Head Gasket?

[Runninit]

hey everyone , well i dunno if my head gasket is blown or what ?
I noticed that my coolent was leaking not to long ago and my mechanic a good frined ( who i can trust) told me that it was the water pump and when he took it off it seemed to be that as well , So i changed the water pump and the timing belt jsut to be safe .
But then i noticed that the temp gauge seemed to be going higher when i drove all the time and it would go up and down all the time. So i went back today and we chaged the thermostat. I figured that it might have been broken becuase that looked like one of the reasons......
Well , now when i drive the temp gauge doesnlt go up but when i idle in one spot for a bit of time it does. There is no air in the system cause we made 100% that there wasent .
So he thinks most likly this is the head gasket! Does anyone have any suggestions or anyhting to help me and if it is the head gasket how much is this going to cost me and is it worth it!? Thanx soo much

[Custommx3]

look for coolant in your oil and vice versa.

[Runninit]

I dont see any coolent in my oil thats another thing . I am not letting out constant white smoke from my exhaust as well . SO i dont know what it is

[badboy]

i suggest getting a pressure test for 30 bucks at mazda..will tell u right away whats wrong..the new water pump could also be leaking
doesn't sound like head gasket as its an external leak.
milky oil is a sign and a brown emulsion in coolant is a sign of head..<p>cya

[Runninit]

Alrite thanx a lot do a pressure test then . and that should tell me hopefully i will get my mechanic to do the pressure test thats alrite to right?
And theres no brown stuff in the coolent at all , its feeding only green clean coolent. The coolent isnlt leaking from the water pump either we thought it was for a sec but we checked again and the water pumps fine. <p>So you dont think its a head gasket???

[cjthor]

Kinda sounds like you still have air in the system. I have had the same problem on a couple cars. If you can have someone flush the sytem with an acutal pressure flusher you would be suprised on what you find. Also check the hoses. Sometimes the bottom radiator hose will be old and it can collapse under pressure. Might want to also check the fan switch to make sure the fans are coming on at the proper temp. They can be flaky at times. Hope this helps.

[Runninit]

Thanx so much to all of you and cjthor, and You know what i dont know if the fans arent coming on at the right time i should check that out. Also you said something about the hose by the rad i dont think theres anyhting wrong with that , i checked it out.
And for the air in the system i think its 100% thats theres none he did like a good hour job chekcing that for me cause he thought thats what it might be as well.
So you dont think its the head gasket then ? What are some major signs of head gasket going ? Let me know thanx guys

[pulse101]

If there isn't coolant in the oil, the head gasket should be fine.<p>I would still suspect the coolant system itself.
Your water pump was a good place to start, as was the thermostat.<p>However, you are forgetting a major piece. The radiator. When the car is running, feel the radiator. Does it have hot and cold spots? It should be one mostly uniform temperature. The highly fluctuating temperatures are probably due to inefficient cooling from the radiator. These problems are even more difficult to diagnose in the winter. Even if you pressure tested the system, this still could be suspect.<p>If your head gasket was blown, or blowing, you would notice other symptoms most likely, such as decreased power, white exhaust, coolant smell while running, etc. you don't report that.<p>I'd look into a radiator refurbish or better yet, a new one.

[Runninit]

Hey thanx so much for that info! I really appreciate it ! and i will check that out for sure then , Do you know by any chance how much a radiator is new? or to be reaplced or anyhting and can you let me know or anyone thanx ! really apprecaite all this help! because if it was my head gasket i woudnlt know what to do ! thanx guys

[Guest]

I tried to tell you it could be the damn radiator. I had major problems with it last summer, with the temp going up and the coolant disappearing in one day. I paid $959 to have a new radiator, fixed 3 hoses and 3 oil leaks. A new radiator will run you about $250-$300. Then add labor on that.

[Runninit]

hahaah Well thanx again for the suggestions on the rad i will look into repariing it then thats not to expensive thank god cause i dont really get cahrged on labour from my mechanic so its all good
Thanx guys

[Guest]

No problem

[boostedmx]

it actually sounds as if the thermostat is sticking open. cars will get up to normal operating temps when idling but will lower as air passes through the rad while driving. the thermostat acts to keep the temperature of the coolant stable as well as keeping coolant in the engine to heat up faster on cold start ups. if the temp gauge is getting really cold when driving it is stuck open..<p>[ February 12, 2003: Message edited by: boostedmx ]</p>

[Runninit]

The theromostat is brand new and was changed but thanx for the comment , i jsut dont figure that would be the problem right now thanx

[atlantamx3]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by MX3_Racer120:
I tried to tell you it could be the damn radiator. I had major problems with it last summer, with the temp going up and the coolant disappearing in one day. I paid $959 to have a new radiator, fixed 3 hoses and 3 oil leaks. A new radiator will run you about $250-$300. Then add labor on that.<hr></blockquote><p>
Holy Crap Brian, You got Ripped off! I bought a new radiator for $159 about a year ago.