Q: Possible blown head gasket?
I recently just bought this car as a project car. The car was being driven without an air intake and aftermarket headers on. Possible transmission leak and definite coolant leak. I replaced the overflow tank but I could still smell the sweetness that accompanies burning coolant. I was continually putting more coolant in to keep the engine from overheating before I replace the engine. I need the car to work for a while yet so I can keep driving it while saving for the new engine. Anyways, I checked my car yesterday as it was seemingly starting to overheat and it was out of coolant. I got a friend to deliver coolant to me and parked, but I was watching and checking the engine and as I pulled off the radiator valve it smelled like fuel was in where my coolant was. Now, I'm assuming this is a blown headgasket and nothing much more than that. If not could you tell me what it would be and the steps I could go about to start repairing the engine.
My car has 200000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.
I believe you are on the right track. Anything mixing with coolant or oil is a definite blown head gasket. However, you may even have a cracked head due to the fact that you are running out of coolant. Check the oil and see if the oil is a milky color. This is a definite sign too (however these aren’t the only signs). You will need to take your car to a local shop and have them see if they can repair your car. Good luck and I hope you can get your car running properly again.
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