My car is a 2008 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4x4 automatic Transmission with a V6 engine (check Engine Light Off) with 182000 miles. I have carefully maintained it since I bought new. Three years ago, it started to overheat, the thermostat would open, and the temperature gauge would be at midpoint, then as I was driving, all of a sudden, the temperature gauge would go to maximum, I would immediately shut off the engine, check under the hood (everything looked ok) restarted the engine and the temperature was normal again! No problem again for around five days or so and it would do the same thing! Had a shop check it out and they found combustion gas in the radiator (no water in the oil and no steam coming from the tailpipe), got a special sealant and applied it to the cooling system and no more combustion gas in the radiator!
Now three years later the problem has come back, doing the same thing! My engine is in good condition, it's not burning any oil or losing any coolant, I want to keep my car! I think I have just a blowen head gasket (of course it could have a cracked aluminum head, willing to replace that too), is there any way to determine which head has the blow head gasket (etc.)? Thank you, Scotty, for your help in this matter!
The head gasket repair in a bottle isn't meant as a permanent fix. Not surprised the problem is back; surprised it lasted 3 yrs. Head gaskets and heads me thinks.
Yes with a cylinder compression test, but you should rebuild both anyway.
Pull your spark plugs and the one(s) with the green (or whatever color) coolant on them is the culprit. I always either got the head rebuilt(if it wasn't cracked) or a new head when I had a blown head gasket.
Time for a new ride.