oil in my coolant

looks like i have a blown head gasket or warped head. i found oil in my
coolant. i like to do the work myself.looks like a big job and i have
never done any cylinder head removal or installation.my question is do i
have to remove the engine or just raise it a little and put a jack under
the oil pan than remove the cover and chain(and probaly the water pump
pulley).

"bothrops" > typed until their fingers bled, and came
up with:

> looks like i have a blown head gasket or warped head. i found oil in my
> coolant. i like to do the work myself.looks like a big job and i have
> never done any cylinder head removal or installation.my question is do i
> have to remove the engine or just raise it a little and put a jack under
> the oil pan than remove the cover and chain(and probaly the water pump
> pulley).
>
>

Yes, you can do it with the engine in the car. to get the front cover off,
you'll need to raise & lower the engine on the jack a few times.

What model do you have? If it is a '95-'96 SOHC, you may have a cracked
head - there is a known casting flaw on those heads.

--
Visit the Saturn Performance Club - http://www.saturnperformanceclub.com

yes its a 95 sohc, head may be cracked . the car never overheated the
cracks they are talking about are perosity cracks during the casting
process.The engine has over 340,000 km so its doubtfull the head's
cracked. if it is cracked saturn should reinburse me for the cost because
they knew that a low percentage of the heads had casting flaws but
released them anyway

"bothrops" > typed until their fingers bled, and
came up with:

> yes its a 95 sohc, head may be cracked . the car never overheated the
> cracks they are talking about are perosity cracks during the casting
> process.The engine has over 340,000 km so its doubtfull the head's
> cracked. if it is cracked saturn should reinburse me for the cost
> because they knew that a low percentage of the heads had casting flaws
> but released them anyway
>
>
>
My friends head didn't crack until it had almost 150K miles on it, so
don't rule it out - had to do the job twice.

And they did extend the warranty to 100K miles or 6 years. They can't
extend it forever.



--
Visit the Saturn Performance Club - http://www.saturnperformanceclub.com

Same thing happened to me on my 95 SL1 fortunately it happened during
the warranty only charge was labor $300 factory head w/valves back
then was about $1500 they replaced it all new coolant tank,lines,
thermostat and flushing the heater system too!
On Sun, 12 Jun 2005 20:21:20 +0000 (UTC), "Kevin M. Keller"
> wrote:

>"bothrops" > typed until their fingers bled, and
>came up with:
>
>> yes its a 95 sohc, head may be cracked . the car never overheated the
>> cracks they are talking about are perosity cracks during the casting
>> process.The engine has over 340,000 km so its doubtfull the head's
>> cracked. if it is cracked saturn should reinburse me for the cost
>> because they knew that a low percentage of the heads had casting flaws
>> but released them anyway
>>
>>
>>
>My friends head didn't crack until it had almost 150K miles on it, so
>don't rule it out - had to do the job twice.
>
>And they did extend the warranty to 100K miles or 6 years. They can't
>extend it forever.

After consulting a mechanic, I decided to replace the head gasket. So I
checked the head for cracks and warpage and everything checked out ok, so
I installed a head set and I took the car for a test drive and the exact
same thing happened again. Oil started bubbling out of the coolant
expansion tank and the dipstick showed I was down a quart. I am now
wondering if that the block is cracked (possibly an internal crack).
There is no antifreeze in the oil. I would appreciate hearing from anyone
who may have any ideas or suggestions on solving this problem. Thanks.

bothrops wrote:
> After consulting a mechanic, I decided to replace the head gasket. So I
> checked the head for cracks and warpage and everything checked out ok, so
> I installed a head set and I took the car for a test drive and the exact
> same thing happened again. Oil started bubbling out of the coolant
> expansion tank and the dipstick showed I was down a quart. I am now
> wondering if that the block is cracked (possibly an internal crack).
> There is no antifreeze in the oil. I would appreciate hearing from anyone
> who may have any ideas or suggestions on solving this problem. Thanks.
>

Did you check it, or did you take it somewhere and have it pressure tested?
--
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin

"bothrops" > typed until their fingers bled, and came
up with:

> After consulting a mechanic, I decided to replace the head gasket.

Is this a '95-'96 SOHC? There is a known casting flaw that affects SOME of
these motors. I did the same thing on my friend's - replaced the head
gasket before having to replace the whole head. Good thing I had my spare
SOHC engine sitting around.


--
Visit the Saturn Performance Club - http://www.saturnperformanceclub.com

yes i had it checked out by the local machine shop