Diagnosing a Bad Head Gasket: How to Spot the Telltale Signs So You're Not Ripped Off.

Diagnosing a Bad Head Gasket: How to Spot the Telltale Signs.

If you suspect your car may have a bad head gasket, it's important to diagnose the blown head gasket before it causes more serious damage to your engine. In this video, I'll show you how to spot the telltale signs of a failing head gasket, including low engine compression, overheating, coolant loss, and more. I will also show you the different things a head gasket seals. In addition to that I will also show you why a bad head gasket has the symptoms that it has. Finally, I'll walk you through the basic diagnostic process, so you can determine if in fact, you do have a blown head gasket or not.

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00:00 Intro
00:04 Why you need to understand the symptoms of a bad head gasket.
00:42 What this video is going to cover.
1:22 Engine Teardown
1:57 What does a head gasket seal?
4:21 Symptom #1: Coolant and Oil Mixing
7:07 Symptom#2: White Smoke, Bubbling Coolant, Misfires, & Overheating
10:12 Symptom #3: External Leaks
10:51 Pressure testing the cooling system
12:08 Where my head gasket was leaking from.
13:05 Checking for coolant leaks into cylinders
14:36 Compression testing
15:00 Combustion gas leak testing
15:47 What my bad head gasket looked like.
16:34 How long can you drive with a blown head gasket?
19:22 Outro

#headgasket #autorepair #diy

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[RepairGeek]

Tools used in this video:
Help support the channel, buy using my Amazon links
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and your cost is exactly the same.

[stevenginnever]

I'm a little over middle age and can't believe how someone so young, can be so articulate. Your knowledge and delivery on problems are so professional. You really are a breath of fresh air on YouTube.
Cheers Steve.

[stephencook]

Rule of thumb is, the longer you wait to fix a problem the worse it gets. So you should stop immediately upon discovering a problem with your car. It can mean the difference between replacing the gasket or replacing the vehicle altogether. Excellent video.

[stevenhart]

That was the most informative upper cylinder diagnosis Ive ever seen.

[JimFatima-nbfl]

Unbelievable how easy it is to understand the diagnosis of whatever the problem may be going on. So glad I came across this.

[pibdhlb]

I have watched dozens of videos about blown head gasket related and, by far, this is the best ever I watched. Congratulations.

[TheJoeman]

Good technician who methodically covers the range of scenarios involved with head gasket issues.

[stephenparris]

Sir, I have watched so many videos trying to get a full understanding of how to diagnose a problem with my combustion. This was by far the most thorough and succinct I’ve found. Thank you thank you.

[ThunderbirdRocket]

Tremendous tutorial ! The amount of information, and specificity, and video shots, and simple to understand terminology ; has, without any doubt, whatsoever, made the greatest impact on my learning this particular topic . Thanks mate !! 👊🏼

[williamfletcher]

I am much less car stupid now .
No need to ask questions because you answered them before I had the chance. Great video man for real...much thanks

[virgilgreenfield]

Excellent teaching! Thank you for being so detailed and covering the essentials in terms a novice could understand. Keep videos like this coming. Thank you!

[dihylan]

Beautiful and coherent articulation of what the head gasket's role is, and moreover, why you are leaving your engine to certain demise if not repaired in a timely manner.

[FBDpresents]

Rarely do I leave comments on social media, and this will be the 1st one this year. You, sir, just taught me a very valuable lesson, and that is that you can never trust people who claim they look out for your best interests. One of the greatest explanations I've ever seen of anything in my 37 years of living.

[josburd]

I drove a Nissan with a bad head gasket for 2 months and 300 miles, I just kept extra coolant and oil in my truck to top it off, but it got annoying and after 2 months I was able to save some money to put as down payment on a newer, better car, drive safe and God bless ❤

[anthonyiannone]

excellent explanation . The one thing i do is pressurize the cylinder with air and watch the cooling system for bubbles, like you said but without running the engine. Ive used this technique several times on Hondas and it worked for me

[briantday]

Excellent, thorough description. I really appreciated the distinction made between the higher pressure oil passage ways, but the fact that the coolant system stays under pressure (albeit lower) after the motor is shut off. Great points, and helpful in diagnosing different symptoms. I've done motor swaps and head gasket replacements on several motors and still learned something. Well done.

[vanrolle]

Thanks I think this video was on point and it explained all the symptoms' and diagnoses. I live in the Bahamas and is very much appreciative of all the equipment you use to diagnose this problem. I will continue to follow you for more mechanical videos .. Again Thanks

[ct]

Gone through many related content but this was the best, answered almost every question in mind!❤

[MarkMalone-nint]

Easily one of the best explanations on the types and causes of various head gasket failure modes. Excellent approach using the removed head for the explanation.

[voryrjw]

Amazingly detailed and logical description of the head gasket issue. Im astounded at how you explained in detail but still made it so the novice could comprehend. You sir are The Maestro. And I HAD to subscribe to your channel!