my car had a small antifreeze leak the mechanic said i need a intake gasket, he said he said it may need a head gasket but he need to fix the intake gasket first. i said can you see if i need a head gasket, i want to know if i really want to invest further in the vehicle he said he has to fix intake first.now he tells me i need head gasket,my car was running perfect it was not running hot just a very small leak. what did he do wrong? i really feel like i’m being taken for a ride.
An intake manifold gasket leak is pretty easily detected, you would just spray starter fluid at the intake manifold while the engine is running and listen for the engine to rev.
I don’t think there is any correlation to small coolant leaks with failed intake manifold gaskets.
I also doubt you have a blown head gasket. It seems that you have a coolant leak, and a minor one. The cause could be as simple as a leaky hose, a rotten radiator, or just a bad pressure cap. If the coolant is leaking from the front of the car, it’s not a head gasket. Bring the car to a radiator shop and ask them to diagnose the leak.
Can you better describe this intake leak? Intake leaks can be simple and just not seal where the intake meets the head (and allow air to be drawn in). Intakes can also leak and allow coolant to enter the oil,they can also leak and allow coolant to leak outside of the engine. If I had to bet I would think you have the type of intake leak that is letting coolant to get in the oil and the mechanic is not sure if it is the intake or a headgasket that is letting this happen,this is why he wants to seal the intake and check results.
To locate all leaks in the cooling system, the first thing that should be done is a cooling system pressure test. If there’s any external coolant leaks this test will reveal them.
If you want to pin-point the leaks, there’s a dye that can be added to the coolant. The engine is then run long enough to circulate the dye in the cooling system. Then a cooling system pressure test is again performed. Then an infra-red light is used to light up the coolant along with the dye leaking from the engine.
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