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I have a Mazda 3 2010 with only 100k miles, I bought it a couple of months ago, I was driving to college and I noticed that the red temperature light was blinking so I pulled over in less than 30 seconds and turned off the engine and waited for 15 minutes, turned on the heater and returned back home without it overheating again, my mechanic replaced one of the pipes now it overheated again and I did the same thing this time even less than 15 seconds.

Now my mechanic replaced a hose and told me it might be the head gasket if it happens again, today I noticed that there was some kind of gurgling noise in the right side and I saw a huge puddle under my car.

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  • It's more likely the overheat is due to the blown gasket.
    – GdD
    Commented May 13 at 15:00
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    Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair! Have you started using the AC recently? This could account for the puddle under the car. Next time you see the puddle, check to see if it is water or antifreeze. AC after use can make gurgling noises as well.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented May 13 at 16:59
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    @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 Sorry I just saw this comment, but I forgot to mention that the AC was off during the short trip, so it couldn't have been the AC. it's the head gasket I just got done talking to my mechanic.
    – flex_
    Commented May 14 at 17:56

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With a nod to @GdD, you probably have a blown head gasket and it was probably the reason for both incidents of overheating.

In other words, overheating did not blow your head gasket -- the blown head gasket probably caused overheating.

The gurgling and the very large puddle probably were the result of exhaust gases getting into the cooling system through a break in the head gasket, increasing the cooling system's pressure and causing coolant to be expelled.

Forget about advertised "miracle cures" for a blown head gasket such as a pill that you drop in the radiator. They rarely help and can give you bigger problems. (One mechanic that I know says they're like putting a Band-Aid on a broken leg.)

You should schedule a confirming diagnosis and repair as soon as possible. Head gaskets don't get better on their own and delaying the repair can cause damage that will be more costly to fix.

It's best to let a trusted mechanic confirm the diagnosis by performing a test such as a cylinder leakdown test and not allow anyone to do the repair based on a hunch. Once you have a confirmed diagnosis, you can get quotes for the job from that mechanic and/or other mechanics recommended by people you trust. Remember, cheaper is not always the best choice. Reputation and workmanship are important too.

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  • Thank you, do you think it will be worth it to replace the head gasket assuming the transmission and everything else is fine in the car?
    – flex_
    Commented May 14 at 1:01
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    @flex_ Considering the cost of a replacement car with only 100K miles or less and nothing wrong with it, yes, certainly, I'd pay for a head gasket repair as long as I trust the mechanic to do a professional job and charge a reasonable price.
    – MTA
    Commented May 14 at 1:51
  • @MTA - That's a pretty big leap of logic to say the puddle under the car is from a head gasket leak when you don't know if it is anti-freeze or what it is. You don't really even know the location of it.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented May 14 at 10:05
  • @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 Guilty as charged, but I'm just following the evidence to a rational conclusion. The OP's mechanic suspects possible head gasket, we've had two overheats, we have gurgles and the puddle was described as "huge". Anyone who drives an air conditioned car has seen little puddles from condensate and I think "huge" is a separate class of puddle. Didn't want to get into "go sniff the puddle", as how do you describe the telltale odor to the uninitiated? Enough evidence in my opinion to recommend the expense of a mechanic's confirming diagnosis, as written. Fair enough? ;-)
    – MTA
    Commented May 14 at 13:03
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    @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 Good points all, and I agree it's always best to couch any conclusions with qualifiers pending a definitive diagnosis. Rarely, an OP follows up with an outcome, and that's golden for this site for its value to future readers.
    – MTA
    Commented May 14 at 17:26

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