blown head gasket

[daltondaytona]

how do you know if your head gasket is blowm???? i just put a new thermostat in my car and it still overheats it seems like itll over heat then if i rev it up itll cool back down..... but some people have told me it could be the head gasket... what are some signs and stuff to know if its messed up or not... can anyone tell me why my car overheats since i just changed my thermostat??? ive heard it could be my water pump.... but it doesnt leak water... you think my radiator needs to be flushed??? i mean my car did sit without being started for 8 years.... so do you think a radiator flush would fix the overheating or not?? feedback please.. and if yes to the flush how do you do that??? i know you can do it your self but how and what is better getting it done or doing it yourself??? how much does it cost to get it done

[kermit]

If your head gasket is going, you should see drop in your coolant levels and your car will have white smoke coming from it. From what you have said though, i wouldn't peg it as a head gasket just yet. How long does it take to over heat? How hot is it getting? Does it do it while driving, or just idling, and what rpms are you at when it starts to overheat?

[daltondaytona]

well itll overheat while im driving it and itll get almost all the way to the H and if i rev it up itll cool back down... the fan kicks in and everything

it also gets hot at idle as well

and no white smoke... but there is black smoke when i start it up

[kermit]

Can you pull the cap and look into the radiator and see if you can see a lot of corrosion in it? It probably wouldn't hurt to have the system flushed or to replace the radiator with a known good used on or something. You did check to make sure that the water pump belt is still on? I have also heard of some people having the fins actually break off of the water pump too.

[daltondaytona]

well when you look in the cap you cant see into the radiator cause theres like a curved neck that leads into it but right under the cap theres a bunch of krap..... there was like two crickets and like bugs and krap... and the overflow is pretty nasty as well.... how much does it cost for a flush

[Low Impedance]

water pump perhaps?

[impuresoul2k3]

You can flush it yourself, just run a garden hose through it. Someone will have a more detailed write up somewhere

[kermit]

I've heard that some people will fill it full of CLR and let it sit for a day or two.

Edit:Well, I don't know if they fill it full of pure CLR, I imagine that you could dilute it down a bit and still get the same results

[NAJ]

With a head gasket problem you will usually notice a loss of coolant.I was adding to the overflow every couple of weeks for months, no smoke and then one day it just let go.
If you want to flush the system and it is bad use a chemical cleaner(recommended a liquid) and then install a "Prestone" flush kit inline to flush out the junk. Remove the thermostat and reinstall the housing so there are no restrictions in the system.
The flush kit is around $4.00 at Walmart.

[impuresoul2k3]

Thanks Naj, just didn't feel like typing it out

[daltondaytona]

how do i no if im low on coolant??????

[NAJ]

Fill the Radiator to the top then fill the overflow bottle to the full hot mark,if you keep havimg to add coolant to the overflow every couple of days/week you are losing coolant, if there are no signs of external leaks then it is probably the head gasket.
You are going to have to correct your overheating condition first.

[NAJ]

You may also want to read page 1 of the "sticky" "overheating version 2.0" in the "help" section for Chryslers diagnostics on "running hot/overheating".

[convertable]

I'm having similar problems on my 85 2.2 turbo D.600 only it's overheating after
65MPH then I slow down and the temp drops then I Pull over and find that the coolent is spitting out from the overflow reservoir. (No other leaks apparent). I already checked waterpump, thermostate, put new hoses, good fan (which has been conected directly for years, RELAY never really worked well) car runs good even with slight turbo lag (it chokes then guns at 45MPH) Could a bad Turbo cause this overheating or am I screwed with a bad head gasket? If any body knows please help.

[NAJ]

Be sure there are no restrictions hindering the airflow around the condenser/radiator and that the lower air deflector is in place.
Be sure there is no air in the system.
Be sure the lower rad hose is not collapsing.
If the head gasket is at fault you will have bubbles in the cooling system(rad and/or overflow) or white smoke.
See the "sticky" in the "help" section "overheating version 2.0" for ways to test the cooling system for combustion gases entering.