Any 100% surefire way to test headgaskets

Rubenk · Sep 17, 2016

So been messing with a 6.4 thats had studs and gaskets done, but has some coolant level anomalies. It kinda makes me think minor head gasket failure.

Is there a surefire 100% to determine head gasket failure without pulling the heads? Coolant test strips or anything like that? The tank was pressure tested a while back and held fine, not sure if add more pressure maybe?

Geralddunbar995 · Sep 17, 2016

They sell coolant strips and other styles of test kits at the parts store to check for combustion gasses. theyre effective and inexpensive.

Zmann · Sep 17, 2016

pressure gauge on the cooling system and some WOT runs is what i prefer over coolant test products

6.4 Stroker · Sep 17, 2016

Yup pressure gauge best way to tell.

ckrueg · Sep 17, 2016

Wouldn't a cracked egr cooler pressurize the system as well?

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Geralddunbar995 · Sep 17, 2016

Under high load situations, boost pressure can come through a cracked e g r cooler and push coolant out of the reservoir. A cooling system pressure test assembly works for diagnosing a bad head gasket. Another way of finding a failed head gasket is to pressurize the cylinders with the injectors out and a glove over the reservoir cap with the bleed line clamped off. If you pressurize a cylinder and the glove inflates, that will be where the head gasket is blown.

webb06 · Sep 18, 2016

Zmann said:
pressure gauge on the cooling system and some WOT runs is what i prefer over coolant test products

This is what I always use. "T" in a gauge and go for a drive. Usually under WOT it's pretty easy to identify if there's a problem.

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