2002 Hyundai Elantra Blown head gasket?

Tiny
MNESSEN
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 85,000 MILES
My son was having problems with a leaking radiator. He overheated one day on the drive home and the car suddenly died. After trying to get the car started on the road (it did not sound good), I had the car towed home. Today I tried starting the car after filling the radiator and during cranking - the radiator behaved like old faithful - spouting up during each crank. - My diagnosis - blown head gasket - do you agree? If so, I need to get onto the Hyundai web site and get the directions for replacment. (I have done this before on an Acura Integra after a timing belt failure - so it is not too daunting for me.) My one hope is that the overheat only caused a blown gasket and did not crack the head or block, or warp the block - although I am not sure how I would be able to tell.
Sunday, November 16th, 2008 AT 7:47 PM

2 Replies

Tiny
MHPAUTOS
  • MECHANIC
  • 31,937 POSTS
Hi there,

the head will be the problem, you will have to get the head crack tested and checked for warp and bend, have it re machined when it is repaired. In 35 years I have seen only 2 cracked blocks, so I would not worry to much, and there is no easy way to test for this anyway.

Mark (mhpautos)
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Sunday, November 16th, 2008 AT 8:00 PM
Tiny
JAMES W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,394 POSTS
I have to agree, it's either headgasket or cracked head, or both. When you get it apart and can visually see a bad gasket you should still have the head pressure tested for cracks. It's cheap insurance so you won't have to do it again. Rarely does an overheat affect the block. Aluminum, being softer, usually lets go first. Also, and not being a salesman, when you get into a project like this I highly recomend you get a good manual for your year model/year. This way you can "double check" yourself as far as proceedure and specs. We handle the Mitchell line at this site. When I had my shop, they were one of only two I would ever buy. Hope this helps and good luck, Jim
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Sunday, November 16th, 2008 AT 8:17 PM

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