List here I posted for someone else you can test or look out for if it's worse case the HG
Typical symptoms of a blown headgasket MAY include: -Bubbles of air coming up into your radiator (remove cap before starting) AND WHEN ENGINE COLD NEVER OPEN RAD CAP WHEN ENGINE HOT AS YOU WILL GET SCALDED run the engine they should be no air bubbles showing in the filler tank -leaking radiator -milkshake colored oil -overheating -rough running -coolant in oil- or oil in coolant -spark plug(s) that have a green tint (if green coolant). -white colored or sweet smelling exhaust. I emphasize "may" include one or more of these symptoms.
A blown head gasget can go out in different areas causing differnt symptoms. There's no straight simple answer to this question. There's lots of clues you can look for. When in doubt and you have tried everthing, pull the head have the head checked out by a well established specialist first to see if the head was the proplem. This way you're not wasting your time replacing the gasket.
Sometimes a blown head gasket will cause a whistling or wheezing sound,but not always.It will not always cause coolant to enter the oil,or oil to enter the coolant,but they are signs to look for.Overheating will almost always occur,Check your overflow bottle for exhaust smells. Does the car idle rougher than normal?
Another clue: turn on the heater; often when the head gasket is blown an odour of coolant and synthetic rubber will emanate from the heater vents.
Many of the symptoms of blown head gasket can be caused by some other problem in the cooling system, without the head gasket being damaged. Convesely, other problems with the cooling system can cause a blown head gasket and/or warped head.
For example, a corroding radiator filler tank can send chunks of rust through the cooling system which take out the thermostat and water pump. If the thermostat is old, sticking and corroding, it can send those chunks through the system and take out the water pump or cause a blockage in the radiator, etc.
Radiator leaks can be the primary cause, or a result, of failures in other cooling system components.
Don't keep driving with the car overheated! Especially if your engine has an aluminum head, you are likely to warp it. If it is warped beyond a certain tolerance, it cannot be planed and will have to be replaced when the head gasket is replaced.
There are a few simple indicators you can check for with the engine cold and not running.
1. contaminated oil, it will have a milky appearance from the coolant mixing in the oil. 2. oil on the top of the coolant inside the radiator.
Having these symptoms is not always indicitaive of a blown head gasket and usually if the gastket is gone there is going to be some warping of the head and or block of the engine.
There are a few other things that can give similar symptoms to the ones listed above 1. internal damage to coolant/oil galleries 2. damage to oil/coolant intercoolers if fitted 3. weakened hoses on the cooling system can cause pulsations in the coolant 4. leaking valve seals may drop oil into the chambers 5. poorly bleed cooling systems or systems where there are high loops in the coolant jacket may have some bubbling.
Visual inspection of the head and gasket, involving major engine disassembly.
NOTES: You can only truly confirm your suspicion by actually seeing the gasket, although precursor signs are usually evident.
1) Check your oil. If the oil on the dipstick looks like chocolate milk, then there's coolant in it, and this is the surest sign of a blown head gasket or a cracked engine block.
2) Check your radiator coolant. If it looks brownish and foamy, that usually means there's oil in your cooling system, which is another sign that a severe breakdown has occurred.
3) Visually inspect the engine for leakages of an oil/coolant mix.
4) Loss of engine coolant with no external leaks, a continuous stream of bubbles can be seen with the radiator cap off, white smoke coming from your exhaust when engine fully warmed up, and the sweet smell of coolant from exhaust.
All spells signs of a head gasket blown or very close to it and SHOULD get it seen to ASAP as you will further damage your engine........... a Mechanic can find a HEAD GASKET FAILURE by a ''Sniff Test'' commonly known this is like a big eye dropper with a chemical liquid in it and it changes when mixes with coolant and that will tell you if an Internal Leak is occuring and Hydrocarbons found in mix next is a ''Compression Test'' that will tell you to