Anyone know anything about engines? Radiators in particular?

[knowboddy]

Yep, everyone here is correct. Without a doubt you've got a blown head gasket on your hands. Coolant has to go somewhere, and external leaks aren't subtle. You'll see them if they're there.

So it's got to be going into the motor. If you've got coolant in the oil that's a recipe for serious engine damage. Of course in small aluminum motors overheating will lunch them right quick so you have to be really, really careful about that. If you warp the head it can be nearly impossible to salvage the motor. If you warp the block it's done for. Stick a fork in it, get a new motor or a new car.

Sounds like you probably have a leak into the cylinder. I had a shop put a new head gasket in an early 90's Civic last year to the tune of about $1200. I had them do the timing belt, an oil change, and a few other touch ups as well. As long as you haven't warped the block or the head (too much) it can be fixed.


But don't drive it. Not an inch.

 

[ItsAllOver]

Mechanic looked at it.
It's the head gasket.
The car is probably getting replaced. Fuck all that jazz of replacing the engine of a car that is from the mid nineties. It'll cost the value of the car. Doesn't sound like a good investment to me, especially when a nice used car with low miles can run a $150/month payment. So that'll be that. Thanks to everybody for all the info, for sure.

 

[Hovz]

A easy way to tell if theres a blown head gasket is look in the oil and if theres water in there it will look kinda like a milkshake instead of oil. Sucks you put a radiator into it, i would maybe try hittin up a car auction, you can get a car with 40k miles for 250 bucks and put 250k miles on it if you service it like your supposed to, anyway get a chevy not a ford IMHO.

 

[explozivosuge]

Wasted money on a new radiator. If there wasn't any coolant leaks, did you think the radiator was drinking the coolant?

You loose coolant in another place, not in radiator. Radiator is wery visible piece, and you can see imediately the water. Almost sure you loose water somewhere inside the engine... Hard and expensive to see and repair.

 

[JNewton]

I've made my living as a mech. since the 60's
now that I'm disabled I'm glad I can't work on
them anymore lol the things I've seen

 

[cyat]

Check your water pump!

 

[phrack3r]

If the model of the car is sold in Japan, you can get a 30K miles motor for cheap.

In Japan they don't let you run a motor over 30K miles due to pollution so they sell the motors to other countries. I had a refurb 30K engine put in my honda for $1500 total (including labor) a few years ago.

actually you can drive a car over 30k miles in japan it just costs over $1000 to keep it registered if you do so and by the time ppl hit 30k in japan the car is already 10-15 years old

 

[rick shaw]

Check your heater core. I had the same thing happen I changed the radiator and it was leaking by the passenger side.

 

[Apu]

sounds to me it needs to be scrapped

also becuz u wont say the make and model of vehicle lol

 

[devilgoob]

I'm not a mechanic, but get a chilton's, your $40 head gasket, some wreches and go.

My honda which is easy to fix, was going to cost $1200 to fix, because they rip people off.

My library card was free, I borrowed a torque wrench and at the end when it was all done, it was fixed.

Then I retorqued the head, then end.


I am pretty smart, but have no mechanic background or even roofing, machinist things. You might just want to unbolt two blocks, slap in a new piece of metal and mesh, then slap the two blocks back together and save yourself money and a ton of dignity.


EDIT: PEOPLE STOP FOLLOWING THE COOLANT. The cooling channels on the side and even the oil bore holes can leak into a firing piston. Either the piston overpressures and boils out the coolant, or it just kind of sucks in and putters out a vapor slowy over time, depending on the leak.

You can, for very small leaks, use the seal stuff, because when it's heated with all the piston ignition, it forms a sort of glass.

Now if it's bellowing coolant out of your exhaust, then no. Just get the "head gasket repair" stuff instead of the radiator crack things and tell me how that goes.

 

[turtle farmer]

hopefully ItsAllOver has replaced the Yugo by now !!!!!
his last post was two years ago...