Agh, car help...(updated)

[Scouzer]

Okay, I just went out and checked my oil and engine coolant on a suspicion...yes at 12:30AM...

Sure enough, my oil is frothy lighter brown, and my engine coolant is a repulsive watery brown, very low level...and smells like shiat...both have been replaced in the last 1500km...what can you guys tell me...

I haven't popped the hood in 1500km until today when I've had time to investigate (sort of)

The oil smells like oil and the coolant smells like shiat. The coolant doesn't smell like oil...so I'm hoping that at least means its not a headgasket...

My guess is overheating, badly...but what do I know, I know when I touch the hood after driving around, even at night, its extremely warm to the touch.

The only symptom I've had is it shudders when I put it into first and start driving away on a cold start, then it works beautiful like normal...so I'm hoping I caught it before I killed it...

1988 Chevrolet Corsica with 264,500km

 

[Ryan]

Blown gasket = not good...................

 

[styrafoam]

I'm surprised no one has replied yet, you have a bad head gasket. Take it to a mechanic, it won't be cheap.

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by: styrafoam
I'm surprised no one has replied yet, you have a bad head gasket. Take it to a mechanic, it won't be cheap.

But I did reply

 

[Scouzer]

Originally posted by: styrafoam
I'm surprised no one has replied yet, you have a bad head gasket. Take it to a mechanic, it won't be cheap.

Sigh. There goes my 2 months of driving...back to the wonders of walking...

 

[daclayman]

no need for a mechanic - if you've got 'frosted sugar' on the underside of your oil cap, you have a blown head gasket and you need to go directly to jail, do not collect $200 ($268CD)

 

[Colt45]

if there's milky sh't in your coolant, its actually oil, shot headgasket.

 

[Scouzer]

Fvck. What a kick in the nuts for a 16 year old new driver...now I got at least 10 months of savings to get a new car. Fvck. Fvck.

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by: Scouzer
Fvck. What a kick in the nuts for a 16 year old new driver...now I got at least 10 months of savings to get a new car. Fvck. Fvck.

Well, it is a Chevy.........................

 

[Colt45]

you know, you can change the gasket. isnt too too hard, depending on the car.

(ive done it on an 80's audi, now that was a fvckin' pain in the ass)

domestics should be pretty simple..

 

[styrafoam]

Originally posted by: rbloedow

Originally posted by: styrafoam
I'm surprised no one has replied yet, you have a bad head gasket. Take it to a mechanic, it won't be cheap.

But I did reply

Exact same time, DOH!

 

[Scouzer]

Okay, I went out and looked under the Rad cap and the Oil cap... the coolant under the rad cap in the rad hose was as green as green can be

Then I looked under the oil resivoir cap, looked black. Black and thats all. But I looked into the oil resivoir and saw nothing, but it was sloped so I couldn't tell. I can't tell my dipstick level at night as the light doesn't work worth a monkey shat.

I peeked in the coolant resivoir...murky brown, but not milky...I look at the side of the resivoir, there's a layer of brown something settled on top of the new coolant. Is this the water we mixed with the coolant that has gotten dirty and seperated from the coolant? I'm completely bewildered now.

 

[Cooljt1]

the thing has 264,000 km(whats that in miles) its on its deathbed

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by: Scouzer
Okay, I went out and looked under the Rad cap and the Oil cap... the coolant under the rad cap in the rad hose was as green as green can be Then I looked under the oil resivoir cap, looked black. Black and thats all. But I looked into the oil resivoir and saw nothing, but it was sloped so I couldn't tell. I can't tell my dipstick level at night as the light doesn't work worth a monkey shat. I peeked in the coolant resivoir...murky brown, but not milky...I look at the side of the resivoir, there's a layer of brown something settled on top of the new coolant. Is this the water we mixed with the coolant that has gotten dirty and seperated from the coolant? I'm completely bewildered now.

Thin layer of brown = oil (the two don't mix, and your reasoning as to why it's there doesn't make a bit of sense...).