Water backs up in the overflow tank and actually

Hi BHoward,

Symptoms of blown head gasket vary by the location of the breach. They also tend to change as the breach widens. In the beginning , when it's small, the engine will still run, but performance will degrade.

The symptoms you are experiencing are indicative of a breach between a cylinder and the cooling system. Here's whats happening, what to expect:

• The compressed gasses in one of your cylinders is escaping though a small breach in the head gasket.
• The coolant system is a closed loop. The only escape for high pressure gasses is the same as that of a overheat situation, the overflow tank.
• The more it does this, the less coolant the engine has
• The less coolant the engine has, the hotter is gets.
• The engine will begin overheating, you will shut it down to cool.
  
• The coolant has reached a point where it has boiled. it's under pressure. Only now, without the engine running, it has a new path of least resistance. Through the breach, into the cylinder.
• You will begin to notice the coolant level still going down without the puddles.
• It will get harder to start. When it does, there will be clouds of white smoke from the exhaust.
• As the breach widens, taking days if not less, the engine will no longer run.
• It will sound like its trying to catch, but won't.

Try turning it over with the radiator cap off. STAND CLEAR. If there is a breach to the coolant system. the coolant will erupt out like a Vegas Fountain.

If so, The head gasket needs replacement. There are no additives or quick fixes that will help.

The part is cheap. But the process is highly labor intensive. That's what will cost you. There is also a significantly high level of difficulty involved. Unless sufficiently experienced, I would advise against attempting replacement on your own.

So look around, compare prices.

I really hate giving people bad news, but I don't want to see anyone get stranded either. You vehicle will become less and less reliable until the problem is addressed. I am sorry.

Good luck to you
Mike

When checking for a blown head gasket, one of the most common tell-tale signs is a milky-gray ring around your oil cap. When coolant enters the engine oil through a crack in the head or through a blown gasket, it evaportats and leaves a milky ring around the oil cap. Another easy way to tell is to check your oil dipstick. Change your oil and pull out the dipstick. Make sure that you take note of how far up the dipstick the oil is. Top off your cooling system and fill your cooling resevoir to the top. Screw radiator cap back on and start engine. Run engine for about 20-30 mins. or until it reaches normal operating temperature. Allow engine to cool (engine must cool completely to get accurate oil reading!!). Check oil dipstick again. If the oil has a watery appearence and has risen noticibly up the dipstick, the you probably have a blown head gasket or a warped head. Also look for a dripping, sweet-smelling liquid coming out of your tailpipe. Any of the above symptoms could be the result of a blown head gasket. The easiest way to tell is with a compression meter. This replaces the spark plug and lets you know what compression each cylander is running at. If your compression is abnormally low, then you have a blown head gasket or a warped head. (note: consult repair manual for appropriate compression of each cylander.)