Wednesday, September 14, 2011

When the car is overheating, how do I know if the problem is the head gasket or the termostate?

My car was overheating (2000 Mazda Protege) and the mechanic said it was a head gasket problem. So, he changed the head gasket and when I got the car back it was still overheating. And then he said he had forgotten to put a new termostate in. And when he did that, the car worked good.

So, how do I know if the problem was really the head gasket or just the termostate?When the car is overheating, how do I know if the problem is the head gasket or the termostate?
if its a head gasket you can find it if you see bubbles in the over flow tank for the coolant and you will lose engine compressing as compressing will flow to neighboring cylinders.You will also blow white smoke if the leak is bad and oil can look milky on the dipstick. the thermostat is about $12 and would be one of the first things i would have checked. if it was over heating after the head gasket but was fine after the thermostat then that's probably a misdiagnoses by the tech but you got charged anyways because he found a way to cover his ***.When the car is overheating, how do I know if the problem is the head gasket or the termostate?
I would have gone with the thermostat first im sure its cheaper. I had my thermostat get stuck on my truck and the mechanic told me to change fan clutch, radiator and all this crap when it was just the thermostat.When the car is overheating, how do I know if the problem is the head gasket or the termostate?
I would believe him, an even more likely story, would be an air pocket that was in the coolant system, but if it runs good now, believe him. We technicians don't tell the customers often when we make mistakes.When the car is overheating, how do I know if the problem is the head gasket or the termostate?
Maybe the bad thermostat helped create the head gasket problem or maybe he was wrong.When the car is overheating, how do I know if the problem is the head gasket or the termostate?
He is most likely telling the truth about the thermostat. Sounds like it was the problem all along. Usually when the head gasket is replaced we replace the thermostat also, he may have forgotten to do that. Now, he has made an a$$ of himself for not fixing the problem and costing you a whole lot of money. He should have started with the thermostat and then went into further diagnosis if that did not fix the problem. Although, if it was an air pocket in the system, the car was not test drove long enough or was not double checked to make sure the repair was completed properly before it was returned to you. Best way to find out is to ask to see the old parts and make him explain to you where the head gasket was leaking. If he won't show you or explain it to you then don't take your car back there, part of servicing a vehicle is explaining it to the customer so they can understand what is going on with it.When the car is overheating, how do I know if the problem is the head gasket or the termostate?
well if after he changed the head gasket and it did,nt fix it until he changed the thermostat then it would have to be the thermostat in the first place.