Radiator Froth, Blown Head Gasket? Where'd That Coolant Come From?!

[Kaz200]

OK.. the other night my car was overheating.. pulled over (in city, in peak hour WOO) and popped the bonnet and car started steaming from.. well looked like it was coming from the engine.

So now I have coolant all pooled around my injectors (just got the seals changed 2 months ago and now they've perished hooray) and having alot of trouble finding where it came from.

There's dried coolant basically between my plenum and engine.. on top of the left rocker cover a bit....

Turn the car on & there was a leak, coming from possibly the water pump?

My theory is that if it came from the water pump perhaps the fan blew it slightly upwards towards the injectors and then steam etc etc. There is a fair bit pooled around the injectors though.

Also now after trying to find the leak I've noticed that the radiator is frothing quite alot, looks like frothed milk.

Is that a sign of a blown head gasket or possibly to do with the leak (maybe from somewhere else)?

Would a blown head gasket spray coolant everywhere?

I don't know, what do you guys think.

We were intending to do the 100k service this weekend anyway but the head gasket wasn't on the menu.

Don't really want to pull the car apart though and then not be able to find the leak.

Hope this all makes sense!

Cheers

Kaz

[SteveL]

Also now after trying to find the leak I've noticed that the radiator is frothing quite alot, looks like frothed milk.

Sure sign of a blown head gasket, I'm afraid.

[Al]

Sure sign of a blown head gasket, I'm afraid.

Agreed

[**JaR**]

Sure sign of a blown head gasket, I'm afraid.

yep.

[R33S2]

Sounds to me like you have had a water leak that spewed the water, the car overheated and blew the head gasket, or it could be the other way around with the extra heat and pressure you have blown a pipe after the head gasket went either way, its head off and fix it.

[Duncan]

Sounds to me like you have had a water leak that spewed the water, the car overheated and blew the head gasket, or it could be the other way around with the extra heat and pressure you have blown a pipe after the head gasket went either way, its head off and fix it.

yeah I agree and unfortunately that means you need to at a minimum get the head checked for straightness, if it is warped there is no point just putting a new head gasket in and hoping for the best .

good luck

[ish]

take it to a radiator Man or get him to come to you and get him to pressurize it whlie its cold with his little pump ... you will find the leak straight away without risking more damage ... Depending on how hot you got the head will depend on whether the head will need work or the gasket seperated ....

head gaskets rarley spray water outward .its more inward to the exhaust or oil galleries

[MerlinTheHapyPig]

head gaskets can do a variety of things when blown, at the moment this sounds like the most likely explanation

there will also be an underlying cause for the overheating you'll also need to fix

e.g. failed water pump => overheating => blown head gasket

it's also possible to warp or crack the head if it overheated seriously enough, this should be checked for (you generally have to send the head off to get reco'd when changing a head gasket because of overheating)

anyway, you can get a compression test or leakdown test done to find out exactly where it's leaking from, this would be the next step in diagnosing the problem.

[Kaz200]

thanks guys for the replies, though I was hoping for better news! Although I hadn't responded til now, I have been reading them.

Everything's off now except for the head itself.. so much for doing anything else this weekend!! We did most of it on Saturday in only a few hours though, so that was alright. Let it never be said that girls don't work on their cars, yet again my nails are all broken.

Did a cold compression test yesterday before dismantling it, was pretty even.

hey Al busy this week/next weekend? Might need a bit more man muscle over here to help with the head, I can barely pull off the hoses

[Trust33]

or if there is only a pool of water running from the inlet runners n block. it could b the inlet runner gasket.Ive had that 1 happn 2 me b4.

[Kaz200]

Hrrm quick question.. what do you guys think is a ballpark figure for getting the engine recon'd..?

[Al]

Hey Kaz,

Heathcote on Saturday

and i'll have to get back to you for Sunday, as the folks have aready started placing their requests .

[MerlinTheHapyPig]

hm, find a head reco place and get them to do a quote on a head reco

I think head reco is usually around $300-500 or so depending on what they have to do (but you'll have to check and get a quote). I've paid $300 in the past but for a 4cyl 8 valve head.

$100-150 for the gasket kit (usually includes the stem seals etc.)

you should replace the water pump definantly.

and probably the timing belt while you're there...

Check all the welsh plugs and coolant lines once you have the head and manifolds off (just incase that was where it was leaking coolant from)

once you've done all that it should be sweet, you can also get the head ported and polished but depends on how much you want to spend.

Edited October 3, 2006 by MerlinTheHapyPig

[Kaz200]

yeh I had literally just left Nissan 10mins earlier when the car started overheating :~( So anyway I already have a water pump, belt, bearings etc because I was about to do a 100k service on it.

I also have to get the injectors done for the 2nd time this year due to the heat, bah.

Anyway we were thinking since half the engine bay is empty it might be a good time to recondition the engine.. but I'm not sure yet... guess it depends on price at this point... even doing it at home doesn't look like it will be much cheaper but fairly time consuming... anyway I think someone's just looking for an excuse to buy more tools!!

Guess I'll see if the head's warped and go from there. 2nd hand CA heads are pretty cheap I'm told.

Should just get rid of the bloody thing and drive the gazelle again!

Thanks again