My Great Little Car May Be Dead......Help

[JTP]

Hi folks! I'm brand new to this site and I am IMPRESSED with the knowledge that many of you have! Here's my situation. I have a 1992 Festiva that I bought five years ago. (I also have a '91 parts car that I found a couple years ago). It had 141K and now has 185K. I did all the needed repairs and have maintained it very well over the years. It has been a great car with a few problems (mostly brakes, front end, and a couple of engine seals). I got 46 MPG and it ran great until about a week ago. One REALLY cold morning (minus 22 degrees) it barely started and when it did it ran REALLY badly. Any acceleration resulted in a stall so I shut it off and used my truck. I started it again later after it had warmed up and it started much better but still didn't run right. Even though I had put dry gas in before the cold snap I thought it MIGHT be the fuel line....so I waited until it was about 30 degrees before I started it again. It started, it ran, (not well) but it put out a LOT of white exhaust. I let it warm up and the engine started to overheat. I shut it off and thought I'd take it to my mechanic the next day. NO WAY. It won't even go 25 MPH and it seems as if there is no compression at all. The white exhaust has stopped but the car continues to overheat. I am not sure if cold temps can contribute to a blown Head Gasket or not but I KNOW (from experience) that low temps CAN crack blocks. There appear to be no leaks under my "baby" but all these other symptoms are troubling. I'm planning on having it towed to the garage but I have no idea what to expect. Is there a test for a cracked block or do you have to do the head gasket first? My wife won't ride in the Festy and she would like it to be dead (I think - LOL) but I don't want to buy a new car. I'm a VERY limited "shade-tree" mechanic but I have done some work on it....valve covers gaskets, heat sensors, body work, etc. Any advice would be VERY welcomed. Thanks Folks. I look forward to your replies! JTP

[Unco]

the white exhaust would suggest coolant seeping into the cylinders somehow. a blown head gasket can occur under any temperature. a cracked block is usually caused by insufficient or total lack of anti-freeze in your coolant. if the coolant freezes, it will expand. i have heard that this can cause the block to crack. never seen it here though as we never get anywhere near freezing temperatures.

one way i found to check for BHG is to run the engine until it wams up a bit. then when it's cooled down again, pull all the spark plugs out, disconnect the ignition coil and have someone turn the key to crank the engine while you observe from a distance. if coolant comes out the spark plug holes as the engine is cranked, there's your answer.

[FB71]

Hey JTP! First, welcome! Now, let's see if we can help...

I would definately say you have a blown head gasket. UNCO made a very good point about the freeze protection level of you engine coolant. How often have you replaced your engine coolant, and did you always refill with a 50/50 mix? If the coolant is more than 60% water, you may have cracked the block or head, as -30degF will test even fresh 50/50 mix glycol/water. Now typically, the otside of the block is weaker then the cylinders, so I would expect block cracks to be external, but that isn't guaranteed. At this point, you really need to remove the cyinder head, have it pressure checked for cracks at a machine shop, visually inspect the cylinders for cracks (don't forget to rotate the crank with a socket/ratchet to view all 4 cylinders), and visually inspect the head gasket itself. You may see a rupture in one of the fire-rings around the cylinders (metal ring embedded in the gasket) leading to one of the coolant holes. If that's what you find, pop on a new gasket and hit the road!!!

[wcbarker]

Yep head gasket thats my guess also.

[jglutz]

Just alittle additional information....the head gasket may be removed and found to be in good shape but it will most likely need to be repalced because the head is warped.

The cold temp information you provide is significant. As the cold wheather sets in the warp in the head becomes more severe thus inducing all the symptons you provide. The warped head may also be loose head bolts. In any case when the head gasket is replaced...the head souls also be machined flat. Check the boclk/deck for flatnesss while your at it.

Welcome to the site.

[hawkdoc60]

Welcome to the site. I agree with everyone else on here, as far as it being a blown head gasket as opposed to a cracked block.

[elcamino1]

Welcome to the site,looks like your question has been answered!!!