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98 2.0 with possible BHG.
- Thread starter Letsride
- Start date
About 3-4 years ago, I bought a 96 2.0 G for 200 bux. It had about 170k miles and suspected HG issue. I first replaced the water pump. Drove it for about 3 weeks, but I had to keep an eye on heater (heat) output. Close attention was needed. One might have been driving along, heater putting out heat, but after pulling away from the next red light or passing a car, the heat would stop coming out the heater.
Some reason, air was getting in the cooling system, stopping the WP from pumping coolant. (Lack of heat from the heater core.) To get it circulating again, I needed to idle the engine down, perhaps rev it a few times and the heat would come back. I do not recall what the temp gauge was doing, but don't recall it sky rocketing, when the heater quit blowing heat.
One day, my wife took it to the valley, about 20 miles away. I don't believe she quite understood how important it was that the heater output be monitored. She called me about 15 miles out, saying she could not start the car. I then and had to dump about a gallon in the cooling system. I started driving it home and a few miles down the road, the heater quit. I also saw the white out the back. This was the first I saw the white out the back, but the heater output issue was 1000 times worse and coolant consumption was about a gallon in about 5 miles. One following would have seen it coming out the tail pipe.
Wound up trailering the car home. I pulled the head. This is not hard, but be ready to remove more and more items than one might think needed until you get to them. (A write up in advance would have been handy and no, I did not keep notes.)
Once the head was off, I could not see where the coolant/compression/gasses were mixing. I had the head shaved off. The guy that did it, said he's seen much worse, but one area seemed to be the likely path, from the head gasket appearance and what we saw on the head.
I'm now at about 190k miles. Since the HG replacement and head work, I've had no coolant, heater issues. It must have been a head gasket issue and/or the shape of the head..
While in there replace the PCV valve and make sure the oil separator is cleaned as well. The PCV valve mounts into this oil separator and one would not want ignore cleaning it while there.
Some reason, air was getting in the cooling system, stopping the WP from pumping coolant. (Lack of heat from the heater core.) To get it circulating again, I needed to idle the engine down, perhaps rev it a few times and the heat would come back. I do not recall what the temp gauge was doing, but don't recall it sky rocketing, when the heater quit blowing heat.
One day, my wife took it to the valley, about 20 miles away. I don't believe she quite understood how important it was that the heater output be monitored. She called me about 15 miles out, saying she could not start the car. I then and had to dump about a gallon in the cooling system. I started driving it home and a few miles down the road, the heater quit. I also saw the white out the back. This was the first I saw the white out the back, but the heater output issue was 1000 times worse and coolant consumption was about a gallon in about 5 miles. One following would have seen it coming out the tail pipe.
Wound up trailering the car home. I pulled the head. This is not hard, but be ready to remove more and more items than one might think needed until you get to them. (A write up in advance would have been handy and no, I did not keep notes.)
Once the head was off, I could not see where the coolant/compression/gasses were mixing. I had the head shaved off. The guy that did it, said he's seen much worse, but one area seemed to be the likely path, from the head gasket appearance and what we saw on the head.
I'm now at about 190k miles. Since the HG replacement and head work, I've had no coolant, heater issues. It must have been a head gasket issue and/or the shape of the head..
While in there replace the PCV valve and make sure the oil separator is cleaned as well. The PCV valve mounts into this oil separator and one would not want ignore cleaning it while there.
FYI, you ALWAYS use wide open throttle when doing a compression test, only turning 5 times under those conditions can easily give faulty readings. Pulling a vacuum against a closed throttle plate is the dead wrong way to do it, cylinder must be able to draw air FREELY to pump up fastest and most amount. Always have all plugs pulled also when doing it, certain plugs left in can load engine to where starter can lug a bit getting to the cylinder you're checking and affecting the reading. You always whirl starter until gauge stops going up, not just 5 turns. The slower gauge goes up is like a cheap leakdown check as that rate will tell you how bad the leak is compared to other cylinders. As far as the numbers given, they are fine, but that doesn't mean no leak. If white smoke coming out that badly, you should be able to smell the antifreeze for verification. Make the smoke come out and pull plugs then, you should find one with maybe green tint from the coolant. I'd suspect a clean plug instantly as being the one, water steam cleans plug from detonation. If car has been run for a bit, look at cylinder walls CLOSE, the steam can etch pock mark the walls to where future running will tear cylinder walls up, no sense putting a head on that.