what causes blown head gasket

Asked by Carla Marie Feb 26, 2015 at 06:26 AM about the 2001 Toyota Camry CE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

rebuilt engine put in 2 yrs ago, and has regular services thru Toyota dealership for
maintenance such as oil change or tune up; anyhow had oil change done by someone
else and they noticed sludge type goop on radiator cap as well as in overflow
container, and  even with water in radiator it suddenly overheaded in seconds... weird,
was told blown headgasket, yet i saw no white smoke and car seemed fine, is 2000
too much for repairing gasket and aweek to complete?

3 Answers

150

hw z d car temperature level n hv d car done anoder overheatin after first repair of gasket.

103,735

I wouldn't jump the gun on a new head gasket just yet. First replace your thermostat. Do a radiator flush. Dump old fluid from reservoir and clean jug. I have seen anti-freeze turn brown due to never being changed. It will leave a brown film if it gets that dirty. After you flush the system, see how your car runs. If it overheats again, buy an air bleed kit to get all air out of cooling system. This will be much cheaper than spending 2k. I know how most shops operate. If you mention that you think the head gasket is blown, they will just agree with you and replace whether it needs it or not. If you want to be 100% sure, have your engine pressure tested before you take someones word that it's the head gasket. If it were me and the head gasket is bad, I would just change out the fluid again and trade it in for another vehicle. Good luck!

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