You not going to read the link?!?
we posted on the first post HOW TO Diagnose the gasket!!!
the link AGAIN:
//www.civicforums.com/forums/3...reference.html
here, a quick look:
"how to test? cheap way 1: Thanks, Scotty!)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ezone View
Post
Good numbers. Well under 10% variation too.
Stick the reservoir hose in a container of water set up where you can see it, watch for bubbles coming up while you let it run?
All you need is a way to see the coolant level change or air bubbles coming up through it. I mentioned the funnel because that is what I use, most convenient for me.
Some of them don't want to leak much until the engine has a load on it, and pressure in the radiator reduces how much gets past the
head gasket.
It's like $32, and damn handy if you do any regular work on cars.
Too many will pass this test, yet still have a head gasket problem. Not reliable enough for me.
Correct.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scooty View Post
So blown head gasket it is then
I attached some rubber tubing to where the overflow reservoir hose attaches to the radiator filler neck and immersed the other end in an open container full of coolant. Please see attached video to the see the bubbles:
There are no bubbles at idle but you can clearly see a stream of bubbles when I rev it up.
Is this enough confirmation of a blown HG to warrant removing the head and replacing the gasket?
You Tube
Cheap method 2: (Thanks, ezone!, including your "own style" comment :P)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ezone View Post
Compression test will not show you this problem.
I would stick a funnel-fill funnel on the radiator
and let it run, watch
for an endless slow stream of bubbles coming up.
If the engine seems to never finish burping its air out, then my next step is to put shop air pressure on each cylinder to see and prove which one is leaking.
I'm darn lazy and I don't like pulling a head without definite proof, and that test is proof enough for me.
You have read threads where I talk more about this method, right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ezone View Post
Half of the bad head gaskets I see on this engine will pass every test you guys have mentioned. These almost never leak externally. These almost always leak from the combustion chamber into the cooling system, and that's it. That's all.
My procedure:
Start with a hot engine, pull out plugs and rad cap:
Pressurize each cylinder (@TDC, one at a time) with shop air line pressure 170+ PSI. Watch for the coolant level to rise when you get to the bad one. (sometimes this is a slow process)
If no results, then wait for the
engine to cool down and repeat this same procedure on each cylinder.
If it passes this test, then it's probably ok right now. "
Hi everyone, I'm looking for any advice I can get here.
2005 1.7L 5 speed manual.
Coolant is being pushed into my reservoir tank but not flowing back into my radiator.
This only seems to occur at highway speeds (3000 rpm ish) for extended periods of time.
Driving 2 hours or more
on the highway is almost guaranteed to overflow my coolant reservoir, whereas driving to and from work (10 minutes on the highway at a time) my car will last two weeks before the reservoir is filled and I need to recharge my coolant.
After a while, my heater core stops pushing cabin heat.
My car has begun to overheat twice so far. Each time I've caught it very quickly, pulled over, and been able to recharge my coolant.
Here's my current diagnosis:
This is being caused by gas
(exhaust gas or something else) entering my coolant somehow. It fills up the heater core first (highest point), displacing coolant into the reservoir.
Over time the air pocket grows and eventually it causes a full air lock that stops coolant flow, causing the car to overheat.
I know my coolant is building air pressure because even when cold, opening my rad cap releases air and bubbles coolant out. If there were no air, there would be very little pressure in a cold system.
I
believe this is caused by a leaking head gasket. BUT...
There are no other symptoms of a leaking head gasket. My oil is perfectly fine (no coolant in the oil), my coolant does not show any signs of oil shimmer, my exhaust comes out perfectly clear, and when running with the rad cap off, there are no constant bubbles appearing. (There are usually a few, but I believe they're the air pocket clearing itself).
History:
Four months ago I replaced my timing belt and water
pump. I do not think I charged my coolant effectively after the timing belt job, and it caused my car to overheat a few days later.
This MAY have caused a failure which is now giving me these symptoms.
What I have done so far:
I've changed my rad cap and thermostat. A faulty rad cap could let coolant out but not back in. This doesn't really explain where the air comes from, but it's worth a shot since it's cheap.
A faulty thermostat could be causing the overheats and
giving me some weird symptoms. The new thermostat seems to be operating properly.
I've taken my car into my mechanic friend, where we ran a handful of tests.
- Each cylinder passed a compression test. Lowest was 185 psi.
- Rad holds pressure
- Rad holds vacuum
- Block test kit (blue fluid bubbler) passes over and over again.
- The engine is not giving any codes while driving. No misfires, nothing out of the ordinary.
His diagnosis was "The only
thing I see it being is a really bad air lock".
I don't agree with it. We charged the rad under vacuum and the problem recurred in 2 weeks. If it was a bad air lock, the air would expand under temperature as soon as the engine is hot and push the coolant out immediately each time.
An air lock also wouldn't be more or less affected by long periods of highway driving.
I've strained my mind over this, and the only thing I keep coming back to is the head gasket probably has a very
small crack in it that only expands under full temperature and high RPMs
The water pump runs faster, pushes higher pressure, forces the crack open more, and we get exhaust gas entering the coolant.
However, I've tried the block test kit over and over and I can't get it to fail. I've even tested the indicator fluid on raw exhaust gas and it turns yellow, just to make sure I don't have a bad batch of indicator fluid.
Something is clearly wrong with my Civic, but I can't find
out what, so I can't fix the issue.
If anyone has had similar experience, or sees something that I might not have tried yet, please let me know.
Thank you!