D24t blown Head Gasket
 

Looks as if I have been filling expansion tank with oil, but runs the same as always only reason I thought to check the coolant is because the temp gauge seemed to be sitting a tiny bit higher than normal, should I pressurize the coolant system to check and how? Should I a compression test and how? (can I rent a diesel compression tester?) Also what else should I replace and or adjust at the same time I do the head gasket besides the timing belt, I am planning on driving cross country with the car and want to be confident,
any help is much appreciated

also where can I buy for cheap and or rent the necessary counter hold tools?

Make absolutely sure its the head gasket. The oil in the coolant could also be there because of the oil to coolant heat exchanger. they fail and you'll get oil in the coolant too. And having oil in the coolant will make it run a bit hotter aswell. Ebay has worked pretty well for me with getting the necessary tools to make working on these engines easier. I hope I was helpful to you.

Normally I would go figure out where the exchanger is and see if it is leaking but I am limited on time, where is it located? also I found this http://www.zdmak.com/wbstore/main.as...CTMP=1&LowCt=0 seems to be a good deal, the help is appreciated

The oil filter screws onto it. Its the box between the filter and block.


Jason

I started investigating and first thing I did was drain the coolant. It looked as clean as when I poured it in, since the oil is less dense than the coolant it would make sense that the oil would go to the top of the fluid in the system located in the expansion tank. So it may just have a small leak? somewhere? I haven't yet removed the heat exchanger, but its next on my to do list. That's how limited my time is I can get one thing done everyday before work, all the help is much appreciated

Try doing the "bubble test" to see if you are leaking compression into your cooling system. You can still do it even with the coolant out, as long as you put the hoses back on to seal the system up again.

Here is how you do the test: get a medium-sized glass jar or other container and fill it most of the way with water. Start the D24T. Make sure you have all the hoses attached and tightened enough so that the system is airtight like it's supposed to be. The expansion tank cap should be on and tight. Now, disconnect the little breather line that runs from the top of the expansion tank to the top of the radiator. Leave one end connected to the rad and stick the other end into the jar of water, while using your finger, a cap, etc to seal off the opening on the expansion tank. Let the engine run for a little while while watching the hose. (Don't run it too long without coolant in it or it will overheat...) If bubbles are coming out of the end of that hose, then your headgasket is blown, since the bubbles are combustion gases that have leaked out into the water jackets.

The heat exchangers do fail sometimes, but not as often as headgaskets. ;-)

No bubbles came out of the hose when I tested it, it seems to be running fine I filled it up with water and have been driving it somewhat while being cautious of the temp and coolant condition. It seems ever since I broke down on the side of the highway with a blown heater core hose that it has not been the same since. One of the heater core hoses blew a hole along with the coolant and it overheated. Cell phone broke at the exact same time long story short I hose clamped the cap off a quart of oil over the fitting where the hose connects to the motor as well as shoved a screw driver in the other one in order to get home (I got desperate it was getting dark). But ever since then the temp gauge has sat a tiny bit cooler than before (a tiny bit less than vertical where it used to be), also it seems to take a lot longer to get up to this slightly lower temp. I have to get underneath it and check out the exchanger.

The bubble test only indicates if one of the head gaskets cylinder barrels failed right?