Is this a blown head gasket ?

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Is this a blown head gasket ?

mlbbecker

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#290015 15-Oct-2021 06:48

I have a 2004 Camry 2.4G and love her to bits. But she developed a sudden problem of coolant loss. Initially there was steam coming from behind the intake manifold. I used a product called T-seal. The steam stopped, but the coolant loss continues. There is no water in the engine oil. There is gas bubbling up in the radiator. Could this be something else other than a blown head gasket?

What I don't understand is the fact that there is no water in the engine oil. Does this mean that the gasket leak is between the exhaust port and the coolant channel? Where is the water disappearing to?

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#2795656 15-Oct-2021 06:53

Sounds like a cracked cylinder head, the water will be getting expelled through the exhaust pipe.

wally22

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#2795662 15-Oct-2021 07:18

It could also be a blown gasket. Here's hoping .

shrub

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#2795666 15-Oct-2021 07:36

head gaskets can fail in many mays. in your case it sounds like it's failed into the cylinder so the water will be getting pushed out during normal combustion. Hence the bubbles in your radiator. This could also be a cracked head.
sometimes they fail so water and oil mix.

Bung

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#2795668 15-Oct-2021 07:37

You appear to have got a reasonable answer from a Camry forum moderator over a month ago. I think it's time to look for a mechanic.

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#2795671 15-Oct-2021 07:51

Bung: You appear to have got a reasonable answer from a Camry forum moderator over a month ago. I think it's time to look for a mechanic.

@Bung So the OP asked on another forum and got the same answer!

@mlbbecker Take the car to a mechanic asking the same question on multiple forums is just wasting peoples time

Bung

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#2795678 15-Oct-2021 08:06

No he got an answer based on specific knowledge of Camry faults.

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K8Toledo

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#2795679 15-Oct-2021 08:10

Just get a TK test.

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#2795686 15-Oct-2021 08:21

Bung: No he got an answer based on specific knowledge of Camry faults.

Unless someone has a very good crystal ball then it is all guess work

Bung

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#2795694 15-Oct-2021 08:34

This was the answer on the Camry forum "The engine block is aluminum. Toyota had issues with the some of the head bolt hole threads in the block stripping out causing coolant leakage and a blown head gasket.

If you remove the head check for damaged head bolt threads in the block. If found there are well established DIY methods to repair the block in car or a shop can do the job."

Deja vu is an alternative to crystal balls.

Scott3

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#2795703 15-Oct-2021 08:53

If it has been a month, the time for internet diagnosis seems well past.

If you are going to DIY it (and have gear like torque wrenches), order a new gasket kit from rockauto or similar, pull the head, and do a visual inspection, if you can't see any damage other than the gasket, put the new kit in and hope for the best. If you are going to have a mechanic take care of it, just have them do the diagnosis.

RunningMan

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#2795771 15-Oct-2021 09:24

Bung: You appear to have got a reasonable answer from a Camry forum moderator over a month ago.

Scott3:If it has been a month, the time for internet diagnosis seems well past.

It's not a month, it's earlier this week. Join date Oct 2021 for the OP, and that forum uses American dates.

https://www.camryforums.com/forum/general-tech-8/blown-head-gasket-54448/

OP, you've had several answers. Yes, it could be a head gasket, but a cracked head cannot be excluded. You need a path between a waterway and oil passage for the two to mix. A crack or leak can go from combustion chamber to waterway and give the symptoms you have. To determine where that leak or crack is it will require physical inspection, most probably disassembly. The Camry forum has provided some good areas to start that physical inspection.

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K8Toledo

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#2795782 15-Oct-2021 09:43

Bung: This was the answer on the Camry forum "The engine block is aluminum. Toyota had issues with the some of the head bolt hole threads in the block stripping out causing coolant leakage and a blown head gasket.

If you remove the head check for damaged head bolt threads in the block. If found there are well established DIY methods to repair the block in car or a shop can do the job."

Deja vu is an alternative to crystal balls.

All still assumptions.

A TK test is the only way to know beyond all doubt if the gasket is blown, besides taking the head off.