TIL a $12 head gasket tester saved me from a $900 mistake

Last month, I was diagnosing a rough idle on a 2010 Honda Accord. A customer was sure it needed a full engine rebuild, but I decided to double-check before quoting the job. I grabbed a combustion leak tester from AutoZone for $12 and ran the test. The fluid stayed blue, so no combustion gases in the coolant. Turned out it was just a bad ignition coil pack, not a blown head gasket. Customer paid $150 for the repair instead of $900. Has anyone else had a cheap tool save a big job like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese_anderson433d ago

Yeah but that tester could've been faulty and given you a false sense of security.

morgan_butler3d ago

Those First Alert testers are actually pretty reliable in my experience. I tested mine against a known propane source before relying on it and it caught it every time. You'd have to be pretty unlucky to get a faulty one straight out of the box. Plus most people follow up with a professional inspection anyway if they get a good reading.