Auto Help: Blown Head Gasket or Not?

[CowboyMcCoy]

stuck thermostat or somwhere there could be a valve in one of coolant lines that is blocked up or stuck closed (happened to me) not sure if you have that on that car thought.

Fill coolant level until its full.
Run the motor
when it gets hot feel the upper radiator hose.

If it feels hot and coolant flowing through it then its not stuck
If if feels hot and bloated and empty(no coolant flowing) then its stuck

It was stuck, which I think caused the blown gasket. Because I took out the thermostat and it's still overheating.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

It was stuck, which I think caused the blown gasket. Because I took out the thermostat and it's still overheating.

If gasket blew it wasn't because of thermostat being stuck. The thermostat might have pushed gasket to the brink but a stuck thermostat will blow hoses all day long before ot blows head gasket.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

If gasket blew it wasn't because of thermostat being stuck. The thermostat might have pushed gasket to the brink but a stuck thermostat will blow hoses all day long before ot blows head gasket.

That's what it has been doing. Now I just have to fix the hose under the car. I can't seem to get to it.

 

[Vtwin]

If gasket blew it wasn't because of thermostat being stuck. The thermostat might have pushed gasket to the brink but a stuck thermostat will blow hoses all day long before ot blows head gasket.

I see what you are saying but repetitive overheating due to a stuck thermostat can and will blow the head gasket. In a tight engine the hoses will likely blow first. After a few overheating cycles the over-expanding contracting of the dissimilar alloys of the block and heads will loosen up that once tight engine and create a weak spot in the head to block seam.

Warped heads and blown head gaskets are common on air-cooled motors that are overheated a lot.