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Does oil look like chocolate milk? If antifreeze in it, need to take care of it quick as the antifreeze will attack (etch) machined surfaces. Although head gaskets can fail for no apparent reason, there is usually one somewhere. Warped head would be a good start. If indeed they do find bad gasket, have them find problem and correct it or you'll just be throwing good money after bad.
Normally when a head gasket fails 'for no reason', it's what I refer to as a water jacket failure.. I'm on the first vehicle i've ever had that has NOT blown a head gasket right around 80k miles...
All were 4 cylinders.. an 84 Ford Escort, an 86 Ford Escort, and a 97 Chevy S-10 all blew head gaskets.. The 05 Chevy Colorado is at 161k miles and original head gasket.. The Colorado has a Vortek engine which I am impressed with.. 161k miles and you could eat off that thing it's so clean. Based on my previous vehicles, I figured that Head Gaskets and Valve Cover Gaskets were just programmed to leak after about 80k miles.
Every one of them failed between a water jacket and the outside of the engine.. I've never had one fail where oil and water were mixing. Although, obviously, it does happen. I always figured a water jacket leak to outside the engine was due to bolt stretching.. Someone who knows more than I can confirm or dispute that.
There are other reasons you could have coolant getting into your oil pan, but none of them are cheap to fix.
I'd also add that, if you hope to save the engine, get the coolant-infused oil out of there asap, and maybe even do an engine flush. Anti-freeze can make quick work of rod & main bearings.
If he's driven it very far with anti-freeze in the oil, it's already too late. Replace engine or car.
If he's driven it very far with anti-freeze in the oil, it's already too late. Replace engine or car.
Yes, you are right. If the engine isn't knocking now, most likely it soon will be. And unless the car is in pristine condition, it might be hard to justify throwing in a different engine - even a used one. The fact that Saturns are now orphans has had a marked impact on their value in the past couple years. For awhile they didn't drop much, but now the bottom has dropped out.
I'll be interested to hear what her mechanic finds, then recommends.
Racing the engine that fast is never good, even on a healthy engine, sounds like this finished it off. Key in the snow is accelerating slow and easy - high revving and quickly spinning only gets you in deeper and gets you nowhere, even here in the south we know that. LOL.
My grandfathers old '90 Mazda 929 was just the opposite. He had oil in his coolant. He had the headgasket replaced and it blew again - had more oil in the coolant... then it got to where the car kept busting fuel lines. He finally parked the car and it has been setting since 2005 in his yard. He has passed away (he perished in 2011) and the car is ruined. I think my aunt is going to give it to the junkyard.
I wouldn't put too much money in that Saturn because they are no longer being made and parts are starting to dry up. A lady friend of mine took hers to a mechanic I recommended and he told her exactly that, to get rid of it as soon as possible because he is having trouble getting lots of parts to fix them now.
Resale value is also very low because of that factor too, so the sooner you can dump it the better. (Remember the Daiwoo ? )
^^^ There are no dealers left to make good on any recalls. Just sayin'.
It's paid for, cheap to insure and cheap transport. Of course it's worth fixing, but fixing smart. Rebuilding the engine is not going to be smart. Throw a lower mileage used one in it. JMHO YMMV
^^^ There are no dealers left to make good on any recalls. Just sayin'.
It's paid for, cheap to insure and cheap transport. Of course it's worth fixing, but fixing smart. Rebuilding the engine is not going to be smart. Throw a lower mileage used one in it. JMHO YMMV
OP, how many miles on the car?
Do you have any good Saturn engines in yards anymore?
Up North you might still be able to find a decent engine in a wrecking yard because up there the bodies give out way before the drivetrain does (rust). But in the South engines bring big money because the car bodies last so much longer and people will put a new engine in a car to keep it alive.
When I lived in Pa I could find lots of good motors pretty cheap but the bodies were gone.
Don
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