I was just wondering what kind of things can cause a head gasket to blow. because I have a 96 camaro ss with a blown head gasket and I am wondering if I should be concerned.

 

Yeassss it is a cause for concern. You can warp/crack a head if you keep driving it. Overheating will cause a headgasket to blow. How do you know you have a blown headgasket? If you have to ask this question you should by no means be rebuilding an engine.

 

^^^^^ What Carnage said! Does your oil look milky? Are you experiencing coolant loss?

Overheating can cause head gasket issues.
Not changing coolant on a reqular basis can cause rust and clog the smaller ports in the engine causing head gasket failure. Mixing different types coolant can also create a mess in the coolant system plugging the water holes as well as dumping it full of miracle fix!

 

Im not for sure its a head gasket but just by looking in the radiator, I can see bubbles coming through. I dont have any coolant loss. and my oil is fine.

 

Some bubbles are normal as the water pump pushes the water through the engine. It don't sound like you have a head gasket blown. One way to find out is to have a pressure test done to ensure your head gasket is good. It could be a sign of a near future failure that you can catch before you get the oil and water mixed or overheat and damage a head. A blown head gasket can/will pressurize your cooling system and blow all the water out of the radiator or dump the water in the cylinder and out the exhaust. You will also notice either oil in coolant system or coolant in the oil pan or both.

 

Also, when I go to bleed the system, there is no coolant coming out of the bleeder screw by the alternator. I was wondering if this could be causing the overheating? maybe something is clogged.

 

You have to have your engine warm enough for the thermostat to be opening in order for the coolant to flow out the bleeder. top off the radiator, put cap on and warm engine to operating temp, while it is running, open the screw and you should hear air come out at first, then it should start spitting water, then a steady stream. Let it cool down, then top off radiator again. Might have to do this a couple times. If nothing is coming out of the bleeder screw, check the hole in it to make sure it is not clogged. Also, you want to have the heater control turned on hot so coolant can flow through the heater core and push out the air that could be trapped in there.

 

you can also get a block tester kit (i think you can rent one from autozone) its a tube that kinda looks like a really big turkey baster and you put a chemical (much like a ph tester for a pool) in it and "sniff" the coolant if the blue liquid turns greenish yellow that means theres exhaust fumes in the coolant meaning blown head gasket

http://www.rxauto.com/block-test-kits.htm
i got my kit much cheaper like 30 bucks but this is what it is


i gotta change the head gaskets on 2 98 ford taurus' this week at work crappy fords