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Suspected blown head gasket.

Tiny
PHILMITCHINSON1
  • MEMBER
  • 1999 CHEVROLET LUMINA
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 165,000 MILES
Bubbling in radiator water and loss of water suggests blown head gasket. How do I test which bank/cylinder is blown (3.8L Chev Lumina v6)?
Regards, Phil Mitchinson- New Zealander currently living in the UAE.
Sunday, January 23rd, 2011 AT 4:57 PM

5 Replies

Tiny
DOCHAGERTY
  • MECHANIC
  • 9,601 POSTS
You could pull the spark plugs and pressurize the cooling system to see which cylinders fill with coolant. I would tend to think that if one cylinder heads needed to come off, that the other might just as well come off to as insurance against having to do the job twice.
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Sunday, January 23rd, 2011 AT 5:03 PM
Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
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I don't know why it would matter. If the engine got hot enough to damage one side, there is likely damage to the other side too and it would be very foolish to only remove one head after going that far.
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Sunday, January 23rd, 2011 AT 5:43 PM
Tiny
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As usual, my fellow moderator has made an excellant point and I couldn't agree more.
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Sunday, January 23rd, 2011 AT 5:58 PM
Tiny
PHILMITCHINSON1
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Thanks for your advice guys.
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Monday, January 24th, 2011 AT 2:35 AM
Tiny
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OK
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Monday, January 24th, 2011 AT 2:40 AM

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