How To Test For A Blown Head Gasket (2.5L V6 Stratus/Cirrus)

A blown head gasket on your 2.5L V6 Dodge Stratus (2.5L V6 Chrysler Cirrus) can be easily diagnosed with four easy tests.

These four test can be easily done by the do-it-yourself'er without having to take the car to the auto repair shop.

In this tutorial, you'll find each one explained in a step-by-step manner so that you can find out if you have a bonafide blown head gasket condition on your hands.

You can find this tutorial in Spanish here: Cómo Probar Los Empaques De Cabeza (2.5L V6 Stratus Y Cirrus) (at: autotecnico-online.com).

Symptoms Of A Blown Head Gasket

It used to be that a blown head gasket was a direct result of engine overheating. That's not the case anymore.

Modern head gasket design will cause the head gaskets on your 2.5L V6 Dodge Stratus (2.5L V6 Chrysler Cirrus) to fail at any point after 100,000 miles.

Sadly, it doesn't matter how well you look after your car's engine to avoid overheating it, the head gasket will fail sooner or later.

If your 2.5L V6 Dodge Stratus (2.5L V6 Chrysler Cirrus) has a blown head gasket, you'll see one or more of the following symptoms:

1. Your Dodge Stratus (Chrysler Cirrus) is overheating.
2. White smoke is coming out of the tail-pipe and it smells like anti-freeze being cooked.
3. Then cranks but don't start. You've checked and this no-start is not being caused by a problem in the ignition or fuel system.
4. The engine oil is thick and a tan to an off-white color.

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

This first test is a fast one and in around 90% of the cases, it will pinpoint a blown head gasket condition on your car.

What we're trying to confirm, is if the head gasket is letting the engine coolant into the engine crankcase. When this happens (and if it is happening on your specific car), then the oil will look like coffee with too much creamer.

All that we have to do, to confirm this, is to pull out the engine oil dipstick and check the condition of the oil stick into it.

If your car passes this first test, then the next step is to check to see if the coolant is being shot out of the radiator (with it cap removed) while we crank the engine.

Alright, here are the test steps:

1. 1

   Open your vehicle's hood and pull out the engine oil dipstick.
   
   What you're looking for is to make sure that the engine oil IS NOT mixed with coolant. If the engine oil is mixed with coolant, it'll be the color of 'coffee with too much cream'.

2. 2

   What color is the engine oil?
   
   1.) Is it a creamy tan/off-white color.
   
   2.) The engine oil will be its usual normal color.

Alright, let's interpret the color of the engine oil:

CASE 1: The color of the oil is a light tan, like coffee with too much creamer. This confirms that you've got a blown head gasket on your 2.5L V6 Dodge Stratus (2.5L V6 Chrysler Cirrus).

CASE 2: The color of the engine oil is normal. This is the correct and expected test result.

Your next test step is to see if the coolant will get shot out of the radiator when the engine is being cranked. Go to: TEST 2: Coolant Shooting Out From Open Radiator.

TEST 2: Coolant Shooting Out From Open Radiator

This second test is another super easy test. But you do have to take one very important precaution.

This is that you have to make sure that the engine is completely cooled down before you open the radiator cap. So be careful take off safety precautions and remain alert all the time.

What we're trying to confirm, with this test, is to see if the head gasket is letting the combustion/compression pressures (from inside the cylinders) escape into the engine's cooling system.

This test is probably the second most performed head gasket test and it's one that we need to do before we move on to the next section.

NOTE: The ‘radiator cap', on the 2.5L V6 Stratus/Cirrus engine is not on the radiator itself. It's on the engine, but I'll still use the phrase 'radiator cap' to describe it.

OK, these are the test steps:

1. 1

   Remove the radiator's cap. Add engine coolant if necessary.

2. 2

   Crank the engine with the help of helper, while you stand at a safe distance from the open radiator neck.

3. 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 neck.
   
   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 inside the neck.

OK, let's take a look at what your results mean:

CASE 1: The coolant bubbled out or shot out from the radiator. This test result let you know that you do have a bonafide blown head gasket on your 2.5L V6 Dodge Stratus (2.5L V6 Chrysler Cirrus). No further testing is required.

CASE 2: The coolant DID NOT bubble out NOR shoot out from the radiator. This is the correct and expected test result. In other words, the normal test result is that the engine coolant should not disturbed while the engine is being cranked over.

If your vehicle starts and runs, but overheats within minutes for no apparent reason, go to: TEST 3: Using A Chemical Block Tester (Combustion Leak Tester).

If your vehicle starts and runs, but runs with a cylinder misfire or a very rough idle, go to: TEST 3: Engine Compression Test.

TEST 3: Using A Chemical Block Tester (Combustion Leak Tester)

Doing a block test on your 2.5L V6 Dodge Stratus (2.5L V6 Chrysler Cirrus) requires a special tool. This will be of course, a block tester and its liquid chemical.

The block tester usually runs about 40 bucks (including its liquid chemical). You can run down to any auto parts store and buy it or you can save a few bucks and buy them online.

Either way, a block tester is the most accurate way to diagnose a blown head gasket. This test comes in handy the cases were the previous three tests did not confirm or rule out a blown head gasket yet the engine overheat every time you take the car out on the road

In a nutshell, this is how a block tester works:

• A blue liquid chemical, which is blue in color, is placed in the tester (see photo above).
• The tester assembly is then placed on the open radiator neck (you may have to drain some of the coolant in the radiator since this tool needs to 'gulp' some of the air inside the radiator).
• The rubber bellow is then squeezed to suck in the air up through the two fluid-filled chambers. As the air bubbles up through the fluid, it will cause a chemical reaction.
• If the blue chemical turns yellow (for gasoline engines) then combustion gases are entering the radiator. This result confirms a blown head gasket, a cracked block, or a cracked cylinder head issue.
• If the blue chemical doesn't change color, then you can conclude that you don't have a blown head gasket, a cracked block, or a cracked cylinder head issue.

Where can you get the chemical and block tester? At your local auto parts store or here:

TEST 3: Engine Compression Test

Every now and then, the head gasket gets burned between two side-by-side cylinders.

This is rare, but when it does happen, you'll have two dead cylinders (with 0 PSI) that will light up the check engine light with misfire trouble codes.

So, if the engine in your 2.5L V6 Dodge Stratus (2.5L V6 Chrysler Cirrus) runs smoothly (in other words, without a misfire and without misfire codes), then you can skip this test section.

NOTE: You can find a more complete and detailed explanation of how to do the compression test here: How To Test Engine Compression (2.5L V6 Chrysler).

These are the test steps:

1. 1

   Remove all 6 spark plugs.
   
   Label all of the spark plug wires so that you won't lose their firing order.

2. 2

   Thread in the compression tester by hand, on the first spark plug hole you're gonna' start with.
   
   Do not use any tools to tighten the compression tester. Hand tightening the compression tester is more than enough to get the proper results.

3. 3

   Have a helper crank the engine. Your job is to keep your eyeballs on the compression tester. The needle will climb, as the engine cranks, till it reaches the maximum cylinder compression. At the point it stops climbing, have your helper stop cranking the engine.
   
   On a piece of paper, write down the reading and what cylinder it belongs to (you can use the image in the image viewer to help you identify the cylinder). Repeat the above steps in the remaining cylinders.

Let's analyze your test results:

CASE 1: All 6 cylinders reported compression. These compression gauge readings confirm that the head gasket is OK and not burned at a point between two cylinders.

CASE 2: Two side by side cylinders had 0 PSI compression. This engine compression reading confirms that the head gasket is burned thru' at the point between those two cylinders. You'll need to replace the head gasket.