I've never tried this, but I understand you can have your coolant analyzed for combustable gases to see if pressure at the head is making its way into the coolant (as opposed to coolant into the combustion area, resulting in white smoke at startup). Garages specializing in radiator work should be familiar with this. As I understand it there are actually two kinds of head leaks (1. Head gasket 2) coolant over the top of the internal cylinder barrels, past an O-ring and large thin metal gasket, into barrels)--the head gasket leak is far more common. Follow the link below for a description of the two kinds of leaks. I'm not sure if both kinds of leaks will commonly result in coolant pollution. Perhaps other listees know...anyone? http://vanagon.com/problems/head_leaks.html Also, here's an explantation of the pressure-test using the pressure gauge you mentioned (takes place of radiator cap): http://vanagon.com/info/articles/head_replacement.html Best of luck, George 83-1/2 Westy |
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