Gasket and engine blown

TAVITO

MEMBER
1997 SATURN SC1
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
154,000 MILES

Hi, I do have a 1997 sc1 saturn, and I think the head gasket and engine block are blown, the car start, but after 7 to 10 minutes the water start boiling and it come out fmom the reservoir tank, my car's radiator has not cap, I saw an ad in internet a product that fix these problem like magic, "TERMOGASKET"do you know if this really works or can you give a suggestion in how to fix this car cheap and easy?

1 Reply

ERNEST CLARK

MECHANIC
1,730 POSTS

The only thing these products do is separate you from your money. You can check to see if your head gasket is blown in several ways. One is to check if there's water mixing with the oil. The other is to remove the resevior cap (while engine is cold) and rev the engine up to at least 1000 rpms. If you see large bubbles then your head gasket is blown. There's a more sure fire way to check: Use a tester which uses a chemical to detect exhaust gases in the coolant. But most times they're not necessary.

You also need to eliminate other possible causes. The most simplest: make sure the resevoir cap is good. Because if the gasket inside is bad, it won't allow pressure to build up in the system. This will make the coolant boil. Also make sure the cooling system doesn't have a blockage. Check the pump, thermostat and radiator fans as well.