So it’s for a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis GS with 102K. Attached are the pictures in order. First one was the initial fresh fluid,
then I did 4-5 slow deliberate pumps over the course of a minute and took another photo.
Did this for 5 minutes. Test says it will turn yellow if it’s a positive. However, mines just slowly turned more towards a shade of green mixed in with the blue, as you can see in the photos.
Another minute and 5 more pumps
Each photo is 1-2 minutes apart snd 4-5 pumps per additional one.
How should I interpret this? Car doesn’t overheat or anything ever, but coolant level does drop in the overflow tank about an inch every couple months.
does this indicate a head gasket leak or am I making too much of this?
it didn't turn yellow, but it did change color a bit.
I guess you're at the very beginning stages of a head gasket leak.
Would it be too premature to try a pour-in head gasket sealer or should I wait and see how it progresses?
personally I would change the head gasket before any damage was done. Sealers are too risky, and don't work that well.
If it gets to be worse, like losing more coolant or overheating, I’ll have no choice but to. But I can’t afford 3K right now unfortunately, snd aside from adding a few ounces of coolant every three months, it runs like a clock. So I’ll just keep my eye on it, not much else I can do. It’s been like this since I bought it last year but it’s the first time I ever had a block test kit to use.
It will be fine, until it's not. If you can't afford head gaskets, then you definitely can't afford a new engine or car.
If you leave it , it will become worse. The head surfaces will corrode and become pitted, making the head gasket job more difficult or impossible. If the gasket fails suddenly and catastrophically you could hydrolock and destroy the engine. Meanwhile, coolant will get into the oil which will start wearing out the engine.
FYI, I changed the head gaskets out of a V6 for well under $1k.
Well I assume you did it yourself, right? Any shop here would probably ask 2-4K.
Carbon dioxide changes the coloration in the fluid, not just combustion products. I can definitely see a slight color change, but it may just be due to atmospheric CO2. Scotty has mentioned that stuff is CO2 sensitive. I've rented that tester and fluid and have seen the entire jug be yellow because the last guy didn't completely seal it. Had to buy my own jug.
