How To Test For A Blown Head Gasket (1987-1991 2.0L Toyota Camry)

There are four tests you can perform on your 2.0L Toyota Camry to find out if the head gasket has failed or not.

Two of these four tests don't require any tools and can be done in under 5 minutes. The other two are a block test and a compression test.

In this tutorial, I'll explain how to do all four step-by-step. With your test results, you'll quickly and easily diagnose a blown head gasket.

APPLIES TO: This tutorial applies to the following vehicles:

• 2.0L Toyota Camry: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991.

Symptoms Of A Blown Head Gasket

The head gasket is a crucial part of your 2.0L Toyota's engine. It sits between the engine block and the cylinder head, creating a tight seal that holds everything together.

Its primary job is to keep the combustion chamber sealed while ensuring the engine's vital fluids—coolant and oil—stay in their proper channels.

This separation is critical because if coolant and oil mix, it can lead to serious engine damage. A blown head gasket compromises this seal, leading to a range of problems that you can usually spot if you know what to look for.

Here are some of the most common symptoms of a blown head gasket on your 2.0L Toyota:

• Overheating engine: If the head gasket fails, coolant may leak into the combustion chamber or outside the engine, leading to overheating.
• White exhaust smoke: Coolant leaking into the combustion chamber burns off as white smoke. The sweet smell of the coolant cooking in the exhaust is a sure sign the head gasket is compromised.
• Bubbles in the radiator or coolant reservoir: Exhaust gases leaking into the cooling system create unwanted pressure in the engine cooling system, resulting in visible bubbles.
• Milky-white oil: Coolant mixing with oil gives the oil a milky-white appearance, which is the clearest sign of a head gasket failure.
• Loss of compression: A blown head gasket can allow compression to escape, resulting in rough idling, misfires, or reduced engine performance.
• Coolant loss with no visible leak: If coolant levels drop without any obvious leaks, it might be leaking into the combustion chamber.

TEST 1: Engine Oil Mixed With Coolant

To get this show on the road, we're gonna check the condition of the oil sticking to the engine oil dipstick.

If the head gasket is blown, the oil will have the color of "coffee with too much creamer" and it'll be as thick as syrup.

If the oil is its normal color, we'll move on to TEST 3.

Let's begin:

1. 1

   Open the hood of your Toyota.

2. 2

   Pull out the engine oil dipstick.

3. 3

   Check the color of the oil sticking to the dipstick.

4. 4

   You'll see one of two things:
   
   1.) The color of the oil will be a milky white color (like coffee with too much creamer).
   
   2.) The color of the oil will be its normal color.

Let's take a look at what your test results mean:

CASE 1: The engine oil was a milky white color. This tells you that the coolant is mixing with the engine oil as a result of a blown head gasket.

CASE 2: The engine oil was its normal color. So far so good.

Your next step is to see if the head gasket is leaking cylinder compression pressure into the cooling system, go to: TEST 2: Coolant Shooting Out of Radiator.

TEST 2: Coolant Shooting Out Of Radiator

The next test is to check whether cylinder compression is escaping into the cooling system. To do this, we'll simply remove the radiator cap and crank the engine.

A blown head gasket will cause compression pressures to force coolant out of the radiator, as the pressures find an alternate escape path through the cooling system instead of staying sealed in the cylinder.

In most cases, when a head gasket fails badly enough to let compression leak into the cooling system, the engine will no longer start.

OK, these are the test steps:

1. 1

   Remove the radiator cap from the radiator.
   
   IMPORTANT: The engine should be completely cold before you open the radiator cap. Opening the radiator cap on a hot engine can spray hot coolant all over you and severely burn you.

2. 2

   Check the coolant level inside the radiator.
   
   If the coolant level is low, top it off before proceeding.

3. 3

   Stand at a safe distance from the engine but within view of the radiator.

4. 4

   When ready, have your helper crank the engine.

5. 5

   You'll see one of two results:
   
   1.) The coolant shoots out violently when the engine was cranked.
   
   2.) The coolant was not disturbed at all.

Let's take a look at what your test results mean:

CASE 1: The coolant shot out of the radiator. This confirms beyond a shadow of a doubt that you do have a blown head gasket on your hands.

CASE 2: The coolant DID NOT shoot out of the radiator. This is the correct and expected test result.

Your next step is:

If the engine doesn't start, your next test is: TEST 3: Engine Compression Test.

If the engine starts, but overheats, go to: TEST 4: Using A Chemical Block Tester (Combustion Leak Tester).