Any 100% surefire way to test headgaskets

So been messing with a 6.4 thats had studs and gaskets done, but has some coolant level anomalies. It kinda makes me think minor head gasket failure.

Is there a surefire 100% to determine head gasket failure without pulling the heads? Coolant test strips or anything like that? The tank was pressure tested a while back and held fine, not sure if add more pressure maybe?

They sell coolant strips and other styles of test kits at the parts store to check for combustion gasses. theyre effective and inexpensive.

pressure gauge on the cooling system and some WOT runs is what i prefer over coolant test products

Yup pressure gauge best way to tell.

Wouldn't a cracked egr cooler pressurize the system as well?

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Under high load situations, boost pressure can come through a cracked e g r cooler and push coolant out of the reservoir. A cooling system pressure test assembly works for diagnosing a bad head gasket. Another way of finding a failed head gasket is to pressurize the cylinders with the injectors out and a glove over the reservoir cap with the bleed line clamped off. If you pressurize a cylinder and the glove inflates, that will be where the head gasket is blown.

Zmann said:

pressure gauge on the cooling system and some WOT runs is what i prefer over coolant test products

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This is what I always use. "T" in a gauge and go for a drive. Usually under WOT it's pretty easy to identify if there's a problem.


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No EGR systems to break on this one, I'll see if I can get a gauge on it and go from there. Thanks all.