Hey Guys,

Recently I replaced my radiator because my car was overheating and leaking coolant everywhere.

About 4 weeks later I noticed I was losing oil....I couldnt figure out where it was going because I hadnt been burning or leaking any. I checked everywhere and couldnt find the leak.

A week later I noticed my temperature gauge going up to about the 3/4 mark when I was sitting at a stop light. Upon moving it went back down to normal, so when I got back home I checked the coolant level and discovered....

...oil in the coolant reservoir.

I dont have a ton of money to drop into it right now and I'm not exactly MrAutoRepair so thats where you guys come in. I did a search here on the forums but got mostly just bits and pieces of info.

I'm losing about a quart of oil every 1000 miles it seems. And the oil in the coolant reservoir got to the point where it was caked to the hose.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Its probably a blown head gasket. Doing a leak down test would be a good idea. Is there coolant in the oil? Chocolate milk shake under the oil cap?

 

Yes, there is coolant in the oil.

As for a leakdown test, I dont have the knowledge or resources to pull that off. It seems all signs are pointing towards head gasket....checking online I saw the replacement part for it is like $100....sound about right?

 

Is that $100 for a complete cylinder head gasket kit? You should replace all the necessary gaskets while you're in there. Also if you are going to do the work you might want to check into the last time your timing belt and water pump were replaced. Might be a good time to do that maintenance as well if it is required.

 

Rock auto has complete head gasket kits for the same price if not lower.

 

Yup, definitely a blown head gasket.

 

Yeah, I use Auto Parts Warehouse.....usually get e-coupons for like 20% off, so I'll probably just buy the entire cylinder head gasket kit. Prices on it seem to range from $70-$180. For something like this, Ill probably just go with the better quality stuff. Thanks for the help!

 

You need to ensure the head is not warped and if it is have it milled flat. There's a procedure for it in the service manual using a precision straight edge and feeler gauge. You should also check the block and make sure the mating surface isn't warpped although its far less likely the block is warped. You can find a pdf of there service manual online if you know how to use google.

RockAuto has awesome customer service and there's always a 5% discount code somewhere online. I highly recommend them.