A few different things going on with this car. First off I recently took it to a local repair place and they did a dye test to test the head gasket and they said that the dye changed within ten seconds and there were a lot of micro-carbons coming out the the exhaust and that my head gasket is bad. Well my temperature gauge is on perfect temperature and the exhaust is fairly dry. I have not noticed any milky color of oil to suggest there is water in the oil. Is there another way to tell definitively that the head gasket is bad…or is the dye test 100% accurate?
Also on another note if the heater is blowing no warm air and the thermostat was recently replaced does this have anything to do with the engine or does it just need a new heater coil? Thanks for your help!
How is your coolant? Do you hear air bubbles when you have no heat. You could be getting exhaughst in the coolant. That can be checked with a analyser. The shop can test the compression and do a pressurized leak down test on the coolant. While head gaskets are a common issue on the taurus it does not sound like you have an issue aside from the lack of heat. So why did they test the cylinder head?
Sounds like what the repair shop used is what we call a “block tester”. It is used for testing for exhaust gases in the cooling system. If that test was done and the liquid changed color, then you have your definitive test. A head gasket is breached, that’s the only way to get exhaust gases in the coolant. As far as your heater goes, if your cooling system is compromised the heater wont work properly due to the fact that there’s air in the coolant.
“if the heater is blowing no warm air and the thermostat was recently replaced does this have anything to do with the engine or does it just need a new heater coil?”
The heat in your car has everything to do with the engine. There is no heater coil. Your heat comes from the engine’s coolant circulating through a heater core (a little radiator behind your dash). The air blows over the heater core and gets hot.
I suspect that pete peters is right about the test they ran and what is going on in terms of gasses interfering with the heat. But if you don’t trust the shop you could always get a second opinion.
At the very least you might give a fuller description of what is up with your car in terms of symptoms - e.g. heat, temp gauge, loss of coolant(?), etc.
Have a cylinder leakage test done, that will determine if the head gasket is leaking.
Are loosing radiator fluid? Low fluid means no circulation to heater core and no heat. Leak down test would prove the head gasket breach.