Signs of Blown Head Gasket, but car doesn't over heat. Why?

710

Asked by Chris Jan 11, 2014 at 12:22 PM about the 1995 Honda Civic LX

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I ve got a 95 civic. Drove 1000 miles with the signs of a blown head gasket, white exhaust,
bubbling water tank and radiator, losing anti freeze, but my car still runs. If and when the
temp gauge does say its overheating, the engine its self doesn't actually get hot, meaning
i can touch it without burning my self, and only the cooling system smokes. So if it can
run that long, but still have signs of gasket being blown, what could be the issue?

22 Answers

710

also smoke leaks out of the radiator/water tank caps even when screwed on tightly. and by the way I drove the car 1000 mi in 2 days, but the problem was worse the second 500 mi. for example, the first 500 mi only the bubbling and loss of antifreeze occurred, second day the white exhaust and radiator smoke began. Always pulled over when it would "overheat." put in more antifreeze and it would solve the problem. but like i said it doesn't actually seem like the engine gets hot though. and also the heating goes in and out

22 people found this helpful.
199,575

White smoke from exhaust typically indicates blown head gasket. Check oil color. If it looks like a milkshake instead of like motor oil the head gasket is blown. Also check coolant color. Does it look oily? Remove spark plugs and do a pressure test on the coolant system. Some auto parts will loan you the tester. If pressure drops while doing this test check in spark plug holes for coolant. If coolant is present on top of piston then the head gasket is blown. Hope this helps.

16 people found this helpful.
710

thanks, just tested oil and it looked like normal color. dark black/brown, do notice a little oil in coolant. also the radiator takes a lot of liquid before its full

10 people found this helpful.
199,575

Ok I advise to do the pressure test on the coolant system. I feel that you will find coolant getting in on top of the pistons.

8 people found this helpful.
44,605

It is pushing compression /oil into the antifreeze. Some will go in the oil and out the exhaust and others oil and compression out the overflow. It will gradually get worse and be in the oil.

6 people found this helpful.
710

what is causing this tuff4x4? and whats the fix. Im goin to get it checked out monday, but im very impatient and what to find out as much as I can. Thanks

6 people found this helpful.
710

i do have a quart to much oil. thanks to walmart when i got an oil change, can that cause this problem?

19 people found this helpful.
44,605

It is the beginning of a blown head gasket. Don't drive it any more than you have to.

4 people found this helpful.
710

dont want to pay for new head gasket, was planning to drive for 2-4 weeks then sell it. any alternatives. i know that gasket sealer is a far fetched option but any opinions on it. it seems like a scam

10 people found this helpful.
199,575

I don't advise using any "fix in a can" products. These only hide the real problems and will cost more in the long run with other items getting stopped up. Fix it right the first time. You say you planning to sell it. Now would you want to buy a vehicle where someone had used this stuff in it? I know that's not the answer you were looking for but that's just how I feel about these products. Shady used car dealerships use them all the time and the unsuspecting customer gets screwed. IMO anyways

14 people found this helpful.
44,605

Yes you can use the head gasket repair in a can. But 90% of them don't work and as dandyoun said would you want to buy this without knowing about it? Try it, be honest and tell the buyer the problem when you sell it.

6 people found this helpful.
280

Well my 1998 Honda civic ex is over heating and I change thermostat and the hose the radiator to the tank for the Antifreeze...

28 people found this helpful.
140

The reservoir was bubbling and the radiator was shooting water up any time I had open the radiator cap and had the car running. Also steam would be coming from inside the radiator.

14 people found this helpful.
210

I had a full service 3 months ago. Yesterday my CRV 99 was running hot. When we checked the engine the radiator was completely dry and the oil was completely dry. How could that be after having the car just serviced?

21 people found this helpful.
110

I have a 1996 honda civic the kid said it needs an o2 sensor but theirs oil leaking out the exaust

5 people found this helpful.
70

many times in hondas you will not notice a change in the oil color due to the fact that there is a back up when the gasket blows.. but some of the signs i experienced was loss of coolant, and the overheating, along with the bubbles in the radiator.

7 people found this helpful.
20

I have a 2015 Honda Civic and I gave the car to my 29 year old son and he drove the vehicle a whole month on a doughnut along with not checking the oil. Once I checked it the information menu stated that it was -1207 miles. How long would it take before the motor goes up driving it in that condition.

2 people found this helpful.
330

@guru well imo your son sounds like he doesn't deserve to have the car in the first place. The problem isn't necessarily driving with a temporary tire but it's just that TEMPORARY.! It's meant to get you safely off the road or the nearest service station, I guess if you stay below 50mph could last awhile then again could blow out and cause the car to wreck so best option is get a new tire asap or used anything other than a temp tire..BIGGEST issue is BY FAR the oil .it takes literally 1min to check your oil n IF he drives it low or out of oil say goodbye to your engine think about it metal on metal at high temps and thousands of revelations a min that's not a good mix dry so my 2¢ is either make him appreciate the machine he was GIVEN or tell him to use the legs god gave him.. again just my opinion.! Good luck

7 people found this helpful.
20

My 20p4 honda civic I took the spark plug out today and there is oil all over the spark plug do I unscrewed it and it was down on that part to and when I tried to start my car today it just cranks but it's not getting fire to it I just started it last nite just fine an I go out today an it will not start help me please

2 people found this helpful.
10

Can changing the thermostat help my 1997 Honda Accord that’s running hot with brown water bubbling out the radiator? It doesn’t smoke.

1 people found this helpful.

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