[kotetu]

oil check:
Look at the engine oil dipstick, or look at the under side of the engine oil filler cap. If the oil is contaminated with antifreeze, it will have the appearance of a chocolate milkshake. Do not start the engine if the oil is contaminated with antifreeze, as serious internal engine damage can result.

air compressor check:
Remove one of the rear sparkplugs and the radiator cap. Fill the radiator and then push some air into the sparkplug hole (get a good seal in case a valve is open). Repeat with all the cylinders and watch for air bubbles coming up into the radiator. If bubbles come up or fluid is pumped out, the head gasket is blown and must be replaced.

The only problem with checking the oil cap is that they placed the cap in the engine's highest location (besides the intake manifold, which doesn't have oil in it), so any condensation from the engine (somewhat normal) will rise and collect on the oil cap. A little bit is ok, too much is bad.

The best way I found to check? Buy a spill proof funnel, connect it to the radiator, then fill it up with coolant. Start the car and let it run. If an endless amount of bubble reach the top, or the coolant level is constantly going down, then you either have a leak or a blown head gasket. After that, pressure test the cooling system and if there are no external leaks, it's a blown head gasket.

Another way to tell is to drive the car and keep constantly bleeding the coolant. If you still get air bubbles and you're losing coolant after a week or so, then you have a blown head gasket.

 

[NoRegrets]

I needed this a couple months ago. Never had a clue how to do it. Got a tool loan from Auto Zone and it had no instructions. People at the counter were tools themselves and knew nothing so I just returned it. I think it had something missing out of the case though.

Thanks
Rochelle

 

[Mike Diaz]

The only problem with checking the oil cap is that they placed the cap in the engine's highest location (besides the intake manifold, which doesn't have oil in it), so any condensation from the engine (somewhat normal) will rise and collect on the oil cap. A little bit is ok, too much is bad.

The best way I found to check? Buy a spill proof funnel, connect it to the radiator, then fill it up with coolant. Start the car and let it run. If an endless amount of bubble reach the top, or the coolant level is constantly going down, then you either have a leak or a blown head gasket. After that, pressure test the cooling system and if there are no external leaks, it's a blown head gasket.

Another way to tell is to drive the car and keep constantly bleeding the coolant. If you still get air bubbles and you're losing coolant after a week or so, then you have a blown head gasket.

 

[NoRegrets]

Yes sir. I have unfortunately found this out already. But only after I already paid to get the WP/TB done. So I am beginning my attempt at a HG job.

Rochelle

 

[pro_foundac91]

if u have a blown or seeping head gasket u will definitely know, plain and simple

 

[johnnie34]

Yes but a newbie might not.

Even a quality mechanic can miss it if it is in the early stages and they are doing a short inspection. My advice if you are buying a Legend is to look at it when the engine is bone cold before test drive. Open the radiator cap and see if the coolant level is all the way up. If it isn't completely filled, even if it is only a teacup's worth low then walk away, unless of course you don't mind replacing the headgasket or engine. BTW don't let any mechanic sucker you in to thinking it is an easy or cheap fix because it isn't. Anybody who says so is full of crap. Not to mention that if the engine got hot enough the steel lining of the cylinder may have delamited and you may have cylinder walk that will destroy the gasket in another 50k.

I wish I had known. My mechanic missed the BHG when the car was prepurchase inspected because the leak was so small it wasn't even showing up on the hydrocarbon test. The only evidence I got was when the car overheated after 2 or 3 days because the thermostat got caught in an airbubble. Even when I took it back to two different mechanics after that happened Hydrocarbon test still showed nothing. Oh and the guy who checked my car knows his sh#t. He swapped the ZC in to my Honda and did an outstanding job not to mention all of the other major maintenance on that car for the last 100,000k miles. So he didn't miss it because he didn't know what to look for.

As long as I kept coolant in the car it ran well for 8000 miles after that but the leak has finally gotten bad enough that overpressure in the coolant system is a danger to the radiator and everything else in the cooling system.

None of the other signs have been there though. The Heater works fine, there's no coolant in the oil, no major idle issues, no oil in the antifreeze, nothing at all except the constant loss of coolant and overflow being pushed out of the reserve tank.

Now every time I see another Legend I look for that white smoke and I would bet you that at least 3 out of 10 have it. My second piece of advice on buying the car is don't buy it if you can't afford to maintain it. Like my mechanic said you might have only paid $5k for it but you are paying for service on a $30k car.

Regards

 

[NickD]

Another method is to pressure check each cylinder. The cylinders at top dead center should be, IIRC 180PSI each. If you are reading significantly below that then chances are you have a blown headgasket OR you're rings aren't sealing properly. However, the later problem is very, very uncommon in the 3.2L Legend engine.

 

[Mike Diaz]

Another method is to pressure check each cylinder. The cylinders at top dead center should be, IIRC 180PSI each. If you are reading significantly below that then chances are you have a blown headgasket OR you're rings aren't sealing properly. However, the later problem is very, very uncommon in the 3.2L Legend engine.

My old 240k 3.2L engine was showing 175 PSI in each cylinder and it had a blown head gasket. I haven't tried it with any other bhg engine I've repaired.

 

[NickD]

My old 240k 3.2L engine was showing 175 PSI in each cylinder and it had a blown head gasket. I haven't tried it with any other bhg engine I've repaired.

It held steady at 175 PSI over a period of time? Wow, the 3 times I had a head gasket replacement this is what I did and it was on the money each time. That's surprising that your's held. I'll have to keep that in mind for the NEXT headgasket...

BHGs are like speeding tickets... You'll get one sooner or later...

 

[Mike Diaz]

It held steady at 175 PSI over a period of time? Wow, the 3 times I had a head gasket replacement this is what I did and it was on the money each time. That's surprising that your's held. I'll have to keep that in mind for the NEXT headgasket...

BHGs are like speeding tickets... You'll get one sooner or later...

Not with my 3.5

I'm pretty sure the addition of the balance shaft on the RL engine was a big factor in the reliability of the 3.5L engines. Do you remember the vibration theory? I think the vibration from the 3.2L engine was causing the tops of the cylinder walls to slowly eat away at the head gasket, eventually allowing coolant to enter the cylinder.

Both cylinder 3 and 6 held 175 PSI for more than a few minutes.

 

[NickD]

Not with my 3.5

I'm pretty sure the addition of the balance shaft on the RL engine was a big factor in the reliability of the 3.5L engines. Do you remember the vibration theory? I think the vibration from the 3.2L engine was causing the tops of the cylinder walls to slowly eat away at the head gasket, eventually allowing coolant to enter the cylinder.

Both cylinder 3 and 6 held 175 PSI for more than a few minutes.

I don't recall hearing about that theory. It does make sense though. Especially from what I have seen with the blown gaskets. I also attributed it possibly to the expansion and contraction from heat/cold between the block and heads. However, that should be minimal given they are both aluminum.

 

[TonyTheBullet]

So by the Vibration theory, the HG will eventually fail on every 3.2l regardless of how well you take care of it. Kinda disheartening to hear that

 

[Seeker]

Suprised nobody mentioned to check the spark plugs.

If several are blackish/normal, but one or two are clean/white at the tips, then its a good indicator the clean plugs are the cylinders that are leaking coolant in.

I pulled mine. #6 plug/cyl. was white... all the rest black.

 

[Mike Diaz]

In addition, I've never seen a 3.2L blow a head gasket in any place except at the back of the #3 and #6 cylinders. Those are the only two places that have problems as far as I've seen.

 

[NickD]

In addition, I've never seen a 3.2L blow a head gasket in any place except at the back of the #3 and #6 cylinders. Those are the only two places that have problems as far as I've seen.

I can fully agree with that. I've done 5 headgasket jobs, all within the same place...

 

[931stlegend]

what does he mean it will have the appearance of a chocolate milkshake???

 

[NickD]

what does he mean it will have the appearance of a chocolate milkshake???

You get a mix of water, anti-freeze and oil built up on the cap. It actually has the look of chocholate milk. It actually looks like melted milk chocolate on the inside of the cap. It's quite distinct. You'll know it if you see it.

 

[vgeezy31885]

Chit, down here, its like 8 out of 10. I even c the baddest ones with twinkies,tv's..... but they must forgot how to open their hood and put some money in that too. Its crazy cuz i been there, so when i c one, i just look like i bet u it smoke.Its gooten so bad , my girl will come home and say chit like, this dude try alk to me wit a Legend today, and he shit was smoking bad. She said she wanted to tell him keep straight till u get to the dealership cuz u got a bhg.

 

[LEgEND-FEiGN]

lololol thats funny.. i see alot of them smoking too but uphere it looks more like they are burning oil

 

[kotetu]

the back cylinders are the farthest away from the radiator so it takes fresh coolant the longest to get there, and I guess if the cooling system is impared they get the hottest.