I need to know what the symptoms of a cracked head might be.

I have checked the oil, and there is no water/coolant in it. The motor sounds excellent, no misses at all.

Someone told me that the head might be cracked on the backside, and if so, the motor would run fine, and have nothing mixed in with the oil. Is this correct?

Also, I am currently running without a thermostat. Could the car possibly be overheating and running down the exhaust instead of steaming up front?

Any help is appreciated! TIA

Barb

I had one similiar to that.
No water in oil or oil in water, ran good but lots of steam coming from exhaust.
Pulled the heads and magnafluxed, voila!
Symptoms depend on where the crack is...

BobC

well, what confuses me is that once it is started on cold mornings, it steams out the tailpipe just like any other car does....then when it warms up, it quits steaming from the tailpipe. The steam I am worrying about is actually coming from under the deck lid, and underneath the car instead of out the tailpipe.

Barb

quote Originally posted by Cozmo: I had one similiar to that. No water in oil or oil in water, ran good but lots of steam coming from exhaust. Pulled the heads and magnafluxed, voila! Symptoms depend on where the crack is... BobC

[This message has been edited by Loveleighone (edited 05-21-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Loveleighone (edited 05-21-2002).]

First, pull the plugs and look at the tips. If any are grayish white, that cylinder is burning water.

Second, run a compression test to see if any cylinder has less compression than the others. Any decent repair manual has this procudure in it.

Third, rent (free at AutoZone) a pressure tester and see if there are any leaks. Sometimes a crack will only open when hot, so this is not an "absolute" test.

After all of that, you need to get the car warm and have a good look all over the place to see where the coolant is going. If you are not losing coolant and their are no leaks, you either have a bad water pump or a blockage (usually in the radiator).

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"Its a Fiero thing... Heck, even I don't understand!"

Timothy E. Smith
1986 SE V6 Up and running again!!
1984 Coupe
1996 Ford Probe GT
1999 Chevrolet Silverado Z71
1975 Chevrolet ElCamino SS

quote Originally posted by Loveleighone: I need to know what the symptoms of a cracked head might be. I have checked the oil, and there is no water/coolant in it. The motor sounds excellent, no misses at all. Someone told me that the head might be cracked on the backside, and if so, the motor would run fine, and have nothing mixed in with the oil. Is this correct? Also, I am currently running without a thermostat. Could the car possibly be overheating and running down the exhaust instead of steaming up front? Any help is appreciated! TIA Barb

Cracked heads: can cause overheating conditions, can have water in oil and vice versa, constant sweet smelling steam produced by engine full time while running, bubbles in coolant causing rapid pressurizing of coolant system and typically will boilover before normal operating tempratures are meant and can at times behave like a blown gasket.
These are most common.

No misses is a good thing as it indicates that a cylinder isn't 'swimming in coolant'!

I'm not sure of the terminology of 'cracked on the back side' unless that is to mean the side you can't see as it is the combustion chamber side. I buy that.

Running without a thermostat is not a good idea as the flow of coolant through the system moves too fast through the radiator and will not cool down as much as it should.

What do you mean by 'running down the exhaust'?
If you have visable coolant or steam at the front of the engine, check all the hoses (I think I said that once already) these include the two big radiator hoses, one at the thermostat housing the other at the pump. Two smaller size hoses for the heater core, one at the thermostat housing the other from the rear of the water pump. There are also two very small hoses that go the throttle body that are very hard to see as they connect under everything else.
Last thing to check is the condition of the stat housing as a unit, is the gasket good at the mounting surface on intake? Is any rust present at the seams or severe paint bubbles on it's neck. Is the top of the neck in good condition and will it seal when the cap is in place with stat installed?

Also, are there any puddles under the car after it is run? If so, where are the spots comming from? There should be a water trail you can follow to locate leak.

If your steaming condition stops when the car warms up, I wouldn't think that it is a cracked head just a small leak that produces steam in the engine compartment.
Has anyone observed the engine running to locate source of steam?

quote Originally posted by Indiana_resto_guy: Cracked heads: can cause overheating conditions, can have water in oil and vice versa, constant sweet smelling steam produced by engine full time while running, bubbles in coolant causing rapid pressurizing of coolant system and typically will boilover before normal operating tempratures are meant and can at times behave like a blown gasket. These are most common. Nope, doing none of this. No misses is a good thing as it indicates that a cylinder isn't 'swimming in coolant'! I'm not sure of the terminology of 'cracked on the back side' unless that is to mean the side you can't see as it is the combustion chamber side. I buy that. By the "Back Side", I mean when you are standing behind the car and looking at the motor, the "back side" is closet to the back glass. The intake manifold is on the "Front side", and I think the exhaust manifold connects to the "Back Side" Hope I am being clear here.....I am a female, so I dont know much about the terminology! lol Running without a thermostat is not a good idea as the flow of coolant through the system moves too fast through the radiator and will not cool down as much as it should. What do you mean by 'running down the exhaust'? I mean, when I go up a hill, the car steams, I am wondering if when the car is on an inclne, if the coolant jug or radiator is blowing antifreeze out, couldn't it run down the exhaust system underneath the car, and produce steam in the engine compartment as it is burned off? If you have visable coolant or steam at the front of the engine, check all the hoses (I think I said that once already) these include the two big radiator hoses, one at the thermostat housing the other at the pump. Two smaller size hoses for the heater core, one at the thermostat housing the other from the rear of the water pump. There are also two very small hoses that go the throttle body that are very hard to see as they connect under everything else. Last thing to check is the condition of the stat housing as a unit, is the gasket good at the mounting surface on intake? Is any rust present at the seams or severe paint bubbles on it's neck. Is the top of the neck in good condition and will it seal when the cap is in place with stat installed? Also, are there any puddles under the car after it is run? If so, where are the spots comming from? There should be a water trail you can follow to locate leak. If your steaming condition stops when the car warms up, I wouldn't think that it is a cracked head just a small leak that produces steam in the engine compartment. Has anyone observed the engine running to locate source of steam?

I just saw the double post,OOPS!

[This message has been edited by Indiana_resto_guy (edited 05-22-2002).]

I had a cracked head...

you'r gonna loose power
maybe hear a ticking,pinging valve (if the crackes inbetween the valves)
get a 'sweeter' smell out of your exhaust if you'r burning coolant (very hard to tell)
and if your mixing the oil and water
you're gonna get mayonayse colored stuff under the valve covers

asides from that

take it off and any shop would tell ya if its cracked within seconds

Mine was cracked inbetween the valves so i had all of those symtopms

or it could just be your cyl head gasket

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Steven Rossi

I just added something to my last post, after re-reading it I saw that I left something out of the last paragraph.
Check it out with my apoligies!