signs of blown head gasket?

popsstyle

New Member
Jul 30, 2007
21
0
0
37
new york
im not sure if my car has a blown head gastket but it seems like its missing and smoke is coming out of the exhaust when i rev it up(more than usual) and also smoke comes out of that area im not sure whats the proper name but its where you pour the oil in...whenever i take the cap off...also i notice the rpm gauge stick is slightly above zero and usually it always starts above one and gradually lowers as the car warms up...not sure if that means anything.
 

csnow

Matthew 6:33
Apr 5, 2005
1,176
0
36
Palm Bay, FL
Easiest way to tell if you have a BHG is to see if the motor has 7M on it :)

Do a leakdown and compression test to know for sure. If it's white smoke with a sweet smell, it is a BHG probably. If you are getting a lot of smoke with the oil cap off, it could be blow by from the rings.
 

nvgc8

Narf! Zort! Troz! Fjord!
Sep 14, 2007
43
0
0
Meridian, ID
Your idle sounds like it is normal. It should drop as the car warms up.
Missing and smoking can be caused by several things.
As far as the BHG here are a few things to look for that will help you diagnose it. First does your car overheat at all? Do you have to add coolant to the overflow bottle regularly? Also if you take your radiator cap off when the car is cool do you see any oil floating on top of the coolant? When you changed the oil last was it discolored or did it look like chocolate milk?
These are all signs of a possible BHG.
If you want to rule out a BHG you can pick up a kit from Napa for about $30 that tests for combustion gasses in the coolant. If it tests positive you have a BHG. Post up some more info and we will try to help further.
 

popsstyle

New Member
Jul 30, 2007
21
0
0
37
new york
nvgc8;877405 said:
Your idle sounds like it is normal. It should drop as the car warms up.
Missing and smoking can be caused by several things.
As far as the BHG here are a few things to look for that will help you diagnose it. First does your car overheat at all? Do you have to add coolant to the overflow bottle regularly? Also if you take your radiator cap off when the car is cool do you see any oil floating on top of the coolant? When you changed the oil last was it discolored or did it look like chocolate milk?
These are all signs of a possible BHG.
If you want to rule out a BHG you can pick up a kit from Napa for about $30 that tests for combustion gasses in the coolant. If it tests positive you have a BHG. Post up some more info and we will try to help further.

well theres no oil in the radiator and before these problems and when i changed the oil it looked normal. the car doesnt overheat at all. The only thing i notice is alot of white smoke coming out of the exhaust and when i start the rpm gauge stick is all the down by zero which never does that it usually starts from above 1 and get lower as the the motor warms up. ..
 

nvgc8

Narf! Zort! Troz! Fjord!
Sep 14, 2007
43
0
0
Meridian, ID
To me it sounds like you have two separate problems. The tachometer not moving is an electrical problem. I am not really familiar with troubleshooting the tach. You might search the electrical section for troubleshooting tips. I will look around and see if I can find anything.

The smoking and missing sounds like the motor is burning oil. I would recommend pulling the plugs and see if they are oily. While you have them out I would do a compression test.
 

popsstyle

New Member
Jul 30, 2007
21
0
0
37
new york
nvgc8;877457 said:
To me it sounds like you have two separate problems. The tachometer not moving is an electrical problem. I am not really familiar with troubleshooting the tach. You might search the electrical section for troubleshooting tips. I will look around and see if I can find anything.

The smoking and missing sounds like the motor is burning oil. I would recommend pulling the plugs and see if they are oily. While you have them out I would do a compression test.

i think the motor is burning oil because there is a little smoke coming from the exhaust manifold area that i think may be because of an oil leak. N as for the spark plugs i had to change them because they were so flooded with oil that the car wasnt getting any spark and wasnt starting. But after i did that i have these problem to worry about now.
 

nvgc8

Narf! Zort! Troz! Fjord!
Sep 14, 2007
43
0
0
Meridian, ID
When you say they were flooded with oil was there oil in the holes where the spark plugs are? And if so did you clean that oil out of the holes before you pulled the plugs?
 

popsstyle

New Member
Jul 30, 2007
21
0
0
37
new york
nvgc8;877511 said:
When you say they were flooded with oil was there oil in the holes where the spark plugs are? And if so did you clean that oil out of the holes before you pulled the plugs?

yea oil was in the first 2 holes n i cleaned it out really good and changed all the spark plugs and spark plug cables however one of the spark plugs i have in their is a non turbo(they gave me the wrong one at the store). but was told that is not why the car is running like that.
 

suprarx7nut

YotaMD.com author
Nov 10, 2006
3,811
1
38
Arizona
www.supramania.com
I think i know what your problem is. :)

Did you have these problems BEFORE you changed the plugs? How many miles have you driven since the change?

If you noticed the smoke and misfire AFTER the plugs were taken out, it sounds like you accidentally dumped oil into the cylinders which would cause the engine to misfire and smoke out the back.

This happened to me and I was freaking out cuz the car had next to no power and smoked like crazy. 30 mins of highway driving later, it was all good.
 

popsstyle

New Member
Jul 30, 2007
21
0
0
37
new york
suprarx7nut;877646 said:
I think i know what your problem is. :)

Did you have these problems BEFORE you changed the plugs? How many miles have you driven since the change?

If you noticed the smoke and misfire AFTER the plugs were taken out, it sounds like you accidentally dumped oil into the cylinders which would cause the engine to misfire and smoke out the back.

This happened to me and I was freaking out cuz the car had next to no power and smoked like crazy. 30 mins of highway driving later, it was all good.

no i didnt have the problems before i changed the plugs. I had to change the plugs to get it started because the hole that the plugs go in was flooded with oil n wasnt getting any spark. I drove it around the block once and the ride was rough as can be. Ill take it for a longer drive today and hopefully that will solve the problem. Thanx everyone for the info
 

Nomad707

Im From The Bay
Mar 14, 2007
1,039
0
0
Santa Rosa, California
i can tell you whats wrong..

your valve cover gaskets are bad, and are leaking oil into your spark plug canyon valley thing..

So when you clean them out, they just flood again.

Get new valve cover gaskets, plugs, and clean out the valley, and your all set