I found a 91 Ex 4 door Cb7 that I want to buy from a lady but she told me it needed a head gasket. She says her brother in law told her it needed the gasket but she almost didn't sound too sure about it. She said the car overheated once and shut off and she had it towed to her house after that. Her brother in law started the car up about a month ago and ran it for about a hour. She said nothing about it overheating or smoking then. When I went to look at the car I checked the oil for antifreeze and the oil still looked like just oil. It didn't have that sweet antifreeze smell or the creamy tan color to it either. I forgot to check the top of the oil cap. I just wanted to know what other issues could cause the car to overheat? i.e thermostat, etc

 

Blown head gasket
Stuck thermometer
Plugged radiator
Blocked grille opening*
Lack of coolant
Improperly bled system(air bubble)
Lack of proper air flow through radiator
Failing temp sensor
Failing cooling fan
Failing cooling fan relay

Ask her what the day was like when the car overheated, was it hot? Was she stuck in traffic? A/C on full blast?
If shes willing, offer to pay for gas and go for a drive that mimicked what she was doing that day.

*FWIW I had a friend with a car that started to overheat for no reason, popped the hood and the radiator was half blocked with a piece of cardboard. A plastic bag can do the same thing but when you come to a stop it can fall off and easily blow away.

 

Thanks for the reply. She said the weather conditions were normal. (sunny, dry, About 70-80 degrees) I went and checked the car out again yesterday and couldn't get it started. The battery was drained from the car sitting for a while. Tried to give it a jump with a 2001 Cavalier and the battery just wouldn't hold or keep a charge. Sounded like it wanted to start and sounded very healthy but the battery just died everytime I tried to start it even with the jump. Alternator is new and the belt was fine. I checked the oil cap and it smelled just like oil with no signs of antifreeze. The main relay was changed as well so I know that's not the cause of it not starting. I'm going to get a battery this week, swap it out and see how it acts then.