Think I blew my headgasket!

[gschroeder78]

I've been having some overheating problems. So I replaced the thermostat and radiator cap and it seemed to fix it. On the way home the other day. I lost most of my power and the engine started making a knocking sound and the new oil looked thick and foamy. Funny thing is it never overheated, just stayed at normal. Anyways, I'm guessing head gasket and hoping there are no other major problems. So I'll replace the headgasket and hope it fixes everything. Just venting I guess. Fell free to hand out any tips.

Garrett

[AceInHole]

hate to say it, but knocking isn't something I've heard of being generally associated with a headgasket.... at least, it shouldn't be.

also, overheating can also be caused by things other than a headgasket, such as a lack of oil flowing through the engine. Usually you'll have oil in the coolant and coolant in the oil if your headgasket is really bad.

The knocking could be anything from valve lash (usually a "clacking" sound) to piston slap to a shot crank or rod bearing. The loss of power leads me to believe the knocking is likely to be piston slap.... no compression in a cylinder from the rings being badly damaged.

If you can, do a compression test really quick and see. Also check your oil and coolant for signs of one leaking into the other.

Hope I'm just a paranoid person and your problems aren't so bad.....

Good luck!

[gschroeder78]

problem is that even after changing the cap and thermostat, I was still loosing coolant. No oil is evident in the coolant and the temp stayed in the normal range. where the fluid was going is what I couldn't figure out. headgasket was the only thing I could thing of since I have no leaks.