I have been having problems with my hearter working it comes on and works for a minute then stops. It doesnt blow anything when it stops. I decided to check my coolant and when I opened up the overflo tank it looked really nasty inside so i stuck my finger in and when i took it out, it was it was greasy and nasty. Id this mean surely that my head gasket is bad. It has not over heated so I dont know why this happened. Please help...
2007-12-13 09:32:06 · 9 answers · asked by lovely 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
oops sorry i meant to tell the y/m/m
99 alero olds 3.4
how much does it cost to flush the coolant system?
2007-12-13 09:43:24 · update #1
If your car's engine is leaking oil into the cooling system, then your coolant will look like a creamy chocolate milkshake. It doesn't always mean that you blew a head gasket or that you overheated your engine. A bad seal on the water pump is a very common cause of this coolant/oil mixing. This creamy mixture of foamy "chocolate milkshake" can and will wreak havoc with lots of parts in your cooling system, including your heater selector valve, which is probably nice and gummed up at this point. This could explain your heather woes. Also check your engine oil by looking at the dipstick. You should see the same type of brown foamy/creamy mixture on it. If so, it could cause MAJOR damage to your engine if you continue to drive it with all that coolant in your oil! My advice: take your car to a reputable mechanic in your area, and never hesitate to get a second opinion whenever an expensive repair is diagnosed for your vehicle. An honest shop/mechanic will never have a problem with you doing so.
2007-12-13 09:42:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If no air is coming out of the vents chances are your fan motor or the relay controlling it is bad. Grungy coolant could mean it's been there too long.
Get the system flushed out by a good radiator shop and in the same time have them to a check for combustion gasses in the coolant. It takes only a few seconds. They can do this test while you watch.
2007-12-13 09:43:13 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It may be oil in your coolant/anti-freeze, but it also may be just really bad coolant. A year / make / model / mileage would be nice. It would also help to know if your car is equipped with Extended Life antifreeze or standard green. (if the 2 are mixed they form murky muddy stuff too, so don't mix them.)
A head gasket can cause oil contamination in your coolant, but those are an expensive fix. Take your car to a large auto parts chain and the tech's there should be able to tell you what the contamination is.
2007-12-13 09:38:18 · answer #3 · answered by riddance86 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Before you fill the cooling system perform a pressure check with a pressure pump that you can rent from the auto parts store. Connect to the radiator cap opening on the radiator and pump it up to 40 PSI and watch the needle on the gauge. If it drops rapidly you have big problems, if it holds let it sit and watch for a pressure drop. If pressure holds steady for at least 15 minutes you should be okay. If you have a rapid pressure drop, you should be able to see along your seams where the head gaskets are blowing by, or weak hoses, or if you open the oil filler cap and hear noises coming from the head inside your motor is trash.
2016-05-23 10:35:29 · answer #4 · answered by scarlett 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would think the most likely way oil gets into the cooling system is possible leakage of the the actual transmission cooling tank inside of the right hand radiator expansion tank. There are two automatic transmission cooling lines which connect to the radiator. The lower tank line is for transmission oil going into the cooler inside the expansion tank. the upper line carries oil back to the transmission. A simple cooling system pressure check with the cooling lines disconnected would verify this.
As other folks have already said: Your cooling system may need a granular two part acid / neutralizer flush to remove years of sludge and rust from your cooling system. You didn't include the year make and model of your vehicle. It would have helped to advise which type of antifreeze you should be using. The info. is inside your handbook inside your glove compartment. If you havent done any cooling system cleaning or flushing in the past three yrs. you need it now!
2007-12-13 11:26:08 · answer #5 · answered by Country Boy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Generally if you have a blown head gasket you have oil and water mix, and the expansion chamber looks like mayonaisse.
If this the case you are also getting water in the oil and can potentially damage the engine
It does sound like the gasket has gone so I would get the car booked in sharpish
2007-12-13 09:38:35 · answer #6 · answered by Kieran B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nobody guessed a lower intake gasket!! I replace these all the time for this problem. a bad gasket can allow oil into coolant, coolant into oil, external oil and coolant leaks, and oil burning,or even running problems if bad enough.if your blower stops blowing its probably the motor or resistor(does it blow on any speed?)
2007-12-13 10:11:17 · answer #7 · answered by wildcat 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
could be a head gasket most of the one's i have seen blow u have water in your oil pan and not the radiator also your car would be overheating some and if your heater fan is running
and the air is hot then cold then your thermostat is sticking and needs to be replaced
2007-12-13 09:47:38 · answer #8 · answered by Danny 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you are losing coolant and/or oil or there is coolant in your oil or oil in your coolant you have a blown head gasket
the heater problem could be a fan motor or clogged heater core or valve
2007-12-13 09:44:57 · answer #9 · answered by 1999 Nissan Skyline GTR Vspec 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋