How To Test For A Blown Head Gasket (2001-2004 2.0L Ford Escape)

There are four tests that you can perform on your 2001-2004 2.0L Ford Escape or Mazda Tribute to find out if the head gasket has failed.

Now hopefully, you're not dealing with a blown head gasket on your vehicle, but if you are, these four tests that I'm going to show you how to do will help you confirm it.

Two of them don't require any tools whatsoever, and the other two are a compression test, which you'll need to use a compression tester, and lastly, a block test, which requires a combustion leak detector to do.

All of the tests are explained in a step-by-step manner so that you can quickly determine if your Escape Tribute has a blown head gasket or not.

APPLIES TO: This tutorial applies to the following vehicles:

• 2.0L Ford Escape: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004.
• 2.0L Mazda Tribute: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004.

Symptoms Of A Blown Head Gasket

Although the list below doesn't cover every single symptom you might see when your Ford Escape (Mazda Tribute) suffers a head gasket failure, it does cover the most common ones that you're going to see.

1. You start the engine and it overheats within minutes for no clear reason, even when the cooling system looks like it's working right.
2. You find engine oil mixed with coolant, causing it to turn into a milky-white color.
3. You see white smoking come out of the tailpipe (which is antifreeze burning inside the cylinders).
4. The engine cranks but refuses to start.
5. You've got no compression on two side-by-side cylinders.

TEST 1: Engine Oil Mixed With Coolant

One of the most common head gasket failures is the head gasket not being able to keep coolant and engine oil separate.

Especially when the engine severely overheated, the cylinder head warps and now you've got coolant entering the engine crankcase.

The end result of this is that as you crank the engine or the engine runs, that engine oil starts to mix with the coolant and it turns into something that looks like coffee with too much creamer.

So for our first diagnostic check, we're going to pull the dipstick out and see what the color of the oil is.

These are the test steps:

1. 1

   Open the hood.

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.

Now, let's see what your test result means:

CASE 1: The engine oil looks milky-white, almost like coffee with too much creamer. This tells you right away that the head gasket has failed on your 2.0L Ford Escape or Mazda Tribute, letting coolant mix with the oil in the crankcase.

CASE 2: The engine oil still looks like its usual dark or dirty color. That's encouraging, but it doesn't completely rule out a blown head gasket.

So let's move on to your next head gasket check: TEST 2: Coolant Shooting Out Of Expansion Tank.

TEST 2: Coolant Shooting Out Of Radiator

The second most common type of head gasket failure happens when the gasket blows between a cylinder and a coolant passage. In this case, combustion pressure is forced directly into the cooling system.

This combustion pressure over-pressurizes the entire cooling system, pushing coolant back into the expansion tank and out of it.

The quickest way to detect this is by removing the expansion tank cap and cranking the engine. If the gasket is blown, you'll see coolant get pushed or shot out of the tank by the escaping cylinder pressure.

Under normal conditions, the coolant inside the expansion tank should remain calm and undisturbed while cranking the engine.

NOTE: On the 2001-2004 2.0L Escape and Tribute, the cooling system doesn't use a radiator cap with a filler neck. Instead, it's a sealed, pressurized system that uses a coolant expansion tank with a cap.

IMPORTANT: Never remove the expansion tank cap if the engine is hot. If the engine has been running, let it cool down completely before removing the cap to avoid being sprayed with scalding coolant under pressure.

This is what you need to do:

1. 1

   Remove the coolant expansion tank cap.
   
   IMPORTANT: The engine should be completely cold before you remove the cap.

2. 2

   Check the coolant level.
   
   If the coolant level is low, top it off with water before going on to the next step.

3. 3

   Stand at a safe distance (from the engine) but within eye-view of the radiator.

4. 4

   Have your helper crank the engine.

5. 5

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

Let's examine your test result:

CASE 1: Coolant shoots out of the open expansion tank while cranking. This confirms the head gasket on your 2.0L Ford Escape or Mazda Tribute has failed.

CASE 2: The coolant in the expansion tank stays calm and undisturbed. That's the result you want to see —a good sign so far.

What you check next depends on what the engine is doing:

• If the engine won't start, go to: TEST 3: Engine Compression Test.
• If the engine starts but overheats, go to: TEST 4: Block Test With A Combustion Leak Detector.

TEST 3: Engine Compression Test

Another type of head gasket failure you may run into is when the gasket burns through between two side-by-side cylinders.

When this happens, it's almost always because that narrow strip of gasket material has the least surface area and the highest stress.

When the engine overheats badly enough to warp the cylinder head, that section of the gasket is no longer held tightly between the head and the block. The loss of even clamping pressure lets combustion gases escape, and over time they burn right through the gasket material.

Once the breach is open, compression from one cylinder escapes directly into the other. On each compression stroke, pressure simply bleeds across instead of being contained, so neither cylinder can build the pressure needed for combustion.

On a four-cylinder engine, losing two cylinders means the engine won't even start, since half the firing power is gone.

We're going to verify this with a compression test, since this type of failure will show up as 0 PSI compression readings in two side-by-side cylinders while the others test normal.

NOTE: This tutorial explains how to do and interpret the compression test in more detail: How To Test Engine Compression (2001-2004 2.0L Ford Escape).

Here's what you need to do:

1. 1

   Disable the fuel system by removing the fuel pump relay.

2. 2

   Disable the ignition system by disconnecting the ignition coil pack from its connector.

3. 3

   Disconnect the spark plug wires from the spark plugs. I strong recommend you use a spark plug wire puller for this (to avoid having the wire's metal terminal stay stuck on the spark plug).
   
   NOTE: Label the spark plug wires so that you can reconnect them back to the correct spark plug when you're done.

4. 4

   Remove the spark plugs.

5. 5

   Install the compression tester (hand tight only) on the first cylinder you're gonna test.

6. 6

   Have a helper crank the engine while you observe the compression tester.

7. 7

   Have your helper stop cranking the engine once the needle on the gauge stops climbing.

8. 8

   Write down the compression readings.

9. 9

   Repeat steps 5 through 8 on the remaining cylinders.

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

CASE 1: Two adjacent cylinders show no compression (0 PSI). This means the head gasket has burned through between them, and the compression from one cylinder is bleeding into the other.

CASE 2: Every cylinder shows strong, even compression. That's the normal and expected result.

If you're diagnosing a no-start issue, this result tells you the head gasket isn't to blame.

TEST 4: Using A Chemical Block Tester (Combustion Leak Tester)

The block test, or combustion leak detector test, is usually the last step when the more obvious head gasket checks don't give a clear answer.

In many cases, the oil looks normal and the expansion tank doesn't shoot coolant when cranking the engine, yet the engine still overheats within just a few minutes of running.

This kind of overheating (without the usual signs of a blown head gasket) often points to a head gasket that has only started to fail, allowing small amounts of combustion gases to leak into the cooling system.

This is why a block test is done —it's more sensitive than the other checks, using a special chemical that changes color if exhaust gases are present in the coolant, and it will usually catch a failure that's still in its early stages.

Here's how it works:

• You start by filling the tester with a special blue chemical (see photo above).
• Next, you place the tester assembly on the open radiator neck.
  • You may need to drain a little coolant first, since the tool needs to gulp some of the air sitting inside the radiator.
• With the tester in place, you start the engine.
• Now you squeeze the rubber bellow to pull the radiator's air up through the two fluid-filled chambers.
  • As the air bubbles up through the fluid, it causes a chemical reaction.
• If the blue chemical turns yellow (on a gasoline engine), that tells you combustion gases are entering the radiator. This confirms you're dealing with a blown head gasket, a cracked block, or a cracked cylinder head.
• If the blue chemical stays blue, then you can conclude you're not dealing with a blown head gasket, a cracked block, or a cracked cylinder head problem.

Where can you get the chemical and block tester? Here:

Frequently Asked Questions

1.) How do I know if the cylinder head is cracked?

The only reliable way to find out is with the head removed from the engine. Once it's off, you can look it over yourself or take it to a machine shop for a pressure test.

A major crack is usually easy to spot on visual inspection. But if nothing obvious shows up, a pressure test at the machine shop will confirm whether or not a hidden crack is present.

2.) How can I check if the cylinder head is warped?

This can only be done with the cylinder head removed from the block. Once it's off, the first step is to clean the gasket surface thoroughly.

Then place a precision straight-edge across the surface and use feeler gauges to check for gaps. If a gauge slides under the straight-edge, it confirms the head isn't perfectly flat.

This is the only accurate way to verify warpage. And if the engine has overheated —which is the usual cause of a blown head gasket— you can assume the head is warped and must be resurfaced at a machine shop before reinstallation.

3.) Do I need to resurface the cylinder head?

Yes. Whenever a head gasket fails, the cylinder head should go to a machine shop to be checked (pressure-tested) and resurfaced so it can seal properly when reinstalled.

Skipping this step almost always risks another head gasket failure, especially if the engine overheated.

4.) Should I use a "blown head gasket repair" sealer in a can?

I don't recommend it —but I understand why folks use it.

These "head gasket" sealants can sometimes work, but only when the leak is very minor, like a small coolant seep into a cylinder. Even then, results are hit or miss.

The bigger issue is that the sealer doesn't stay at the gasket —it circulates through the entire cooling system. Over time, it can clog the radiator, heater core, or coolant passages and cut down cooling efficiency.

And if you later replace the gasket (which you still will), you'll face another problem: cleaning out hardened sealer, which can gum up everything and add cost to the repair.

A head gasket job is expensive, and even DIY it's a big project. That's why people try a can of sealer first. But if the engine is already overheating or losing coolant fast, it's unlikely to help, and if it does, the fix usually doesn't last long.

More 2.0L Ford Escape And Mazda Tribute Diagnostic Tutorials

You can find a complete list of 2.0L Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute tutorials in this index:

• 2.0L Ford Escape Index Of Articles.

Here's a small sample of the tutorials you'll find in the index:

• How To Test The MAF Sensor (1991-1995 2.0L Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute).
• How To Test The Fuel Pump (2001-2004 2.0L Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute).
• Common Causes Of Spark Plug Failure (1991-1995 2.0L Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute).
• How To Test Engine Compression (1991-1995 2.0L Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute).