Help..bhg???

[7mgte_supra]

Alrite, well i guess i got a lazy cousin, who has a supra.. his supra's termostats is jumping up and down..replaced the radiator cap and also the termostat..still having the same problem..still have overflow coolant water from the reservoir.. do you guys think that's a bhg??? thanks

[NewWestSupras]

Yes, sure sounds like it. Do a coolant test. It will tell you for sure. gl.

[WhtMa71]

Yes.

[mizuboi]

it does sound like a bhg but also try burping the system to see if that helps... but from the sound of things, it does sound like a bhg

[Who]

Napa Leak Detector Kit / Engine Block Item#: BK 7001006 (http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPages/NOLMaster.aspx?PageId=470&LineCode=BK&PartNumber=7001006&Description=Leak+Detector+Kit+%2f+Engine+Block)

[IndyMK3]

try to burp the system first... you may just have air in it...

or you may have

::bhg::

[CajunKenny]

Wording this a little better will surely get more responses. ;)

Is there a 'Water fall' or 'Toilet Flushing' sound heard when the car is started for the first time?

Is the coolant overflow resevoir cap popping off?

Does the oil look like your favorite brand of chocolate milk?

Does the oil dipstick pop out after a hard run?

Is there coolant on the bottom of your oil cap?

[MikesFixedRoof]

what exactly does that waterfall/running water/toilet flush sound mean? Isn't it just coolant flowing into the heater matrix?

[FlipSupra8]

does waterflow when u first start it mea bhg?...cud it mean air leakd into ur system.?

[MikesFixedRoof]

I really don't think so, but I'm no supra expert. I mean I hear it on a cold engine if i rev it to 1500 - 2000 rpm for a second or 2 and thats it. My car is mostly stock low miles with no typical bhg symptoms.

[*james*]

Yea bhg for sure I had the same symptoms.. How many miles? Ever been changed?

[Moy]

Pop the oil cap off and look inside. If there's milkshake, you've got bhg

[87nasupra]

mine always has the sound of a waterfall ...but then gain i have a a small blockage in my heater core. I've had my bhg twice in my cars history, but my compression test and block tester says mine is not blown. :icon_bigg

[enjoyer]

Wording this a little better will surely get more responses. ;)

Is there a 'Water fall' or 'Toilet Flushing' sound heard when the car is started for the first time?

Is the coolant overflow resevoir cap popping off?

Does the oil look like your favorite brand of chocolate milk?

Does the oil dipstick pop out after a hard run?

Is there coolant on the bottom of your oil cap?

I have a question. I red some of the BHG threads, but i'm still not convinced that i found the answer. O.k. let's start from the top. Car runs and idles fine. Although it a bit hard to start on a cold engine. It takes 4-5 starter turns at least. After that she runs fine. There is white smoke from the exhaust, but not that visible then it's warm outside. Flushing sound is present on the start up. Also, that sound appears when i change heater position form cold to hot and back. Coolant is dissapearing also, but not consistently. For example, i can abuse it all day long. Reving to the redline, doing dohnuts and so on. Temp stays normal, no coolant rush in the overflow reservoir or it's cap popping off and the coolant isn't disapearing. But, sometimes i have to add about 1 L of coolant in the radiator. It's not consistent. The oil looks clean. No "milk" in it. No exhaust smell form overflow reservoir. We'll ewerything seems fine. Just that the coolant is black. My guess, it is just very old. This weekend i'll be changing the oil, coolant and so on. I'll try burping the system also. If all the criterias of BHG don't match, what then?

[WhtMa71]

BHG's can show themselves in different ways. They don't always leak coolant into the oil but you could still have exhaust getting in the coolant and visa versa. Get a real block tester from somewhere that tests the cooling for exhaust gases. Smelling the coolant is not always good enough.

[rayall01]

I have a question. I red some of the BHG threads, but i'm still not convinced that i found the answer. O.k. let's start from the top. Car runs and idles fine. Although it a bit hard to start on a cold engine. It takes 4-5 starter turns at least. After that she runs fine. There is white smoke from the exhaust, but not that visible then it's warm outside. Flushing sound is present on the start up. Also, that sound appears when i change heater position form cold to hot and back. Coolant is dissapearing also, but not consistently. For example, i can abuse it all day long. Reving to the redline, doing dohnuts and so on. Temp stays normal, no coolant rush in the overflow reservoir or it's cap popping off and the coolant isn't disapearing. But, sometimes i have to add about 1 L of coolant in the radiator. It's not consistent. The oil looks clean. No "milk" in it. No exhaust smell form overflow reservoir. We'll ewerything seems fine. Just that the coolant is black. My guess, it is just very old. This weekend i'll be changing the oil, coolant and so on. I'll try burping the system also. If all the criterias of BHG don't match, what then?

I'd check for a small coolant leak. I was losing coolant having to refill it about once a month, because I had a leak from my radiator drain. Something like that would only leak under pressure, so it mostly only leaks while driving. Check everywhere, including on the passenger side under the glovebox, in case your heater core is leaking. Old coolant loses it's corrosion inhibitors, so you may have caused a problem.

[CajunKenny]

Ok. Start with changing your oil and coolant.

Then acquire a coolant pressure tester. They're available everywhere. Napa, Autozone, Sears... Even better if a buddy has one you can borrow. They come with various caps to accommodate most all radiators. Pressurize to approximately 1.5 bar (~21 psi) and see if pressure drops.

Watch both your oil and your coolant drain from start to finish. Make sure you don't see any coolant drain out of your oil pan and vice versa.

Then pressure test the coolant system and post findings.

Good luck!

[WhtMa71]

You can also rent them for free from Autozone and the likes!

Make sure the pressure doesn't bleed off. If it does you have a leak.

[enjoyer]

There's one thing that you all haven't noticed:). I'm not from USA. There aren't any such firms here. But that's not a problem. I have a tester in my workshop. Although, it is suited for trucks.

[enjoyer]

O.k. back to the issue. I've done a few tests. So, if i allways start the car with the heater switch on cold position, there's no flushing sound. Also, no flushing sound driving with the switch on cold position. If i start the car with the heater switch on hot, flushing is present. Flushing also is well heard while driving with heat on. If i'm driving on cold position and switch to heat, flushing occurs again. Also, today at a light, with the heat on, i heard a new sound behind the flushing sound. It sounds something like... Well, if you take a balloon and start letting the air out very slowly. The sound is something like that. It's coming from the vents or from the heater. Well, somewhere from the dash. Another thing i noticed is, that when i'm driving without using the heater, coolant loss is much smaller than with the heat on. There's no coolant dripping from under the car. Also, there's no coolant inside the car on the floor. So, i'm a bit confused...

[rayall01]

O.k. back to the issue. I've done a few tests. So, if i allways start the car with the heater switch on cold position, there's no flushing sound. Also, no flushing sound driving with the switch on cold position. If i start the car with the heater switch on hot, flushing is present. Flushing also is well heard while driving with heat on. If i'm driving on cold position and switch to heat, flushing occurs again. Also, today at a light, with the heat on, i heard a new sound behind the flushing sound. It sounds something like... Well, if you take a balloon and start letting the air out very slowly. The sound is something like that. It's coming from the vents or from the heater. Well, somewhere from the dash. Another thing i noticed is, that when i'm driving without using the heater, coolant loss is much smaller than with the heat on. There's no coolant dripping from under the car. Also, there's no coolant inside the car on the floor. So, i'm a bit confused...

The flushing sound is simply air in your heater core. It could simply need to be burped, This in itself does not signal a BHG. However, A BHG could cause this, along with many other symptoms. Do the exhaust in coolant test, and if there's no issue there, look for a small leak like I already said. It might only be leaking under pressure, and you may not be able to find it while just sitting there. I eventually found my leak by locating a small bead of coolant hanging from my radiator drain plug. Look for any evidence of coolant spray, anywhere in the engine bay. Look under the radiator. It could be very hard to find.

[enjoyer]

I'm back once again :). First of all, this morning the car had a very ruff start. It took about 7-8 starter turns to get it firering. The engine started very hard, like it was misfiring. But after a few seconds it ran fine. Also, today, while driving, i noticed that temp gauge is fluctuating. From 1/3 to 2/3 of the scale. Max to about 1cm of the red zone. I checked the overflow tank. The coolant was almost at the top of the tank and i saw signs that some coolant was thrown through the overflow tank pipe on the intercooler radiator. I left it to cool of and checked the radiator. Oil and coolant were changed 4 days ago. Today the rad required about 1,5 liters of coolant to fill. So, i think that there are no other options. It's time to get my hands drity and change HG.

P.s. the flushing sound is gone now and there is no white smoke from the exhaust. Can the hard starts be the result from coolant in the cilinders? Also, if my heater valve is bad, that would explain the flushing sound.

P.p.s. I smell some exhaust gas from the overflow tank. So that pretty much says it all.

[enjoyer]

O.k. I changed the radiator cap. We'll se what we'll get out of that. There is one question. Radiator needs to be full right to the top or not? I used to think that it has to be full all the time, but my colegues mechanics says otherwise. They say that i just need to keep an eye on the overflow tank and don't poke my nose in the radiator. Are they right or not?

[CajunKenny]

I would fill the radiator up to the bottom of the cap hole. Filling the cap hole will make a small mess when you put the cap in. Then I would fill the overflow to the level marked on the overflow tank.

You may also want to remove the overflow piping and blow it all out with compressed air to make sure it's not clogged. Also check to make sure that the filter that is at the end of the hose that goes into the overflow tank is free of crud.

After that, monitor your overflow tank level daily. :)

[enjoyer]

I allready inspected those hoses. No problems with them. Now i'm just driving and monitoring ewerything. For now, ewerything is not out of the ordinary.

[supisarethebest]

have you noticed consistent white smoke out of toyr exhaust? if so your burning coolant wich could also mean bhg

[enjoyer]

have you noticed consistent white smoke out of toyr exhaust? if so your burning coolant wich could also mean bhg

Yeah, white smoke is present, but pretty much only on cold runs. When it reaches optimal runing temperature, the smoke goes away or is pretty much invisible.
The main reason for all these my questions is that i don't want to rip the engine apart for no reason and discover later that all of this was caused by something else than a bhg. Although, bhg repair would take only two days for me. Labor is free. Only parts would cost something.

[88supramaniac]

i just had my head gasket blow....there is no coolant in the oil but if you pull a spark plug it will show up with antifreeze...you got a blown headgasket....change it resurface the head and the block and get some arp studs and a mhg...never have to deal with it again....

[CajunKenny]

i just had my head gasket blow....there is no coolant in the oil but if you pull a spark plug it will show up with antifreeze...you got a blown headgasket....change it resurface the head and the block and get some arp studs and a mhg...never have to deal with it again....


Careful with that statement. ;)

[enjoyer]

I think that i will get away with an original HG(if needed), because my driving style is mostly laid back. I rarelly push the car to the limit. Also, i don't have any mod's in mind. I will try to keep it completely original and stock.

[CajunKenny]

Arp's with a stock HG isn't a bad combination at all if you're planning on keeping it stock.

[thedave925]

You have BHG. The hard start then running fine is another sure sign.
What happens is the coolant system remains pressurized for a period after the engine is off and combustion chamber pressure is no longer keeping the coolant from leaking in. Coolant won't mix with gasoline and starting is hard until the compressed water vapor passes.

Because you don't see coolant in your oil doesn't mean you don't have BHG. It means your still in good odds you won't get rod knock if you change that headgasket immediately.
Please do so before the job gets bigger and more costly.

The stock headgasket prepped with copper spray gasket sealant or sprayable brake quiet and ARP studs torqued to 85ft/lbs (not any tighter as it isn't needed) will last you practically forever if you maintain the engine and a good tune.

[enjoyer]

By coinsidence i found a way to eliminate hard starts, but that doesn't solve anything. If you just turn the starter only once and let go and a second later you do that again. The car starts right up. With no problems at all.
O.k. I think i'm going to start ordering the required parts.