Car woes

[ccgr]

A couple months ago I got a great deal on a 99 Saturn with less than 26K miles on it. ($5900)

A couple weeks ago my radiator fluid light comes on anf I fill it up..notice some gunk in there and think nothing to it. Go to Florida come back drive a bit and that light comes on again. I again fill it up and over flow it on purpose to remove that gunk. I now realize soemthing is up.

At first I thought they put that glitter stuff to repair a radiator hole. A radiator flush a new radiator fine....not so lucky! That gunk is oil and it looks like engine trouble..either head gasket or cylinder. Not good..this can be $500-2-3,000 to fix.

I get to spend my birthday in the repair shop.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

That might explain why the car was so cheap.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

well i spent all my money i got for x-mas on a car that got stolen a few months later, and insurance didn't cover it.

 

[iamwiz82]

oil in the radiator looks like a milkshake and usually isnt "glittery"

EDIT: On second thought. If you kept filling up your radiator because it kept going dry, but there was no visible leak, a light bulb should have gone off in your head.

 

[ccgr]

I fille dit up once didn't see a leak or wet hoses thought nothing of it. The second time raised a red flag.

insurance doesn't cover car theft? ouch

 

[NutBucket]

If he only had liability then no, it doesn't.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: ccgr
I fille dit up once didn't see a leak or wet hoses thought nothing of it. The second time raised a red flag.

insurance doesn't cover car theft? ouch

Depends on the insurance, not if you only carry liability.

 

[AU Tiger]

I just got rid of my wife's 1998 Volvo V70 XC after getting a $1500 estimate to replace the A/C evaporator. I had a good idea of what it was before the Volvo service department confirmed it. By the time they called, I had completed all the leg work on a acquiring a 2004 Toyota Sienna. We picked up the Volvo and took it directly to the Toyota dealer where we traded it in on the Sienna. The dealer deducted $1000 for the A/C so I like to think that I saved $500. The 2004 Sienna is sweet for a minivan. Honda finally has some competition.

 

[Vic]

Damn... a bad headgasket on a car with only 26k miles? WTF is up with that? I guess that's why I don't buy GM... still, that's insane. Have you carfax'ed the car to make sure that the odometer was never rolled back?

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Vic
Damn... a bad headgasket on a car with only 26k miles? WTF is up with that? I guess that's why I don't buy GM... still, that's insane. Have you carfax'ed the car to make sure that the odometer was never rolled back?

We have a winner, "it must be GM's fault." Thanks idiot fanboy.

But what is the model, and is it a single or DOHC engine?
If the head is not cracked then it should not be that much. Less than $1000 easy if head/engine is not bad.

 

[ccgr]

It's a 99 SL1 with a SOHC engine. 100 horses I believe. Since I owned the car I put 2,000 miles on it, now at 28K. So this happened under my care but sucks that I don't know the history. A dead granny owned it before me. Doubt it went past 40mph.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Whether the gasket is bad or the head is cracked, labor is likely to be about the same. The difference is in the price of the head. Your engine shouldn't be too hard to pull the head off of. You might check your plugs to see if any of them are having a different wear than the others, and go from there.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Vic
Damn... a bad headgasket on a car with only 26k miles? WTF is up with that? I guess that's why I don't buy GM... still, that's insane. Have you carfax'ed the car to make sure that the odometer was never rolled back?

We have a winner, "it must be GM's fault." Thanks idiot fanboy.

:disgust:

 

[syberscott]

Please tell me you didn't put the green antifreeze in the radiator. Gm cars after 1996 (1997 for Saturn) use Dexcool coolant (it's red in color) and the two are not compatable. Aluminum corrosion can happen when the two different fluids mix.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Vic
Damn... a bad headgasket on a car with only 26k miles? WTF is up with that? I guess that's why I don't buy GM... still, that's insane. Have you carfax'ed the car to make sure that the odometer was never rolled back?

As I said in another post I'd rather drive a kia.

I wish you best of luck with it though.

 

[ccgr]

no I only use Dex coolant, I know the two are not compatible and cause corrosion when mixed. I'm going to get my radiator flushed and see if that clears anything. My trust worthy mechanic check my pressure and all my fluid levels...maybe the previous owner or some dimwit service person put some oil in radiator tank. We'll see if a flush clears it out, if it comes back I know there's deeper problem.

 

[syberscott]

Originally posted by: ccgr
no I only use Dex coolant, I know the two are not compatible and cause corrosion when mixed. I'm going to get my radiator flushed and see if that clears anything. My trust worthy mechanic check my pressure and all my fluid levels...maybe the previous owner or some dimwit service person put some oil in radiator tank. We'll see if a flush clears it out, if it comes back I know there's deeper problem.

I'm glad you used the right fluid. Most people don't even realize it and because Dexcool loses its color after a while it's an easy mistake to make.
There have been reported problems with the Dexcool such as this example:
"The problem, basically, is that in some GM vehicles equipped with the extended life coolant, lube operators are finding the cooling systems clogged with black or brown gunk. The cooling systems require a complete flush/cleansing, and are generally not covered under warranty." Link
Good luck and hopefully the repairs aren't too costly.

 

[TwinkleToes77]

Originally posted by: syberscott

Originally posted by: ccgr
no I only use Dex coolant, I know the two are not compatible and cause corrosion when mixed. I'm going to get my radiator flushed and see if that clears anything. My trust worthy mechanic check my pressure and all my fluid levels...maybe the previous owner or some dimwit service person put some oil in radiator tank. We'll see if a flush clears it out, if it comes back I know there's deeper problem.

I'm glad you used the right fluid. Most people don't even realize it and because Dexcool loses its color after a while it's an easy mistake to make.
There have been reported problems with the Dexcool such as this example:
"The problem, basically, is that in some GM vehicles equipped with the extended life coolant, lube operators are finding the cooling systems clogged with black or brown gunk. The cooling systems require a complete flush/cleansing, and are generally not covered under warranty." Link
Good luck and hopefully the repairs aren't too costly.

I did that with the DexCool.. I didnt realise my car took it because it wasnt the normal pink. So i put in regular fluid. It corroded everything. And i had to have the radiator replaced. But there was a problem anyways since the radiator was leaking and which is the original reason of putting the wrong coolant in. Luckily nothing else.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: ccgr
It's a 99 SL1 with a SOHC engine. 100 horses I believe. Since I owned the car I put 2,000 miles on it, now at 28K. So this happened under my care but sucks that I don't know the history. A dead granny owned it before me. Doubt it went past 40mph.

Well being a SOHC head they are a lot easier to find if it is cracked. Labor should not be to bad it is not to hard a job. If the head is not cracked then have a machine shop go through it and replace the valve seals and check to make sure it is not warped. After that replace the head gasket and others and as long as it is done to spec should be worry free, just don't let it overheat, keep up with oil changes, etc....

 

[ccgr]

well I took it to Jiffy Lube to have it flushed...got the darn radiator light on on the way home. The guy there says he thinks it's the head gasket which I hope is the case since that's cheaper than cylinder or cracked engine block. Will find out Monday...