[Junkyard Dawg]

I was giving my '95 Cavalier an oil change today. As soon as I untightened the drain bolt (just broke it loose....wasn't even a quarter of the way out) a little bit of anti-freeze came out before the oil did. It wasn't alot, maybe 7-8 drops.

Then when I broke the seal on the filter loose from the engine a few drops of antifreeze came out.

I'm begining to wonder if this means a blown head gasket?

The car doesn't smoke any at all except when it's cold out on start up, but it quickly goes away as the engine warms up.

Any ideas? It's the 2.2 litre 4 cylinder, if that helps any.

 

[Blade]

If the vehicle is routinely driven short distances you might be seeing condensation in the oil. For peace of mind you could pressure test the cooling system. Let us know what you find.

Kieth

 

[BillK]

Dawg,
If it was "green" antifreeze, then it is most likely a head gasket. We pressure check and resurface an average of 3 of those heads each week. They usually do not crack, but have problems with casting porosity. Its probably the head gasket starting to go if it was indeed antifreeze.

 

[Junkyard Dawg]

Yes Bill, it was "green".

Unfortunatley I don't know how much longer this engine's gonna make it before it will not be drivable. It sucks because it's all I've got to drive at this time.

This is the first time I've noticed it. I've had this car for close to a year. I've changed the oil in it maybe 3 times now. It had 146k on it when I got it and now it has 151,700 miles on it.

I just recently changed the antifreeze too. Before that I don't think it had ever been changed. It looked like brown mudwater when I changed it. In fact I'm not so sure it was much more than straight water.

 

[SWHEATON]

Try some good stopleak,my fathers Dodge van with 318 had head gasket leak that Carquest sealer fixed 2yrs/20k miles ago & it's still going strong avoiding a costly repair.

I am not always an advocate of using additives but in the case of an older car like yours with 145k miles on it using stopleak could buy you some breathing time to save up for another ride or until you can get the time to fix it if thats what you choose to do.

Scott

 

[jpete]

I've had good luck with K&W Block Seal. You can get it at Advance Auto. It's in a gold and black can. I saved 2 F*rds this way(don't ask me why ) But 1 would fill a cylinder with water overnight and the other steamed like an old locomotive and they both ran for years after I put that stuff in. The directions will say to drain the whole system and put this stuff in with straight water and I din it like that the first time but the second time I was lazy and just dumped it in. It worked either way. It's your choice.

 

[Junkyard Dawg]

Did you ever have any problems with it plugging up the radiator?

That ''coolant stop leak" stuff I hear does work but it doesn't know when to stop, and it plugs the radiator over time.........?

 

[Junkyard Dawg]

Oh, I have another question....

Sometimes when you start up the engine after it's been sitting for awhile the engine will run kind of rough at first but after a few minutes of warming up it goes away.

If my head gasket is leaking into a cylinder do you think it's possible that the cylinder fills up with antifreeze (like when it sits unran overnight) and maybe in the morning all that antifreeze is keeping the spark plug from firing until all the antifreeze burns off?

NOTE: it does seem to smoke a little in the morning, but after it warms up it goes away.