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does anyone in forum-land have a leak test kit for checking to see if a head gasket is leaking? from what I've read, there are kits/tools that will test the antifreeze and tell if it has any carbon monoxide in it. however, i'm a cheap-arse and i don't want to buy a $50 tool that i'll only use once. thx
Does Vatozone rent them? Can't hurt to ask.
Sounds like this is what you want. Given that it includes a consumable fluid, I suspect you may not be able to find it as a loaner tool.
I have one of these: http://www.harborfreight.com/cylinde...ter-94190.html You're welcome to give it a whirl if you like.
What are your symptoms?
The old dipstick-on-the-hot-manifold trick is pretty effective. If there is water in your oil, it will sizzle, if not, it'll just smoke. Primitive, but fairly conclusive if the gasket is shot.
yep, that is exactly what i'm looking for, titus. i was hoping that the kits came with enough fluid to test multiple vehicles. however, at just $27, i can even afford one...unless there's a free one out there somewhere.
symptoms are overheating during HARD driving, like at track days and midsummer BMW autoxs, and the fact that coolant is either being consumed by the engine or an antifreeze ninja has been sneaking into my garage and stealing it periodically. i never see white smoke, which makes me think it's a small leak...but small leaks sometimes turn into big leaks without warning.
How old is the radiator and/or radiator cap?
I would try ozmodd's free test first and then check your all of your hoses.
radiator and cap are 3 years old, hoses were replaced last winter. heater core split last year, so that's new too.
I had the same issue, and it never leaked a drop on the driveway. Finally one of the heater hoses burst on my way to work. I have replaced all the hoses next to my RB header in the last 6 months and they were less than 2 years old.
btw - i shelled out a few bucks and got the NAPA engine block tester. i used it and it confirmed my fear, the head gasket is compromised. anyway, i have more of the indicator fluid than i will ever use. PM me if you wanna borrow it to test your block...i should get back to working on my car now.
Can I suggest a compression test for all four cylinders? Frequently, if two adjacent cylinders are comparatively low, the head gasket would be suspect. Water in the oil sometimes causes the oil to look like a chocolate milk shake when you pull out the dip stick. Also, with the engine idling, and the radiator cap removed, if the radiator coolant looks like its "boiling", again the head gasket would be suspect. If you do run a compression test and find two adjacent cylinders relatively low, the next step would be to run a leakage test on each cylinder with the radiator cap off as a double check.