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Head gasket failure?


blue98ls1

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Whats the best way to test for a head gasket failure on a 1998 Firebird? My car is leaking something on the ground that looks like nasty iced coffee or spoiled milk or something equally gross. I pulled the dipstick for the oil and the coolant and both look clean. The car is not over heating or anything. But this stuff looks like a mixture of coolant/oil to me. :confused:
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I have a block tester. If you would like to borrow it you are more then welcome but, I am out in Marysville. It is a simple bottle with a rubber squeeze ball. You place some liquid in the bottle and place it over your open radiator. You use the ball to draw gases through the liquid. The blue liquid turns yellow if there is hydrocarbons in the steam from the radiator. (Gas being pushed past the gasket into the cooling system.)
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the only way to 100% confirm bad HGs on motors is to perform a cylinder leakdown test.........a compression test is NOT enough... a leakdown will tell you where the leak in your cylinder is (rings, valves, exhaust ports, intake ports or coolant or oil passages.....)
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the only way to 100% confirm bad HGs on motors is to perform a cylinder leakdown test.........a compression test is NOT enough... a leakdown will tell you where the leak in your cylinder is (rings, valves, exhaust ports, intake ports or coolant or oil passages.....)

 

What is that gonna prove in this case? She said it isn't overheating, and the fluids in the car look good. Doesn't even sound like a headgasket unless it's leaking out the edge which again a leakdown test will show nothing. I agree that a leakdown is a good thing when there is an overheating, bad running problem, poor compression or other suspect issues, but not a leak.

 

My first impression is that it's leaking coolant across oily residue, where is the leak coming from? front, back, side? Headgaskets aren't really common on LS1s anyway. Is it low on fluid? How much of this leaking fluid did you find?

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What is that gonna prove in this case? She said it isn't overheating, and the fluids in the car look good. Doesn't even sound like a headgasket unless it's leaking out the edge which again a leakdown test will show nothing. I agree that a leakdown is a good thing when there is an overheating, bad running problem, poor compression or other suspect issues, but not a leak.

 

My first impression is that it's leaking coolant across oily residue, where is the leak coming from? front, back, side? Headgaskets aren't really common on LS1s anyway. Is it low on fluid? How much of this leaking fluid did you find?

i said a leakdown will confirm a bad HG or not....i didn t say it would find the cause of her problem

 

 

I've seen cars without coolant/oil mixing that do have bad HGs. hell some cars don t even exhibit common hg symptoms but a leakdown will tell all.......

i do agree tho that her problem may be, as you said, coolant mixing across oily residue

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My first impression is that it's leaking coolant across oily residue, where is the leak coming from? front, back, side? Headgaskets aren't really common on LS1s anyway. Is it low on fluid? How much of this leaking fluid did you find?

 

Since we bought the car the rear main seal has always leaked a little. Never puddled up though or even hit the ground for that matter. It has this nasty shit coming from middle of the car area, small puddle, assuming where the rear main seal is. And a whole bunch of it from what looks like front of the engine area. I need to get the car up in the air though to be sure where exactly its coming from. Its left several spots on the driveway in the different places I have parked the car. And in the parking lot of several places I have gone today.

 

I am thinking it is a head gasket because if it was just oil mixing with coolant once it hit the driveway it should only be in one place, it is leaking in 2 places.

 

I took a picture of the nasty stuff, see below.. I have no idea what the fuck else it could be except coolant mixed with oil.

 

Pic:

 

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x123/wannarace928/puddle.jpg

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What is that gonna prove in this case? She said it isn't overheating, and the fluids in the car look good. Doesn't even sound like a headgasket unless it's leaking out the edge which again a leakdown test will show nothing. I agree that a leakdown is a good thing when there is an overheating, bad running problem, poor compression or other suspect issues, but not a leak.

 

My first impression is that it's leaking coolant across oily residue, where is the leak coming from? front, back, side? Headgaskets aren't really common on LS1s anyway. Is it low on fluid? How much of this leaking fluid did you find?

 

just because its not over heating doesn't mean its not a head gasket. also the older LS1's had the crap composite graphite gaskets not MLS gaskets.

 

tina, bring it over tomorrow and we can check. after 12 anytime just text me.

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just because its not over heating doesn't mean its not a head gasket. also the older LS1's had the crap composite graphite gaskets not MLS gaskets.

 

tina, bring it over tomorrow and we can check. after 12 anytime just text me.

 

Do you just pick someone in a thread to disagree with? Why would you conduct a leakdown test when it's leaking fluid on the ground? I never said it wasn't a head gasket either, just that it sounds unlikely.

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Could be blowing back from the front when you're driving causing multiple spots, sounds like you really need to get under there and figure out where it's coming from. You don't think that's power steering fluid do you?

 

I thought of PS fluid once. LOL Probably just because it went through 3 pumps last year and thats one of the few things I have seen the car puddle on the ground. What would cause it to look milky like that though?

 

Have you checked the Tranny fluid yet? I had one that when the fluid got low, it would suck in air, foam and then leak out.

 

Its a 6spd car. :)

 

just because its not over heating doesn't mean its not a head gasket. also the older LS1's had the crap composite graphite gaskets not MLS gaskets.

 

tina, bring it over tomorrow and we can check. after 12 anytime just text me.

 

Thanks! I will txt you tomorrow.

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Do you just pick someone in a thread to disagree with? Why would you conduct a leakdown test when it's leaking fluid on the ground? I never said it wasn't a head gasket either, just that it sounds unlikely.

 

i didn't say anything about a leak down test. i pointed out that that just because a head gasket is blown doesn't mean it will over heat (internal blow not leaking on the ground blown). i stated fact in a manner which wasn't hostile in anyway just informative.

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i said a leakdown will confirm a bad HG or not....i didn t say it would find the cause of her problem

 

 

I've seen cars without coolant/oil mixing that do have bad HGs. hell some cars don t even exhibit common hg symptoms but a leakdown will tell all.......

i do agree tho that her problem may be, as you said, coolant mixing across oily residue

I've seen bad headgaskets that wouldn't show up from a leakdown test, if it's leaking external it doesn't mean that it's hurt the combustion chamber.

 

i didn't say anything about a leak down test. i pointed out that that just because a head gasket is blown doesn't mean it will over heat (internal blow not leaking on the ground blown). i stated fact in a manner which wasn't hostile in anyway just informative.

 

You quoted my reply to the above know it all where I was disagreeing with his end all be all use of a leak down test. Truth is none of us know what it is because we haven't looked under the car. The picture looks like foamed power steering fluid, but who knows without looking. If we could tell a cars problems by talking about it I'd have bought a chair instead of a toolbox.

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I thought of PS fluid once. LOL Probably just because it went through 3 pumps last year and thats one of the few things I have seen the car puddle on the ground. What would cause it to look milky like that though?

 

Dirt/air in the system possibly.

 

Years ago I had a car that had some PS issues, and the fluid in the reservoir looked exactly like your picture. Foamy brown stuff

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could be the water pump or water pump gaskets leaking, seen a couple LS1's do that, also if its an oil leak the crud could be condensation from all the moisture and cold weather were having, my beater car has a mild oil leak and from all the wet weather the oil spot in the driveway looks like that pic you posted
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Water pump was replaced with a new one in the fall.

 

The car has had every fluid changed/flushed and tons of new parts put on it this year. Most of it was done around Sept-Nov. Some of the parts where replaced twice. The car is a money pit. This car seems to find some part to break no matter what I do. At this point I am just hoping its something stupid like another bad PS pump.

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