Do I have a blown head gasket?

[caybran]

I’m new to the forum and have been reading all the messages about overheating and bad head gaskets. I too have an overheating problem with my Sunfire (’95 SE, 2.3L, Auto) in which I must add about a pint of water a day just to commute to work (60-miles RT). What makes my issue different is that some of the water does boil out of the coolant reservoir, but I don’t think it’s enough to empty pint a day. The reservoir is NEVER empty and I never have to add more than a pint.

Secondly, when I’m not in a place to add water, an easy way to cool the engine is to, believe-it-or-not, rev the engine. I’m guessing that by revving up the RPMs gets what water is left circulating faster.

Thirdly, when the fan does kick on (at ¾ of the way up the gauge), the air flow from the radiator is cold. From my experience with other vehicles, the air was always warm due to the water.

I’ve checked both the water pump and thermostat, and there are no visible leaks. Do I have a clogged radiator? Or blown head gasket? With this much water being consumed, I’d assume the oil pan is pretty full but I never see water in the oil after a routine change. And, it will even overheat with a full reservoir as if there’s no (or not enough) water flow.

Someone’s insight would be appreciated!

[GTP Dad]

This sounds like a water pump issue. Sometimes they go bad internally and do not move enough water to cool the engine properly. I have seen several engines with this problem. The loss of coolant is probably coming from the reservoir boiling constantly. I know these pumps are a pain to change and if you change it make sure you get all the air out of the system. Good Luck and welcome to AF!

[caybran]

Thanks for the advice, GTP Dad. The only thing is that I had the water pump checked and rechecked. And, of course, no squeaks, noises or leaks. It does seem to pump the water OK.

The last time I did a flush, a lot of gunk came out of the inlet/outlet hoses so I think the radiator is clogged. Other than a blown head gasket, this is the only component left to be checked.

I'll let you know (this may be something I can do myself!).

[GTP Dad]

There was another member who had the same problem with his 2.3. Mechanic changed everything except the water pump and still had the problem. I advised him to check the water pump and sure enough the pump was bad internally with no noise vibration or anything.

If you truly think it is a head gasket then do a compression test. If you find weak compression on the cylinders or plugs wet with antifreeze then that would be a good indication of a blown gasket. Otherwise you should see some symptoms other than a loss of coolant like plumes of smoke coming from the exhaust or a leak somewhere.

[mike2004tct]

Originally Posted by GTP Dad

If you truly think it is a head gasket then do a compression test. If you find weak compression on the cylinders or plugs wet with antifreeze then that would be a good indication of a blown gasket. Otherwise you should see some symptoms other than a loss of coolant like plumes of smoke coming from the exhaust or a leak somewhere.

Two other things to check;
Check your oil. If it looks like coffee with cream in it, your head gasket is shot. If oil is OK, another possibility is your thermostat is not opening (a good reason for not getting any heat).

[ctuagent117]

check compression. dont have tools to check that? look at oil. does it smell sweet? is it kinda sorta turning a little white? do you have alot of smoke from the exhaust? if you do its th head gasket. headgasket is a very serious problem so if it is get it fixed asap. it can ruina perfect engine. DONT DRIVE WITH A BAD HEAD GASKET!!!!

[ragtopman]

If the car is blowing white smoke, it is more then likely that the antifreeze is not going into the oil, but into the engine cylinders and being blown out the exhaust. Or it could be going into both the oil and the cylinders. Either way, the head gaskets should be replaced. Good Luck.