Do I need to replace the Head gasket?

[JWright.1996]

Ok, so, here's the skinny...

Was out at a friend's place.
Eyeballing the radiator and coolant level to make sure it's 100%.
Took off the radiator cap.
Coolant was slowly flowing out.
Gave it some revs.
Coolant spouted out.
Was told it was a bad head gasket....
Is it the gasket or is it a flow problem?

[lancerdarryl]

To start with you don't open a cooling system when hot.When the engine is hot it will pump fluid out of the filler neck when you give it a rev.
Was the car overheating?
Was the car using coolant?
If the answer is yes to either question then you do have a problem.If the answer is no then refill the radiator & fill the header tank to halfway between the full and low marks take it for a 10 min drive to get it hot and purge any air then park it until it cools down.When it is cold recheck the water level in the radiator and the level in the header tank.It may take a little more water then use the car as you normally would just check the level in the header tank each morning before start up and monitor for any usage.If this occurs then it's time to visit a mechanic.

DONT TAKE THE CAP OFF WHEN THE ENGINE IS HOT

[JWright.1996]

To start with you don't open a cooling system when hot.When the engine is hot it will pump fluid out of the filler neck when you give it a rev.
Was the car overheating?
Was the car using coolant?
If the answer is yes to either question then you do have a problem.If the answer is no then refill the radiator & fill the header tank to halfway between the full and low marks take it for a 10 min drive to get it hot and purge any air then park it until it cools down.When it is cold recheck the water level in the radiator and the level in the header tank.It may take a little more water then use the car as you normally would just check the level in the header tank each morning before start up and monitor for any usage.If this occurs then it's time to visit a mechanic.

DONT TAKE THE CAP OFF WHEN THE ENGINE IS HOT

1. Well obviously you don't take the cap off when it's hot, if you do then you're a fool..

2. The car is not over heating.

3. It doesn't look like it's using coolant.

4. I can usually tell it's all ok when I give it some revs (around 1.5k) and the coolant is sucked through the system (At least that's how I could tell in my last car (vz ute) this looked like it was just being pushed out)

[lancerdarryl]

It looks like you're OK just keep an eye on the level for a few days