Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Zetec Maintenance Please help

I was coming home from school today and noticed that the car was running a little odd. It seemed like it had lost most of its power. I ignored it and kept driving, well about halfway home the car started to make a ticking /whining noise, and then it stalled out. The car had obviously overheated, because there was smoke coming out from all around the valve cover, and it sounded like the oil was boiling. I let it cool down and tried to start it, but it won't do it. It cranks, but will not turn over. I was afraid that the engine may have siezed, but a friend told me that I probably blew the head gasket, and that this was causing me to lose compression, which in turn would make it impossible to start the car. First of all is this possible, and second what do I need to do to fix it. Third is what else could have happened. My temp gauge has never worked since the day I bought the car so I couldn't tell whether the engine was getting hot or not. I also need to know what to do to fix this. Any and all help would be appreciated thanks. By the way, the engine is the I4 Zetec

He may be correct.

Pull the plugs and inspect the cylinders, coolant or a lack of carbon in one means head gasket failure. You can also run a compression test. Usually replacing the gasket will get you going, but severe overheating may require a total engine rebuild or replacement. You can replace the gasket yourself for about $100-$150, but if you have it done it will be much more and you are gambling that it will keep running so have someone knowledgeable look at it before sinking too much money.

Thanks, my moms fiance told me that I may have fouled up all of the plugs in the engine, think that could happen?

I would not worry about the plugs.

Overheating an engine can ruin the bearings, cam, valves, and even crack the block.

The sooner you determine wether the engine is toast, the sooner you can plan to fix or replace it.

You can find a number of people that have spent thousands on their car, only to have to junk it or spend thousands more. Don't become one of them.

How would I go about getting it checked out, just taking it to a mechanic, or are there ways to check it myself.