Troubleshooting A Blown Head Gasket (1989-2003 5.2L, 5.9L V8 Dodge Ram Pickup)

In this tutorial, I'm gonna' show you the 3 most common tests that are done to check for a blown head gasket.

Two of the three are extremely easy and don't involve using any tools at all and can be accomplished in less than 10 minutes.

You can find this tutorial in Spanish here: Cómo Probar Los Empaques De Las Cabezas (Chrysler 5.2L, 5.9L) (at: autotecnico-online.com).

APPLIES TO: This tutorial applies to the following vehicles:

• 1989-1993:
• Dodge Ram 150 Pickup 5.2L V8: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993.
• Dodge Ram 250 Pickup 5.2L V8: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993.
• Dodge Ram 150 Pickup 5.9L V8: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993.
• Dodge Ram 250 Pickup 5.9L V8: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993.
• Dodge Ram 350 Pickup 5.9L V8: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993.
• 1994-2003:
• Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup 5.2L V8: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001.
• Dodge Ram 2500 Pickup 5.2L V8: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998.
• Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup 5.9L V8: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003.
• Dodge Ram 2500 Pickup 5.9L V8: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002.
• Dodge Ram 3500 Pickup 5.9L V8: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003.

3.9L V6 Dodge Ram Pickup Head Gasket Tests:

• How To Test For A Blown Head Gasket (1989-2001 3.9L V6 Dodge Ram Pickup).

3.9L V6 Dodge Ram Van Head Gasket Tests:

• How To Test For A Blown Head Gasket (1989-2003 3.9L V6 Dodge Ram Van).

5.2L, 5.9L V8 Dodge Ram Van Head Gasket Tests:

• How To Test For A Blown Head Gasket (1989-2003 5.2L, 5.9L V8 Dodge Ram Van).

Symptoms Of A Blown Head Gasket

The most common cause of a blown head gasket is that the engine overheated because:

• Fan clutch failure: Fan clutch is worn out and not pulling enough air across the radiator causing the engine to overheat.
• Engine coolant leak: All of the coolant leaked out of the engine and you kept driving it this way.
• Thermostat failure: Thermostat went bad and is stuck closed and the coolant could not circulate between the radiator and the engine.

When one or both cylinder head gaskets have failed (or are starting to fail), you'll see one or more of the following:

• Engine overheating: Your 5.2L, 5.9L Dodge Ram pickup is overheating. You know it's not the fan (or fan clutch) or thermostat.
• White smoke from tailpipe: White smoke is coming out of the tail-pipe and it smells like anti-freeze being cooked.
• Engine no-start: Your 5.2L, 5.9L Dodge Ram pickup won't start.
  • You have already verified it's not an ignition system problem because you have spark coming out at all of the spark plug wires.
  • You know it's not a lack of fuel, because you have verified that the fuel pump is delivering fuel to the fuel injectors.
• Engine oil mixed with coolant: The engine oil is thick and tan to off-white color (mixed with coolant).
• Engine misfire/rough idle: This usually happens when the head gasket has burned at a spot between two side-by-side cylinders and the cylinders don't produce any compression.

TEST 1: Oil The Color Of Coffee With Too Much Creamer

There's a good chance you may not need to do all three tests described in this article, to find out if the head gaskets are blown on your Dodge 5.2L, or 5.9L equipped Ram pickup.

If one test conclusively confirms a blown head gasket condition, you don't have to continue on to the next test.

OK, I'll stop talking and we'll get this show on the road, this is what you need to do:

1. 1

   Pop open the hood on your 5.2L or 5.9L pickup.

2. 2

   Pull out the engine's oil dipstick.

3. 3

   Now, check what the color of the oil is and how thick it is.

4. 4

   You'll see one of two things:
   
   1.) The oil on the dipstick is a creamy, off-white color and is thick as syrup.
   
   2.) The oil is its normal color and viscosity.

Now, let's find out what each of the two results mean:

CASE 1: The color of the oil is a light tan, like coffee with too much creamer. This is bad news and tells you without a shadow of a doubt that you do have a blown head gasket.

Why does the oil look like this? Mainly because your Dodge Ram pickup over-heated and:

• The cylinder head (or heads) warped. This warpage causes the head gasket (or gaskets) to burn.
• A blown head gasket loses its sealing power/ability and if its not sealing the oil and coolant ports in both the engine block and the cylinder head.
• This will lead to the coolant entering the engine oil pan, as both oil and coolant mix the resulting combination gets thick and becomes an off-white color.

CASE 2: The color of the engine oil is normal. So far so good, the next step is to check to see if compression/exhaust gases are leaking into the cooling system. Go to: TEST 2: Exhaust Gases Shooting Out Of The Radiator.

Here's why: Normally (about 90% of the time) when a head gasket gets blown on a 5.2L, or 5.9L Dodge Ram pickup, coolant will enter into the crankcase and mix with the engine oil. But not always so the next test is to see if the engine's compression/combustion gases are escaping thru' the radiator.

TEST 2: Exhaust Gases Shooting Out Of The Radiator

The second most common test, to see if the head gasket on your 5.2L, 5.9L Dodge Ram pickup is blown or not, is to check if engine compression and/or combustion gases are escaping thru' the cooling system. This is another very easy test and does not require any tools whatsoever to do.

This test should not be done on a hot engine (if your vehicle starts and runs). If the engine has been running for an extended amount of time, you must let it cool down for at least 1 hour or you run the risk of being scalded by hot coolant.

OK, here are the test steps:

1. 1

   Remove the cap from the radiator.

2. 2

   Make sure the radiator is full. If not, top it off with water.

3. 2

   With the radiator cap still off, get your helper to crank the engine, while you stand at a safe distance from the open radiator.

4. 3

   You'll see one of two results:
   
   1.) The water or coolant inside the radiator will shoot up and out of the now open radiator.
   
   2.) The coolant will not be disturbed. In other words, cranking the engine will have no effect on the level of the water or coolant in the radiator.

OK, now that the testing part is done, let's take a look at what your results mean:

CASE 1: The coolant bubbled out or shot out from the radiator. This result confirms a blown head gasket issue and lets you know that the combustion gases are leaking into the cooling system. No further testing is required.

CASE 2: The coolant DID NOT bubble out NOR shoot out from the radiator. So far so good, but one or two more tests are needed to make absolutely sure the head gasket is OK, go to:

• If the engine runs but overheats immediately: TEST 4: Using A Chemical Block Tester (Combustion Leak Tester).
• If the engine runs with a misfire: TEST 3: Cylinder Compression Test.

Now, common sense tells you that if a head gasket is blown you ARE gonna' have oil mixed with coolant, and engine compression and/or combustion gases are going to be shooting out of the radiator but sometimes this just doesn't happen. So, the next test will further confirm or exonerate the head gasket.