NutterKam

How do I find out if a head gasket has failed and what are the symptoms apart from smoke, oil in water?

pat

The most reliable way of figuring out if you have a blown head gasket is to do a chemical block test. This involves drawin gas from the cooling system through a special solution which changes colour in the presence of hydrocarbons (ie combustion byproducts).

Other signs are overheating, mayonaise in the water system, mayonaise on the oil filler cap (although that can be down to condensation in the crank case).

Hope this helps,

Pat.

bruce

iTrader: (5)

Mine have just started to go ,If I blip the throttle and watch the expansion tank I see bubbles. Also the water in the header tank looks frothy.

NutterKam

Ah - fizzy drink bubles in the expansion tank - I have these! Good (or bad) sign of failed gasket?

Thanks for the chemical test bit although not exactly something I can do myself.

NutterKam

Oh- where's a good place (other than Subaru dealer) to get head gaskets - standard or metal?