More info about... is my car engine is blown!?

Question

I was driving my car and it over heated. I pulled over as soon as I could get somewhere to stop (approx. 1 min) as a pulled into a parking lot all the lights in the car came on and it stalled. I saw very, very light white smoke coming from the hood for maybe 1 min. I saw that I was completely out of coolant and replaced it! I let the car cool and then started it back up. The car sounded a little ruspy when starting but then was fine. I drove 5 minute and the temp raised again. Checked the coolant and it already seemed low so I replaced it again. After 20 mins I started the car again it seemed ok and 10 min down the road it began again. I pulled into a car dealership service station and had them take a look. At this point it didn't sound to healthy but wasn't loud. The heat was completely topped off (no smoke). Coolant flew out of the radiator when they took it off. Nothing looked like it was leaking, but again the coolant was gone. I have a 96 Chevy Monte Carlo. Please help!

Answer 1

i own a repair shop,and i think it has blown a head gasket, probably both of them on it, and very possibly cracked a head and maybe the block, for one thing you should have waited to put the water in it, if you did it and it hot it definitely done some damage to it,to what extent there is no way to tell until it is tore down and you can see the damage,at this point id consider getting another engine,a good used one because this one may cost more than its worth to repair,i been doing this for 36 yrs,and i have seen a lot of them go like this,you can have it checked out real good but its going to cost some money to repair it.good luck with it i hope this help,s

Answer 2

I agree with the others that it could not have happened that way. However, the garage mechanic may have told you that hoping you would believe it. First there are companies that build rebuilt engines for various makes and models, they take the old one out and pop the new one in. I would not have the existing engine fixed. In a garage you'll pay retail for all the parts, the labor costs will be high. Having said all that $8,000 is ridiculous even if you have a mechanic do the job. Shop around, there are honest mechanics out there. It's not unheard of for the bolt to jar loose a little bit and the oil to drip out slowly. Secondly it sounds like the warranty has expired, so you might want to put in an insurance claim. Even with a deductable of $500.00 or $1,000.00, it is what insurance is for. Blown engines happen for a variety of reasons, it won't be the first claim of this kind the insurance company has heard of. If they ask you to shop around, call or visit at least three repair places and get the quotes faxed or write them down and record the phone number of the place and the person you spoke to along with the quote. The insurance company will pick one that charges a fair price, after all they have to pick up the rest of the tab. If they increase your premiums next time (most won't for something like this because it wasn't your fault) just shop around when it comes time to renew. I had my first accident a few years ago (my fault) and my premiums were not raised. My Dad had an accident the same year, his fault as well. His insurance company jacked up his premiums by $800.00. He called his agent and said the company had been taking his money for 40 years and this was his first claim. He called around, he was up front about the accident and found a company that gave him the same coverage for the same amount. Anyway, some problems are made to sound awful when you talk to some mechanics. But it pays to get a second or third opinion, most mechanics are honest. A "new" rebuilt or rebuilt used engine is really your best option. There are consumer organizations that rate the products of the rebuilders, it is wise to check out the company before you buy. I looked on the internet and found a company that offered for sale a rebuilt engines for a 2000 models. The average price was $1560.00. If your deductable is $1000.00 all you will pay is the $1000.00, if it is $500 or less, then you are laughing. But the mechanic doesn't sound right. Car manufactures stopped using timing belts about 20 years ago, it's all electronic. I don't know if you remember but a couple of years ago a certain foreign pick up truck company had problems with the bolts on the axle assembly cover. All four could be shaken out over time and then in a moment the cover would fall off, some road junk would get sucked in and did all kinds of neat things to the axle assembley. Since pick-up trucks need lots of power, the strain caused other parts to fail and it was all due to substandard bolts. Anyway, if you do decide to use insurance, they will be familiar with the problem and will probably be delighted when you suggest junking the engine instead of repairing it and replacing it with a rebuilt one.

Answer 3

96 monte carlo ls with a 3.1L V6 well initially u had a stuck thermostat and bad intake gaskets common on ALL GM V6 engines. the thermostat stuck because the intakes leaked coolant into the crank case and burned some through the engine and the car over heated. now u have three problems u probably cracked the heads as they are aluminum the intakes are still bad and the thermostat is still stuck copy and print this paper take this to a mechanic and tow the car there too and have them fix it get ur check book out as this will not be cheap to replace intake gaskets alone usually runs in most shops $350-500 hope this helps

Answer 4

I think you've got a blown head gasket or a cracked cylinder head
& here's why. When your engine is cool/cold, the thermostat is closed. When it gets hot, the thermostat opens letting the coolant out of the engine and into the radiator where it is cooled, and pumped back into the engine. When the head gasket blows, it lets coolant into the combustion chamber and the engine essentially burns it. It may still run, but your coolant level drops to zero. and you overheat again.

Check your dipstick, and look at the oil that is on it, if it is grey, then you've got coolant in your oil and that's not good.

Check your tailpipe for moisture, and have a mechanic (or you)
do a "compression check" that will tell you if the gasket is blown, or if the cylinder head is cracked.
You may not need a new engine, but it won't be cheap.

Answer 5

White smoke coming from the tailpipe is indicative that coolant is getting into the combustion chamber. Typically the greatest cause is a blown head gasket. Since the gasket has been eaten away in one or more places, it allows water in to mix with the fuel-air mixture resulting in the white steam. The long term fix if you are intent on keeeping the car is to R&R the head gasket. Short term you can try a sealant in a bottle that will find the void and fill it, resulting in restoration of the compression. It could be temporary. Also, depends on whether it got hot enough to warp the head, in which case it is dicey that this would work or work very long.

Answer 6

Sounds like a blown head gasket or cracked block. The coolant is going somewhere. Check engine oil for water (evident by a milky color mixed with oil and /or water droplets on the dipstick.). Check to see if coolant vapor is being blown out of the exhaust.

Answer 7

If when you check the oil and find water mixed with it, it could be that your master cylinder is cracked. They are not expensive to fix. Check first with you dealer and let him tell you what he thinks is wrong with your car. Have him put it in writing and give you an estimate. If it is the master cylinder then you can take it to a reliable mechanic in your town, but always have everything put in writing with all the details. Now if is something else, then you have to decide what to do with you 96 Chevy, whether is worth fixing it or trading it for a newer model. Please check around don't make my mistake.

Answer 8

dont know