My old ford Taurus is leaking coolant into the oil so now the oil on the dipstick looks like a chocolate milkshake. Anyway could it be a cracked head or warped gasket. it was running hot for less than four miles before i got home.
2007-06-19 18:46:53 · 8 answers · asked by crazybarfighter 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I would pull the head, and have it checked for cracks. You will have to take it off anyhow in order to change the gasket, right? One important thing about aluminum heads is that if removed, they will need to be checked for warpage (they are usually warped in my experience), and re-milled flat. Don't worry about having the head milled though, it usually is fairly cheap to have done. The last one i took to the machine shop cost me $20 to have it trued up.
2007-06-19 19:01:08 · answer #1 · answered by William B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't believe it is a common problem, the 3.1L has been around a long time ... way back since 1990 and even before then, it's based on the 2.8 block which has been around even longer. It's a very reliable and well designed engine. Although less torqueey than the bigger V-6's it's actually a better design with a 60 degree angle insted of the 90 degree in the bigger 6's (90 degrees is the optimum angle for a V-8 but you can't get much bigger than about 3.4L on a 60 degree block). In general, head gaskets simply can fail and in particular, combining aluminum heads with an iron block stresses the gasket even more. It's not an engine design issue, it's simply physics ... aluminum and steel expand at different rates and this places an enormous strain on the head gasket which is soley responsible for the seal. But, evryone wants thouse lighter aluminum heads right? So the manufacturers deliver them and special gaskets are used to handle the different rates of expansion. In general, they are nearly as reliable as cast iron heads on most engines. Also, aluminum, although stronger per unit weight, is not stronger overall than steel. Aluminum heads would be more vulnerable to engines problems such as knocking and excessive combustion tempuratures (never let the coolant get low!) Also, you should always use the proper coolant for your engine with a 50/50 mix (it's not just anti-freeze, it's also lubricant and anti-corrosion chemicals) ... green stays green and pink stays pink. Also, if it is just the head gasket, 1800 does sound pretty steep to me too (although I'm not up on shop rates as I always do my own work).
2016-05-20 04:32:28 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately for you if your old Taurus has a 3.8 liter V6 it you have probably blown a head gasket. The other bad news is it probably blew because of a warped head, another common Taurus problem.
2007-06-19 18:59:49 · answer #3 · answered by dobbsnot 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is a blown head gasket. the gasket was probably blown near a oil passage. i have changed allot of them and only found 1 cracked head and that car got really hot, enough to melt the sensors on the block
2007-06-19 18:53:53 · answer #4 · answered by damaged110 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The way to tell if it is a cracked head by getting the car running and taking the cap off of the radiator. If the coolant is bubbling it is a cracked head.
2007-06-19 18:50:34 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sounds like a warped head from overheating, but probably not a cracked head. You may have also melted a piston or two
2007-06-19 18:59:33 · answer #6 · answered by jimanddottaylor 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
blowed head gasket
2007-06-19 20:07:09 · answer #7 · answered by ruger_44_magnum_99 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if the intake has cooling passages ,IT may have a leak .
2007-06-19 18:57:26 · answer #8 · answered by martinmm 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋