Quote:
Originally Posted by Ccmano
Geezzz... you guys can scare the new guys half to death with this head gasket talk. While I agree that the stated symptoms may point in that direction there are other possible causes. There is a simple and quick way to check for a blown head gasket. Go down to your local Autozone or Kragen and rent a cooling system pressure tester. Hook it up, follow the directions (important) if it holds pressure you don't have a blown head gasket, if the pressure won't hold and there's no puddle of coolant under the car you have either a blown headgasket or a blown IH gasket. Once you've done that we'll talk.
H
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I'm on board 110% with Hans here. Save yourself a lot of time and get the cooling system tester. I'll never troubleshoot a cooling system again without using one of these. I had a leak in BG this year, once I got home I replaced the water pump (I was positive it was the pump as I saw fluif dripping off a lower pump bolt) before testing the system. After I replaced the pump there was still a leak so I decided to get the tester. Found a leaking hose. It was brand new set of Samco's and the hose going to the upper radiator had a small slit in it. I used the original clamps (spring type) and think they caused the problem. Don't know how the fluid got down on the pump bolt (if it did). There was a puddle of fluid right under the hose on the frame now. Samco replaced the hose and I used their clamps this time. Problem solved. But...now I have a water pump that may or may not be bad because I didn't test the system.
Hope that helps a little. The tester will absolutely tell you if you have a coolant leak. If you do this, pull the plugs first.
GL