I have had cooling issues since I got my 96 ex (few days ago). I burped the system and everything was fine...or so I thought. Last couple times I have driven it the temp gauge has stayed perfectly fine right in the middle, never got hot or anything once.

Well I checked my coolant level after everytime I took it out and have needed a little coolant each and every time. Theres no external leaks. The oil level has stayed right where it was when I got it, has not burned any at all. Someone gave me some advice to start the car with the radiator cap off after the car has sat overnight and is completely cold. I did and coolant gushed out like a fountain. I was told if it gushed out it was for sure a bad head gasket. The car runs perfect, never stumbles, never hesitates, just smooth as silk. Should I start looking for a head gasket kit or is there anything else that would cause pressure like that at start up.

 

check compression, inspect the oil, bleed the cooling system.

 

Is there oily residue in the coolant overflow tank? Does the car blow white smoke when idling? if so, does it have a sort of sweet smell? Is there a milky looking residue on the oil cap? Those are some signs of a bad HG.

There are only two ways to loose coolant. You're either leaking it or burning it. If there are no visible puddles or drips under the car the only way you'd leak it is if the water pump and/or water pump gasket was bad and you're only leaking it at higher RPMs.

The best way to tell, for sure, if your head gasket is blown is to perform a leak down test. You'll need access to compressed air and, at the very least, a fitting for the air hose that screws into the spark plug holes.

 

I have bled the system multiple times, maybe I am doing it wrong. I start the car with the cap off and slowly poor coolant in while its running with the heat on high. Wait for the thermo to open and fill her up a little more. How should I do it?

There is no oily residue in the overflow, the car doesn't smoke at all and there is no milky residue on the oil cap.

Ill do a compression test tomorrow sometime and see what I get, I will have to go to a shop for a leak down....I don't have an air compressor lol

 

The proper way to bleed the coolant is to park on an incline or jack the front of the car up, remove the coolant cap, crank the heat all the way up (the fan need not be on, though), start the car and let it reach operating temperature and let the cooling fan come on a few times. Squeeze all the coolant hoses you can reach too.

BTW, a compression test isn't really going to tell you if you have a bad head gasket. What you need to do is pump about 35psi of air or so into each cylinder while at TDC and see if bubbles come out of the coolant in the radiator and/or coolant overflow tank.

 

But is a little air going to pressurize a system that much while its cold that its going to gush out when started with the cap off.

 

If you want to stop guessing then just get the test kit from napa and put it on your radiator. If the liquid in the tube turns yellow then you know there is a leak.

 

got one of those little bulb testers with the blue liquid, did the test twice and both turned out fine....stayed blue both of the times.

 

If you're not leaking coolant, then you're burning it.

 

it gotta be head gasket

 

*LEAK*DOWN*TEST* - Successfully diagnosing head gasket leaks for decades.

Buy one, borrow one, rent one, steal one... whatever. If you want to be absolutely sure if it's a HG leak or not, perform a leak down test.

 

well took it to a shop and had a leak down done on it, was the headgasket...yay me lol

 

Well since you already know the issue then you can save yourself alot of money guessing. Just pull the head off and run it over to a machine shop to get it checked out and buy a new head gasket. Cost me a total of $80 to fix my car when mine went bad.

 

Ya was going to take the head and have it resurfaced if need be. Should I get a head gasket set or would just a head gasket be ok? Figured I would also do the timing belt and waterpump while I'm at it since I have no previous record of it.

 

Might as well since your going to be under the hood for a few minutes. Get the set to include the head studs.