Blown head gasket????? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Qpats · 12-21-2003, 11:11 AM

Hello,

I have a question about head gaskets. What are the symptoms of a blown head gasket?

Usually, I change the oil myself in the car, but yesterday it was cold and did not feel like it. I decided to go to a shop and they did it for me. They said the transaxle fluid was pretty nasty and it would cost 30$ to change it. I said fine do it. They also said that the coolant looked nasty and it would need to be changed also. They said 50$. I said no that I was going to do it myself.

I drained the radiator, and then removed the cap of the radiator and filled it up. I thought I was good to go... I drove the car (about 1 mile) and realized there was no warm air coming from the heater. The car started to overheat. It went to have of the gauge then it got up to 3/4 of it and I stopped the car and let it cool down.

I realized there was another cap that looked more like a standar radiator cap.(Do you fill it up there or by the radiator???)

I think it is over the thermostat. I opened it and there was no coolant in it. I put half of a gallon of coolant and then I went back home . (about a mile)
The car is not overheating there is steam comming out of the tailpipe only when it is cold and I first start it , then it seems it goes away.

The oil though has a very light color (I just changed it so maybe that is why) and it seems to be a little thin....

What are the symptoms of a blown head gasket?

Do you need to let it go to the red part before it blows up? (which I did not I shut it off in time)

I am worried I damaged the car... I am planning to take a trip , a 15 hour drive trip and I want to make sure the car will be fine

2drcam · 12-21-2003, 11:36 AM

how much fluid and water did you put into the system? approx?

did you bleed out the system? did you run the car while filling up the radiator? because if you didn't then it could get air locked and that would cause the temp to rise.

Qpats · 12-21-2003, 11:41 AM

No I did not have the car run.

The thing is I noticed afterwards on the cap of the radiator it says: No refill port.

So I wonder if the other cap closer to the engine was the one I needed to put fluid in.

I might go to the garage and have the car checks I am very worried. The car though seems to run the same way. ( I think)

I think I noticed a lil whine this morning though... maybe I am just paranoid

Qpats · 12-21-2003, 11:53 AM

I have to precise that the car is running at normal temperature and idles smooth like it used to... Can I tell that the car is fine if it is not overheating now?

***Your Uncle Moe*** · 12-21-2003, 02:54 PM

Dotn worry about the oil. its fine. It looks thinner because its CLEAN. And its a lighter color also because its clean oil.

About the coolant, you can go back to the guys at wherever u changed your fluid and ask them to check it out. I think they would do it for free. And if you wanna get rid of that smoke when u turn your car all, next time u change yoru oil buy an additive that gets rid of smoke. My car does the same thing and Im gonna buy the additive for it with the next oil change.

Hook · 12-21-2003, 03:32 PM

hmmm...so u flushed and filled ur rad, ran hot for a bit and then had to stop and put in another 1/2 gallon of coolant???!!! Are u sure u didn't accidentally fill the overflow reservoir instead of the rad?? How much coolant did u put in there at first?

Really, u were supposed to have a hose running water constantly through ur rad with the cap off the bottom (so that it's still draining as water's comin in from the top) while at idle. It's to be done till the water running out the bottom runs clear (no rust, no coolant colour (red, green, whatever). But since u've already put in new stuff and u've had this prob, then it's more likely a sign of air being trapped in the system.

Pop ur rad cap and let the car idle for a bit...if u don't see bubbles come up then rev just a little so that they do (the hot fluid returns through the large top hose so be VERY careful)...if by then the coolant level looks lower (barring no spillage) then u definitely had air pockets in ur coolant lines...top it up with the engine running and cap it off. If not, then u may have already solved ur prob.
DO NOT let it idle for too long since this'll allow it to heat up to temps that can't be easily handled without adequate protection (most of this can be done without gloves and it takes like 2minutes).

White smoke on start-up?
Is there oil in the coolant? Then the two add up to the start of a head gasket prob (lol...unless u accidentally got some coolant in there with the oil when u were topping up). Verify the clour of the smoke, is it white or blue-ish?
Blue-ish smoke on startup indicates ur valve stem seals are starting to go bad. Putting in oil additives to thicken the oil is only a temporary measure for a problem that is more related to the running condition of ur engine rather than the type of lubricant u use (assuming u used an oil with the same viscosity rating as the one u were using before).

Rycam · 12-21-2003, 05:14 PM

Thae cap you need to refill the radiator with IS ON THE RADIATOR! It will be made out of metal, and have a warning label to keep you from removing it when hot! There is also a coolant overflow bottle that has a cap made from plastic. If you filled the radiator from the metal one, you are in luck.

A sure sign of headgasket failure is milky looking oil. You state the oil is thin. That is VERY good. It should look clear like honey, not opaque or like a brownish milkshake.
If you are running antifreeze (and no one should not), you may notice a "sweet" smell from the tailpipe, as well as a slow loss of coolant if the headgasket has failed. By the way, you should ALWAYS USE DISTILLED WATER WITH ANY COOLANT YOU USE. Walmart sells distilled water for less than 75 cents a gallon.
You need to push the heater selector in the the car's interior to HOT. This will open all the system to the new coolant. <<It says so. even on the cheap-ass Prestone bottle. This should be done on both the radiator flush, and radiator refill. This may be why you had no heat...there wasn't enough coolant in the system.

If you feel you need a shop to do this...do it! $50 is not much money these days.

Qpats · 12-21-2003, 07:34 PM

Ok on my car the cap for the RAD is made out of plastic and it says on it not a refille port, do not open. It looks like it is a Toyota radiator. There is another cap on the car it says do not open when hot and that is where I put more antifreeze when the car started to overheat. Since I did that the temprature is fine.
The cap on the radiator was made out of plastic and almost impossible to remove...

Rycam · 12-21-2003, 07:51 PM

You do not need us at this point, you need a shop...only because the last description is very unclear. No big, a doctor can't dianose a patient over the phone.

You are in need of the owners manual, and/or an aftermarket repair manual. If the the "rookie" owners manual in the glove box is too much, then do not rely on third party info like us to steer you right. You need 100% correct info NOW.

I do not intend to sound harsh, but you have $$$ on the line here.
You need a repair shop to answer you questions.

Qpats · 12-21-2003, 07:58 PM

OK...

1- There is one cap on the radiator....
2- There is another cap on my V-6 I think it is over the thermostat.
3- The cap on the radiator is made out of plastic
4- The one close to the Thermostat is made out of metal...
The one on the radiator I tried and tried to remove it and I broke a piece off after realizing on it , it says NOT A REFILL PORT.

I filled it up anyways and took off. It overheated a little bit so I stopped.

I opened the hood and realized that there was a cap that looked more like a conventional radiator cap.

I took it off and there was no antifreeze.

I almost put half of a gallon in it until it was filled up.

I went back home and the temprature was fine , the oil is fine (except it is thin)

It does not smoke constantly just a start up but it looks like steam.

I drove the car half an hour and it seemed to be fine...

ANYWAYS

Rycam · 12-21-2003, 08:10 PM

You need a shop!

Deep · 12-21-2003, 10:39 PM

Haha, funny thread, don't mean to poke fun but all the replies, its just funny.

I laid out how to do a flush and fill here - > http://www.toyotanation.com/showthre...945&forumid=15 . Just remember to use a 50/50 mix of coolant and water. Too much coolant and not enough water will inhibit cooling, and too much water will put a nice crack in your block.

I wouldn't worry, it doesn't seem like you have a bad head gasket. But, you may want to do another flush and fill to make sure that you got all the air out of the cooling system.

Let us know how it goes.

Hook · 12-21-2003, 10:45 PM

lol...I think I see what u mean, Qpats...

the cap that says "DO NOT OPEN" means u shouldn't open it...if u poured ur coolant/antifreeze in there, that may be the reason for ur white smoke...u NEED to see a shop about THAT one...

The metal cap that says not to open if hot IS in fact ur rad cap...pouring ur stuff in there when it began to overheat already solved ur prob and by noticing it early likely saved ur head gasket from some SERIOUS damage.

Never mind about the oil. If u used the exact viscosity rating (eg. 5W40 or 15W50 or whatever) as ur last oil then it's fine. It only looks thin and clear-ish like that because it's new oil.

But plz see a shop about that white smoke and don't be embarassed to tell ur mech what u did. He/she may laugh but it's a valuable lesson to learn if u wish to be doing ur own maintenence on ur ride again.

Rycam · 12-22-2003, 12:11 AM

Again. To the original poster. Ignore any more comments here on this board. In the morning, when there is less traffic and minimal red-light stops...go to a radiator shop or repair facility that you are aware of in advance (don't dilly-dally all f'kn day long with the engine running) and tell them what happened.

88 LE · 12-22-2003, 02:11 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Qpats
OK...
4- The one close to the Thermostat is made out of metal...

Thats were you fill it up at.

Quote:

It does not smoke constantly just a start up but it looks like steam.

Condensation in the tailpipe. Its perfectly normal especially during winter time.

If you constantly see white smoke coming out of the tailpipe even after the engine is warmed up, then you got a blown headgasket (piston is drinking water). Happened on my friends turbo Supra, but those damn 7M-GTE's always blow headgaskets.