What are the signs of a cracked block/blown head gasket?

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SilverBullet00

New Member
Jul 5, 2004
1,150
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Wichita, KS
#1
To make a long story short I went out to check my fluids after I let my car cool down for a couple hours. Oil looked ok but when I took the lid of the coolant resevoir the lid blew off... Needless to say it concerned me a little.

Then I drove to school, parked and went to check the fluid when the car was hot. I could tell as I unscrewed the cap there was some serious pressure built up. I didnt get the cap all the way off before coolant started gussing out. I know this isnt natural, what the hell is going on???????
 

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#4
remove the cap from the reservoir and turn the car on. Once the car gets up to running temp it should open the T-stat and start sucking the coolant down and any air in the system should bubble up/out as it goes through the reservoir. Then after you feel it's ran sufficiently long enough you can add coolant until it is sufficiently high.
 
#7
Dusstbuster said:
remove the cap from the reservoir and turn the car on. Once the car gets up to running temp it should open the T-stat and start sucking the coolant down and any air in the system should bubble up/out as it goes through the reservoir. Then after you feel it's ran sufficiently long enough you can add coolant until it is sufficiently high.
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I did this and It didnt go well. Once it got up to temp coolant gushed out of the tank and down my street.... Is there another way to do this?
 
#8
You'll have to wait for svttech to chime in on this but i'm thinking almost any way of doing it is going to require you to spill a decent amount of fluid. If i'm thinking about this correctly, the bubble/air in the line will push its way through the system and displace coolant along the route, as it raises up it's going to force out the coolant through the top until the bubble reaches the reservoir and "pops" out...that's my guess though and it is by no means a for sure correct thing.
 
#10
Its possible. When you see bubbles coming through the cooling systems waft them and see if you get any kind of fuel and exhaust smell. That can be a symptom of a blown gasket. From what i understand it is a pretty rare occurance in the modulars though. You wont always get the obvious signs like the milky oil or billowing white exhaust.

When you opened the tank the first time to check the fluid are you sure the engine had cooled off already? As far as when you were at school im not suprised it gushed out as you said the engine was still hot, so the system will be under pressure.
 
#11
SilverBullet00 said:
I did this and It didnt go well. Once it got up to temp coolant gushed out of the tank and down my street.... Is there another way to do this?
Click to expand...


rev the engine up while you are bleeding it that will help minimize the spillage. If you have a LOT of air in there expect it to puke out quite a bit of coolant as that air rises to the top. I hold the rpm's a steady 1500-2000k and add as needed.
 
#13
Ok- see what you mean by revving the motor now. I think I got all the air worked out... there really wasnt very much, just a couple groups of smaller bubbles...

on a less brighter note, after a test drive I have a p0300 and p0304 code (multiple/random missfire and #4 missfire... What now?
 
#14
p0300 was a PITA for me after my cam/manifold swap. Have you disconnected the plugs/wires lately? I guess before you even answer that if your car is running/idling funny then you've probably got a bad plug or wire, OR you messed up the wires somehow after changing plugs or something. We were getting the P0300 after our swap when we unknowingly switched the #7 and #8 wires around, the car ran like absolute crap and would buck and hesitate whenever it was put into gear. If you can drive it fine i'd say your plug might be on it's way out or you have a bad wire, if it runs like crap i'd say you might have screwed up you plug wires.
 
#15
Dusstbuster said:
p0300 was a PITA for me after my cam/manifold swap. Have you disconnected the plugs/wires lately? I guess before you even answer that if your car is running/idling funny then you've probably got a bad plug or wire, OR you messed up the wires somehow after changing plugs or something. We were getting the P0300 after our swap when we unknowingly switched the #7 and #8 wires around, the car ran like absolute crap and would buck and hesitate whenever it was put into gear. If you can drive it fine i'd say your plug might be on it's way out or you have a bad wire, if it runs like crap i'd say you might have screwed up you plug wires.
Click to expand...
well I just replaced the plugs and I dont have plug wires, so I have no idea. Everything is plugged in at the correct spot. I guess its just time for a 4V..
 
#16
Ahh i completely forgot the whole COP issue..doh! Yeah that's what I concluded too, 2v's aren't worth the hassle in my book so I'm basically putting this aside and saving up for a Terminator. Hopefully someone else will chime in here and be able to help you with the issue!
 
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