I have not seen any white smoke whatsoever and no coolant appears on the ground where my car sits. I did notice a sweet smell in my garage however after pulling it in. Normally it drives perfectly for 30 minutes and then the temperature will gradually go up.
Filled it yesterday with new coolant & it had just had an oil change also (who alerted me to the problem saying the oil was slightly milky). Drove it for 30 minutes and the temp started going up gradually more than normal. Checked the coolant afterwords - there was slightly less of it and it was quite brown (which I assume means the oil is leaking into the coolant as well).
This is an '99 Alero. Can you tell me what is wrong with it and the approximate cost to fix? I plan to go to a mechanic about this, I just don't want to show up and not have a clue about what is wrong with it (I don't want to get taken because I'm a girl who knows little about cars). Thanks!
2006-12-11 00:43:30 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
My Alero is a '99 2.4-liter 4-cylinder, does this affect if it is a problem with the Lower Intake Manifold Gasket?
2006-12-11 01:11:27 · update #1
If coolant IS leaking into your engine oil, pull the dip stick and look at it. 1) It will be a higher level than normal, as water added to it will raise the fluid level 2) the oil will have a color/texture almost like cocoa.
If this is the case, your head gasket COULD be blown, although your cylinder head could be cracked.
2006-12-11 00:51:12 · answer #1 · answered by strech 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
On an Alero with the 3.4L V6 your most likely culprit is the Lower Intake Manifold Gasket. They all leak eventually. Sometimes they leak coolant, sometimes oil, sometimes both and depending on the nature of the leak it can allow one fluid to contaminate the other. Any mechanic worth a damn will know what you are talking about when you take it in and can check it visually right out in the lot to confirm the diagnosis.
GM has a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) about this issue and if you go to the dealer for the service they just replace the intake gaskets. However, when replacing the Intake Gaskets it is a good idea to replace a few other parts as well. At my shop we always recommend replacing the Intake Manifold Bolts as well, and the Valve Cover Gaskets, Distributor/Dummy Shaft Seal, Thermostat, the quick release fitting for the heater bypass hose and the EGR valve gasket. As long as we are already in there we replace these parts without any extra labor charge and these are all things that can go bad later (if they haven't already). After the service the oil should also be changed and the coolant completely flushed.
For just a basic intake gasket replacement you might be looking at $5-600 depending on labor rates in your area. To do it right would be in the $8-900 range.
2006-12-11 01:07:11 · answer #2 · answered by Naughtums 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Milky oil is a fairly good sign that you have a failure in the cylinder head area. Its most likely the head/block interface (aka head gasket). Caution should be employed when talking about these areas with mechanics :-)
2006-12-11 00:49:15 · answer #3 · answered by Ranjeeh D 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If it's got a 3.1 or 3.4, get the intake gasket checked or replaced right away by a good mech. It most likely will NOT be a head gasket, okay?
2006-12-11 00:47:59 · answer #4 · answered by done wrenching 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
may not just be head gasket, could be cylinder head crack too.
get it checked.
Always promote " Safety First ".
2006-12-11 01:37:45 · answer #5 · answered by maju_unite 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋