[moved] Possible headgasket failure???

[amit 0]

hi all! Ive noticed recently i have to keep topping on my coolant level every 2 weeks or so. I went down to a garage earlier on today to get a bit of advice. The vehicle was on the ramps for about 15 minutes and there wasnt even one drop of coolant leak. How ever i did mention to mechanic that there is always a trail of coolant in the driveway when ive just started the engine or just switched it off. He replied it doesnt make a difference whether the engine is on or off. He pressure tested the coolant system with 15 pounds off pressure and there were no signs of leaks at all. He told me the headgasket is on its way out????

Me being worried as you expect, drove home and parked the car up in the driveway. I left the engine running and noticed a trail of fluid from under the car making its way into a nearby gutter. I left some tissues under the car to catch some drips. The tissues were pink after a couple of seconds. Now....im not a mechanic, but this bandit working in the garage is obviously talking crap. It seems like a pipe situated left to the thermostat housing which seems to be leaking.

[acf8181 0]

yep...i'd go with your assessment.

the pressure test really should have shown where it was coming out....was he on his own when he did it, or were you watching as well?

could be the thermo housing itself...very common. its so hard to tell where precisely its coming from down there.

another option, if you hadn't found a leak, would have been that the thermostat was sticking and causing the coolant tank to overflow.

usually a head gasket only goes as a result of overheating...usually caused by the coolant leaking out and the dumbass driver ignoring the flashing light! lol

[marco 0]

this might sound weird but - is the pink liquid coolant ??

I got caught out in a similar siuation and the pink fluid was air con oil.

Easy way to check if head gasket is OK - ask your local gagrage to hold their exhaust gas analyser over the coolant resevoir with the cap off - if there are Hydrocarbons present you have exhaust gas in your coolant - blown head gasket.