannaotinanai]

I'm looking to buy a used car and your explanation gave me some incredible pointers on what to be aware of when checking the car, thank you so much!

[@virginiawilliams8947]

Thank you so much! You are an awesome instructor/teacher!!!! Even I halfway I understood how it all is working together as a wh.❤

[@sherylm.franks4536]

You are an awesome teacher! Thank you for this video.

[@adilrizwanmughal6607]

A very informative and explained technically and logically. Thanks

[@SuperDave227D]

THE BEST EVER COMPLETE BREAK DOWN!!! Thank you!

[@sanuyapaul1759]

THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION AND THE VIDEO. I HAVE MY CAR HODA CRV - RD1 WAS UNABLE TO START AND FOUND MILKY OIL FROM YHE ENGINE. NOW I KNOW THE PROBLEM WHY OIL WENT INTO THE ENGIN SUMP, YOUR EXPLANATION WAS REALLY CLEAR. WELL DONE.

[@danielhocker6720]

I have a honda CRv 2003. And I blew the radiator .. as we changed the radaitor in 2 of the smaller hoses had oil leak out of the lines. However it starts and is idioled but no white smoke. Im hoping its just a radiator.

[@rogerdodrill4733]

Rots of ruck​@@danielhocker6720

[@marcussweat1924]

Very Nice! Your delivery on this topic was top knotch and right On Point! Keep those videos a coming. I am sharing this... Thank you...

[@akgocrazzzy4580]

I’ve been looking at hella head gasket vids this guy explained it best

[@jeffreyhines2709]

This guy is very informative. We need more of this on this site. Great job 👏

[@hittz8331]

First, I want to thank you MUCH for taking your time to share such detailed content!!!!!As many will agree, we appreciate your work and respect your knowledge. Subscribed and Liked! Thank You.

[@LuisHernandez-ft9uo]

You did a great job explaining the reasons. Keep making videos your really good.

[@dizzyassklown4424]

Very well explained and articulated. Thank you...👍

[@roberxl]

Best class on blown head gaskets

[@naturemacro]

Hands down the best vid ive seen on head gasket issue explanation.Thank u very much for taking the time to make this.

[@raymondhandboy4730]

Dude this is the best breakdown and Informative video I’ve ever seen on KZbin. Amazing job and I learned Alot! Thank you!

[@mowski9]

Best video I've watched on KZbin? Just might be. I wish America valued education. You should be educating our children

[@dontheplumber9338]

I just subscribed, Thanks for sharing this information. I have bad head gasket on my s10 . You helped to confirm that.👍

[@nedmilburn]

Dude... This is the best video I've seen on the topic! Thank you! Anyone: Can a failing headgasket lead to extra oil burning...?

[@richardpowles-brown2775]

Excellent video thanks. There's another possible scenario which wouldn't happen on your Honda but it seems to be happening on a friend's M-B with the OM601 2 litre diesel. Oil is coming out the exhaust, without affecting the coolant. I haven't actually got the head off yet but there's a place on the head gasket which could lead directly from the oil supply to the cylinder. Symptoms are white smoke, rough idling and eventually oil spray from the exhaust.

[@kristalynnmertz]

Sounds like he overfilled his oil.

[@plugg440]

Very detailed explanation! Probably the best video I’ve found. Subscribed.

[@birdmanohyes]

Great video! Thank you for breaking things down, and explaining things.

[@jamesforler6897]

I just completed an intro to engines course at my local community college. You basically condensed the entire course into this video. Thank you sooo much.

[@SunsurferGutierrez]

very well explained. Thanks man your a wealth of knowledge for sure.

[@tobyk9665]

One of the few tools I do not have is a borescope and I suspect I have a head gasket leak on an old school 350 SBC. Ordered the one you used and looking forward to seeing inside those cylinders this weekend.

[@mickeybecraft5965]

Hats off to you , not only your thorough explanation of how each Port meets and does what it does to create a symptom that you can practically diagnose, with no tools in your hands. Simple scenario, you break down on the side of the roadl. You at least know whether to grab the tag or not an start walking. Which leads me to the other side of the coin, your presentation an everything was great, not a flaw! Then I read the comments. Some people had statements some people had questions.

[@mickeybecraft5965]

You didn't answer anybody

[@mickeybecraft5965]

Not to mention your time in video productions ctc. Tear down engine, fix, repair and or replace. Assemble. Do try to find the time to talk to your fans , subscribers, ... Great job otherwise.

[@RepairGeek]

I have a hard time answering questions that were covered in the video. I try to talk to some people but, you need to be willing to help yourself at a certain point.

[@Nopaants]

Sounds great! So I don’t have smoke, overheating nor misfire. Only indication is loss of oil pressure which I then checked the oil and coolant to find a crossover contamination of both. Without the low indicator and engine code, the truck sounds, looks and runs normal. Had fuel level failure happen the same time. No smell of fuel contamination. Over RPMs when quick acceleration…. Of course! All I had to do was listen two more seconds for the exclamation. 😅

[@Fr0sty4242]

Thanks! You’re awesome!

[@RepairGeek]

Greatly appreciated!

[@timroyhinds9714]

Very brilliant and gifted mechanic..love him

[@giglehart]

Wow!!! This is awesome!!! Not sure I’m ready to be a mechanic. Yeah but I can now ask some questions!!!

[@chendrebala]

You are a star. This information helped me a lot.

[@92duck1]

Very helpful video, thank you. Question - 2017 Ford Explorer, 2.3L Ecoboost engine diagnosed with coolant in cylinder 3. 130,000 miles. How do I determine if I need to replace just the head gasket vs entire engine (2017 ecoboost engines have known faulty design problem with narrow distance between cylinders)?

[@PiKei-s8z]

Such a great educational video, deserves more views.

[@ke6bnl]

Excellent demonstration

[@sivucit]

Fantastic Video.. Great explanation. Glad i found your video. if there is a leak between coolant to oil NOT (ENGINE combustion gas to coolant) then are you saying that tool used to chekc exhaust gas in ccoolant will not work ?..

[@bobdeengineer7396]

Great video. My chevy sonic 1.8L is a very similar design/layout. at 263,000, it blew a HG sending combustion into the cooling system (no oil/coolant mixing) . Technically, didnt blew the HG, the head and block actually warped and HG just lost its partner sealing contact surfaces, but HG was apparently not damaged. Decided to do a complete engine rebuild because it was in my bucket list.I had the machinist inspect the block and head for cracks (none detected). Did a 20 thousandth oversize pistons and rings (I recommend getting the special ring gapping file tool). Car in in the breaking in process now to seat the rings. I noticed that the area you pointed out the problem may be an area of relatively higher heat. would be good to have a fan in that area with an independent cooling wrap to try and cool it a little.

[@k86305]

Great Explanation ,, now i know what is a gasket and what are the issue associated.

[@chrisphilhower6029]

I have a 22 Kona 2L. I have been having Low Coolant Issues. I check the Coolant Level when Cold. The car sat for 20 hours. Went to check the radiator. The Cap was Hissing. The Dealer replaced the ITM. A week later needed at least 1 Qt to top up.

[@darrellbrown8547]

BEST TUTORIAL I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@hamlet2554]

Explained very well. Great detail!

[@e47kz]

This seriously the best video on diagnosing!

[@christopherharrimansr9541]

Very good video in detail !!!

[@MbiimdzemoaBongmoyong]

Excellent tutorials