On 8 Jul 2006 22:54:20 -0700, "wavy" > wrote:

This is good advise. Also do not rule out the possibliblity of a
blown/leaking head gasket letting oil into coolant. If this is the
case, try retorquing the head bolts and see if it helps as sometimes
in can. One more thing, stop using 5w30 oil now as it will increase
oil consumption in a worn engine. Use no less than 10w30 and if you
are in a hot southern climate you might use 15w40 (not 10w40) as this
can reduce oil consumption a lot caused by engine wear. 5w30 can go
through a worn engine pretty quick. I do dount it is a crack in
cylinder because the oil has to be under pressure to get into oil like
a crack in oil passage that makes a path to coolant or a
defective/leaking head gasket where oil passage is to lube head.


>You could "let it go" - sell it to someone who can fix it. (Ebay might
>be an option) Then you might be able to buy a "lesser" or cheaper car
>that IS in good condition.
>You could bite the bullet and become an "instant Mechanic" - buy all
>the service manuals a good basic tool set and "go for it". Realize that
>most real mechanics have no super powers and are rarely members of
>"mensa" (though I suppose a few are).
>You could become best friends with a gearhead who can help you out with
>selecting and replacing an engine from a junkyard...
>
>Back when I was a kid, I was almost in the same situation you are in.
>Fortunately my grandfather lived only 60 miles from my college - not a
>mechanic but a machinist. He didnt really instruct me or do any work
>for me, but helped me get pointed in the right direction whenever I got
>"stuck".
>Replacing a cylinder head on an overhead cam engine was my first step.
>Later on I fully rebuilt at least half a dozen engines. (Including a
>Harley that I still ride.)
>
>Back to your engine.
>
>Cracked Cylinder is a MUCH worse situation than a cracked cylinder
>head. Its possible that the problem might be only a head gasket.
>(which you'll have to remove the head to replace)
>
>You can replace a cylinder head without removing the engine from the
>car. You can probably buy a used cylinder head from a local junkyard
>(or, again - ebay). The gasket sets you'd need are available from any
>parts store.
>
>HOWEVER. In my experience, oil consumption has been an indicator of
>bad rings or scored cylinder walls. It might be that your oil burning
>is gradual enough that you cannot "see it" and the catalytic converter
>MIGHT be hiding the evidence....
>
>Consider this. The oil is going SOMEWHERE. Is quart after quart going
>from your cylinder head to your radiator? I dont think so.
>
>In the condition its in, it probably wont pass a safety inspection (not
>unless they dont worry about emissions and backup lights where you
>live). That's probably not going to work for you if you intend to
>drive it for three more years - so youre obviously going to have to do
>SOMETHING.
>
>It could be that by allowing your oil to get so low that you have done
>some real damage to your engine and it just might be such junk now that
>an entire replacement is in order.
>That could be done for a little bit over a thousand dollars with a
>salvaged engine.
>
>Is the car still running well? Any obvious oil leaks? Seriously
>cracked heads allow water from the cylinder head into the cylinders
>which makes a very steamy cloud from your exhaust and create so much
>pressure in your cooling system that it wont even hold water anymore.
>
>You really should have watched your oil consumption VERY carefully.
>Especially since your driving a Saturn. The part about driving it for
>over a thousand miles without checking the oil makes me CRINGE.
>
>You might want to do a cylinder compression test. If you take it to a
>shop, ask them how much for a full cylinder leakdown test to diagnose
>problems you've noticed they might not take you for a chump and it
>could result in enough information to determine the cause. Who knows,
>maybe you've just got a horrible valve guide situation.
>But be sure to get a quote first and totally limit what work they do.
>Dont just take it to someone and tell them you dont know what the
>problem is and "please fix it".
>
>Post any additional information. We will be watching. This could be
>an excellent learning experience for you, and not just the kind where
>you end up getting screwed!
>-WaVy
>
wrote:
>> I bought my 98 SL2 less than a year ago from a local used car dealer
>> here in WV. It had 119,000 miles on it, and drove very smooth. I
>> THOUGHT I did my homework. I did a CarFax report on it, came up
>> perfectly clean. I took it to a good mechanic BEFORE I bought it who
>> told me it was in excellent condition.
>>
>> Well, I drove the car from WV to FL, because thats where I go to
>> college, and when I get there I see there is no oil left in the car. I
>> had just gotten rid of an older car that burnt oil like crazy, so I
>> didnt really think much of it other than to fill it up and watch what
>> happens. Well it didnt leak, I never saw it burn in the exhaust, the
>> only connection I could make is that it only appeared to lose oil when
>> I drove long distances. Yet it still seemed somewhat random. This
>> summer, I drove 3 hours to go camping to find the oil empty, filled it
>> back up, and on the drive back no oil had burnt at all.
>>
>> In the past few weeks it seems to be losing oil faster than usual, and
>> the coolant light in the dash is coming on about 75% of the time the
>> car is driving. So, last night I got online and started looking up the
>> problem and found out about the whole "cracked cylinder head" (?)
>> situation, and needless to say, it shocks me. It fits my situation
>> perfectly, and I did indeed find oil inside the coolant.
>>
>> I am a college student, and barely have enough money for gas, let alone
>> an in depth engine job like this. The dealer I got it from will most
>> likely be of no help, and since I don't really know what im talking
>> about when it comes to cars, I dont want to get screwed over on this.
>>
>> I was wondering if anyone could help me with this...
>> 1) I want to make sure that it is indeed a cracked cylinder...is this
>> possible without pulling the engine out entirely?
>> 2) What exactly should I tell the service people so that they dont try
>> to charge me for some extraneous costs and/or fix the proper thing?
>> 3)I've heard that Saturn's Customer Service can be finaggled into
>> paying for some of the bill for this, since its was *almost* a recall.
>> Is this true? and how can I pull it off?
>> 4) Is there anywhere, perhaps other than a commercial repair manual,
>> that I might be able to find more information about this problem with
>> the engine? Ive seen the words "cylinder head" and "head gasket" used
>> almost interchangably when talking of this problem, and Id like to know
>> what the difference is, if any.
>>
>> Other than this, the car runs pretty well for a used car...the "lock"
>> button on the drivers side went out, and the back passenger side power
>> window seems to have died...and my reverse lights...but those all seem
>> fairly trivial. Anyway, any help I could get on this would be greatly
>> appreciated...im hoping to make this car last at least another 3 years!
>> Hope its possible!
-----------------
The SnoMan
www.thesnoman.com