My car overheated again today after I thought I had fixed the problem 2 months ago.

Im about to change my oil and I want to know what to look for... for a headgasket leak.

I have pretty much changed everything.

Thanks

 

if it dosent look like "chocolate milk" its fine

 

i dont have a pic. but all you need to look for if ur head gasket is leaking is look for a light brownish green on your dipstick....

 

headgasket leaks dont necessarily mean you will get coolant in your oil, although it is quite common. sometimes the coolant is burned up in the combustion chamber and slowly consumed from the radiator, but the oil will remain perfectly clean. generally your temp gauge will cycle from ultra hot to medium and then back to super hot again. you may also see disappearing coolant from the rad. when you're not leaking any.

 

Okay where here is the issue.

1. It overheated when I first bought the car a year ago. 83k

2. Didnt drive the car very much the first 6 months only maybe 5k or so, but it didnt overheat very often, only occasionally and NEVER on the highway, only in big traffic.

3. Changed thermo with honda one, thought it worked, it didnt.

4. changed the radiator with a bigger one,(brand new) didnt work.

5. I thought I bled the system wrong, I have bled it 5+ times, and about 2 months ago I did and it had not overheated for 2 months, it just now did again. And I remember the coolant resivour was full, it is now empty.

6. I have owned the car for about 8k or so miles. It has to be a head gasket now because their is nothing else to do.(which sucks).

 

Im pretty sure I have dissapearing coolant in my rad, and I know im not leaking any. So I guess its confirmed its a head gasket.

 

this makes sense, my 94 hatch d15b7 has an overheating problem also. the temp gauge likes to go 2/3 high when i'm in stop-and-go traffic or idleing. i've looked at and changed my oil countless times and didn't see noticable traces of coolant in it.

But what i do notice is disappearing coolant from my radiator, and a nice black film from traces of oil on the inside of my coolant reservoir.

Not trying to steal thread or anything but we possibly have the same problem.

 

check ur hoses. the heater hose is the most common of all to crack. and there hidden under the dizzy.

 

hey no problem, i just wish we could both fix them.

 

I dont have a leak.

 

have u replaced the radiator cap

 

I have 2 month old radiator, something as simple as the cap should not be the problem It has been a problem for a year now.(eventhough the car has not drove very much) and the ratio to miles driven not overheated, vs overheated is not very much.

 

have you checked the fan to see if it is turning on at the right time..you say it overheats in traffic so maybe it has something to do with your fan

 

no the fan comes on..

 

the problem doesn't have to do with the fan because it still turns on. the problem to understand is that the engine likes to overheat before the fan actually kicks on. i've done the following and it didn't fix anything:

Changed the Fan Relay
Replace the Rad Cap x2
Bled/Flushed the Coolant System x856254
Changed the Thermostat
Changed the Thermoswitch
Changed the TempSensor
Radiator is practically New
& 100% NO COOLANT LEAKS

i feel like i've done everything and the only place left is my headgasket, and since i've got oil build-up in my coolant reservoir i think that speaks for itself.

krisfnbs: have you found any traces of oil in you're coolant reservoir?

 

I dont think I really ever took a look. It just seems that my radiator keeps running out of coolant. and I have dont alot of the things you have mentioned above, I didnt change the thermoswitch or the sensor, thats about it.

I have a friend that can help me do the job thank god, but Its going to take forever and its a pain in the ***.

 

I wouldn't overlook the radiator cap. Give a new one a try.

 

radiator and cap were brand new beforehand 2 months ago, and it was overheating before and after installation.

 

You need to try pressure testing the coolant system with a pump and a gauge designed specially for this, they are available in parts stores. Do it cold and see if it holds pressure overnight.
You might also try running the engine with the cap off and see if there is good water circulation or air bubbles indicationg a leaking head gasket.
This will also purge any air that may be locked in the system somewhere.
Again, new or not, the thermostat istself may be suspect too.
Pop a thermometer in the top of the radiator and check the temperature and compare it to the thermostat type and aslo to check the dash gauge for accuracy.
The water pump itself may be suspect as the impellers can rust on high milage cars and not pump as well as they should.
The cooling fan thermo/switch may be suspect or intermittant or may not be turning on at the correct temperature, which should be well before the temp guage reaches over 1/2 way, or a few degrees over the opperating temperature of the thermostat, again, compare with a known good thermometer, allow 5/10 degrees either way for an acceptable error.
Finally everyones favourite when installing a new radiator, did you remove all the plastic shipping plugs from the hose connections.


Check the pressure cap is the right pressure and type for this engine. New or not, thay can be faluty.
Check the suction tube in the overflow bottle didn't fall of.
How much coolant are you loosing ?
If you're burning it up in the cyls because of a leaking gasket you should be able to smell the antifreeze (a sweet smell) and aslo see white smoke/steam in the exhaust.
BTW, coolant with the correct %age of antifreeze and say 12psi won't boil till well over 240 degrees F
Get back to us with your findings after you have tried all this.

 

Common Signs of a Bad Headgasket:

Overheating
White Smoke out of your exhaust
That white smoke also smelling sweet (burnt glycol)
Milky white residue underneat your oil cap
Chocolate Milk looking oil
Oil buildup in coolant
Bad compression in a cylinder
Slow coolant consumption but no leaks, etc.
Erratic coolant temp changes.

Sounds like you've got a bad headgasket sir. I know all about these, as I used to own an Mkiii supra (every mkiii gets one)

 

Okay I will do all of this with my mechanic friend.