Oldsmobile/Buick Repair: 1992 Oldsmobile, blown head gasket, engine coolant
QuestionI have a 1992 Oldsmobile. On a recent trip to work it started overheating. I pulled off the road and added some water to both the radiator and engine coolant reservoir. It ran fine for half an hour. On my way home from work it overheated again and died. Found a small hole in a radiator hose and made a temporary repair to it in order to get home. Got it home and filled it with water again. Next day started fine but again it started overheating and refused to start for about half an hour once I stopped the car. I also noticed the engine coolant reservoir was running out of water in about an hour but the radiator was staying full. Now it appears there is water in the oil. What does this all mean and would it be cost effective to make repairs?
AnswerIf you mean there is a significant amount of coolant in the oil, rather than condensation, then a blown head gasket would be the most likely culprit.
Weather it is worth fixing is your call.
If it hasn't been overheated too severely, then only gaskets and other related material would be needed, and the expense wouldn't be too much.
But if it was overheated enough to warp or crack a head, it starts to get more expensive, so repairing as soon as possible would be advised.
Van