Q: Is it a blown head gasket?

asked by on February 23, 2017

Car has been misfiring and smoking from under the hood

Mechanic said I've got a small crack in radiator, need a new O2 sensor, and a blown head gasket.

I put some k-seal in the radiator (if you don't know what it is, look it up, it is different than other stop leak products)

Mechanic replaced the sensor

If I idle the car for about 20 minutes a small leak starts to show on the side of the top of the radiator. 10 minutes later steam will start pouring out the overflow along with coolant.

There is no white exhaust coming out of the tailpipe.

Car isn't misfiring anymore

Temp gauge has never gone past the halfway mark

I can't think of any other details

My car has 132000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Car is overheating Inspection $94.99 - $114.99 Get a Quote

Hello. If it leak shows up after 20 minutes of the vehicle running even after you put the k seal in you will still have to replace the radiator because the k seal isn’t properly doing its job in fixing the leak. The best way to tell if a head gasket is bad is by testing it with the head gasket test kit or a block test kit. A technician such as one from YourMechanic will be able to perform a head gasket test on your vehicle as well as evaluate the rest of your cooling system to find any faults that may be present.

You are able to find a technician and book an appointment for your overheating inspection here https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/car-is-overheating-inspection

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

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