2007-01-05 14:30:16 · 26 answers · asked by Marie C 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Blown head gasket or possibly a craked head. Check your oil dipstick and see if it is milkywhite at all. Best to let a pro fix it if you are going to fix it. Most heads are aluminum and torqued wrong it will only make it worse. They have quick temporary fixes for it at your local parts store. If it works it will only be temporary though.
Good Luck
2007-01-05 14:38:54 · answer #1 · answered by logan 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
1997 car ?? not much to go on. This is the second post on this subject. I have read every thing here and all I see is blown gasket. You say only it overheats so I assume that is the only problem ?? I would say a sign of oil, was not a problem, not know how much a sign is. I have tried to figure out why every "mechanik" or whatever, says "head gasket" with every over heat that comes along. A sign of oil seems to confirm it for the experts. I can't figure out how oil gets from the combustion chamber to the cooling system ?? There is no oil in the combustion chamber. The oil you are seeing could be tranny fluid, if you have an auto tranny. I would go to a radiator shop, not auto repair, and get it checked
2007-01-05 16:02:11 · answer #2 · answered by tronary 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Short answer = Blown Head Gasket or Cracked Head
Very few cars in 1997 were worth there asking price. Chances are your (unknown vehicle) 10 year old car is worthless.
Worthless means it costs more to fix then it can sell for after repairs.
All of that said. THE SINGLE MOST DAMAGING THING TO ANY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE IS FOR IT TO OVERHEAT.
So, I recommend that you clean and polish your 1997 mystery car as if it were a Rolls Royce. Clean the coolant overflow bottle and refill cooling system with clean antifreeze.
Then trade your vehicle in on a low milage, high quality vehicle.
Or buy new.
I used to drive old trash because that is all I could afford. The first new car I bought (1986 Celica GTS) had 240,000 when I sold it. I could have put another 100k on her easy.
I now pilot a 97 5 series BMW. No problems. I expect to buy my next new car in 2010.
Why? I change the oil myself at 3500 miles. I drain and refill the coolant (antifreeze) every fall. And most important of all, I never let my vehicles be driven by others or overheated.
Good Luck.
2007-01-05 14:44:38 · answer #3 · answered by Two dimes and a Nickel 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well there are several causes to these problems first thing over heating thermostat, radiator, hoses, water pump there could also be corrosion in the block. second oil in the overflow can be caused by a blown head gasket, cracked head or a fracture in the cylinder bores if you check your oil and see a milky residue on the stick it is time for a new car if not take it to a professional an get it fixed
2007-01-05 14:51:17 · answer #4 · answered by Tony T 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Blown Head Gasket
2007-01-05 14:33:41 · answer #5 · answered by bobby 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not good news. It's likely a blown head gasket. Pull the oil dipstick and see if the oil is milky white, if it is, then for sure it's a blown head gasket or a crack in the cylinder head or a cracked cylinder. If it isn't, take the car to a mechanic so they can sample the gases in the radiator tank to see if they contain hydrocarbons.
2007-01-05 14:39:49 · answer #6 · answered by LYNX 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not good news. It's likely a blown head gasket. Pull the oil dipstick and see if the oil is milky white, if it is, then for sure it's a blown head gasket or a crack in the cylinder head or a cracked cylinder. If it isn't, take the car to a mechanic so they can sample the gases in the radiator tank to see if they contain hydrocarbons.
2007-01-05 14:33:05 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Check the dip stick also if the color of oil has changed then it probably can be the blown out head gaskit and if the oil level on the dip stick is above the normal mark then it could be the leaking cooler plates
2007-01-05 14:44:11 · answer #8 · answered by itrat n 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Blown Head Gasket.Don't use what was recommended above,the metal shaving or radiator stop leak as they have a problem with plugging the openings inside the radiator.If you know what you're doing you can fix it for around $100.00 give or take.It depends on the vehicle that you have.If you don't know what you're doing it will probable run $500-$750 again depending on vehicle.
2007-01-05 14:44:16 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, it depends on what kind of car it is too. Does your oil pressure gauge keep a good reading? if not this probably means you are losing oil and probably need new gaskets,also check for oil under the car
2007-01-05 14:42:18 · answer #10 · answered by powelltonredneck 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋