Blown headgasket?

[cagleje]

ok here's the problem. lately my engine is having a problem with getting really hot. yet it doesn't show any abnormal readings. i found the hoses to swell to the point of almost busting. the engine was rebuilt just over six months ago and the computer was replaced as well. i replaced the thermostat and the radiator cap. it helped a little, but it's still getting really hot. it's also got a back and forth problem with the idle too. not sure if the problems are linked. i'm not sure what else i should take a look at beside maybe a problem with the water pump or the head gasket. please help!

 

[4UH8ERS]

ok here's the problem. lately my engine is having a problem with getting really hot. yet it doesn't show any abnormal readings. i found the hoses to swell to the point of almost busting. the engine was rebuilt just over six months ago and the computer was replaced as well. i replaced the thermostat and the radiator cap. it helped a little, but it's still getting really hot. it's also got a back and forth problem with the idle too. not sure if the problems are linked. i'm not sure what else i should take a look at beside maybe a problem with the water pump or the head gasket. please help!

1. Flush the radiator or purchase an oem replacement from radiatorbarn.com. (good quality and cheap)
2. check to make sure both your fans work.
3. Test your coolant temp sensor.
4. check your oil and make sure there is no coolant in it. Does you exhaust smoke? how do the spark plugs look? the headgasket is the last thing you want it to be. check the easier/cheaper solutions first.

 

[cagleje]

ok i flushed the radiator. it seemed to help a little. it's not building as much pressure as before. it's not smoking at all. i changed out the coolant sensor along with the thermostat and radiator cap. no coolant in the oil. both fans work. i just replaced the spark plugs recently. i'm going to wait a little and see if anything changes. hopefully that's all it needed. if not then i'm gonna have the head pulled and have it checked. might as well get the head port and polished while getting the gasket replaced.

 

[240kid]

you sure your fans are working?

 

[cyrez187]

ya man check your fans. i had that problem little while ago, my fan stopped working and my car overheated and warped my heat and blew my head gasket. so now i have my fan running with remote power.

 

[cagleje]

ok, found the problem today. took the car to have it checked out. wasn't the head gasket, but the bummer is surpise, surprise. my Fing block is cracked. so now i guess i'm going have to find a new motor. any suggestions where to find one in NC or on the web? not sure whether i wanna get a built motor.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

Howell, Exile, Concept Illusions (for built blocks). Mitsubishi Graveyard carries 420A engines/parts every now and then. Look on eBay and at your local junkyard too.

 

[cyrez187]

aww man sorry to hear that

 

[xXaTaXx]

Anyone who's still reading this thread, I've a question for you...

I have a 99' Eclipse FWD (420a obv.) and I'm kind of getting the telltale signs of a headgasket problem. When I start the car, I've got whitish/blueish smoke in small amounts coming out plus a whole lot of water/coolant (literally dripping at a faast rate) from my muffler. It does have a sweet smell but when I drive for a while, it stops. No smoke or liquid drip. Also, I'm having no temperature problems whatsoever (gauge reads just blow the half line) and as far as I can tell the thermostat is intact.

I had it looked at by this random mechanic and he told me it wasnt my head gskt. it was my cam seals, water pump and probably the stem seals or what not. Except that diagnosis didn't sound exactly right.

Can anyone tell me what could possibly be the problem? If need be, I can take pics of the block because there is apparently oil seeping from somewhere (its around the valve cover gasket), slight loss of power and disgusting gas mileage ;X. Thanks.

EDIT: Also, I just recently installed new NGK-BKR7E plugs, and I've checked them too, They look pretty normal (I can take pic of them too)
---

"All your base are belong to us!"

 

[cyrez187]

do u have coolant comin out of the overflow or anything like that? u should do a compression test

 

[4UH8ERS]

When I start the car, I've got whitish/blueish smoke in small amounts coming out plus a whole lot of water/coolant (literally dripping at a faast rate) from my muffler. It does have a sweet smell but when I drive for a while, it stops. No smoke or liquid drip. Can anyone tell me what could possibly be the problem?

That definately sounds like a problem with the valve stem seals, because the oil seeps past them while the car sits and when you first start it up the smoke is the oil burning that leaked past the seals. As the excess oil is burned the smoke will gradually decrease to an unoticeable amount. Does it also smoke at high rpms even after running for awhile?

 

[xXaTaXx]

That definately sounds like a problem with the valve stem seals, because the oil seeps past them while the car sits and when you first start it up the smoke is the oil burning that leaked past the seals. As the excess oil is burned the smoke will gradually decrease to an unoticeable amount. Does it also smoke at high rpms even after running for awhile?

Negative. That's one of the first things I checked when I noticed the smoke. I drove around for 5 min pushing the car at a decent pace. After that no smoke that I could really see. It only really happens when I start the car after it's 'rested' for a little while and
At its worst (that i've noticed) it's only small 'puffs' of the smoke, no billowing or thick smoke, its almost transparent unless you're looking for it.
Also, if its mainly the stem seals, then what explains the large amounts of liquid dripping from the tailpipe? When it drips, it has a semi-slick texture and then gets a little adhesive (not nessecarily sticky, but slows my fingers down when I rub them together). The truely odd thing of it all is that sometimes it does this but sometimes not at all or very little. But I do consume about a quart of oil in a weeks time or a little more? I don't really keep too close track but I do know that every other day I check the dip stick and top of what I'm missing.
NOTE: I use Mobil1 10W-40.

--
"I feel sorry for the man who dosen't drink, Because when he wakes up in the morning, that's as good as he's going to feel all day."

 

[xXaTaXx]

do u have coolant comin out of the overflow or anything like that? u should do a compression test

Ok, After the compression check;
CYL1: try1-195 try2-195 try3-195
CYL2: try1-195 try2-200 try3-195
CYL3: try1-200 try2-195 try3-195
CYL4: try1-195 try2-195 try3-195

Nothing seems wrong, but I took pics and a vid of the smoke and liquid leak from the exhaust. Also, I went through my registration holder and found a bunch of receipts from a previos owner, basically there was a spun rod bearing so they replaced the block and did a 'extensive head overhaul', a 2 1/4 Thermal exhaust and a bunch of other things (replaced the transmission and clutch). The car itself has 100,000 miles on it now, and I will post the receipts of things that were changed w/ pics (maybe they fubared the install?)
anyways, I'm out I'll be back in a bit. Any help would be appreciated.