Head gasket. Question

I'm buying a 98 SL2 for $500. I haven't even looked at it yet but for that price, why not. She said she was driving and it popped like running over a cup and then oil was everywhere. She was told, by a neighber, that it was the HG. My question is, could it just be an oil line that could have blown off? I did see a pic of the engine and there is oil on the exhaust manifold in front and oil sprayed, not alot, in engine bay. Also, if it is the HG, how hard to change it? If the head cracked would it pop?
Thanks for any help I can get on this subject.

Does it still run? If not, I would suspect a broken timing chain. You'll be looking for a hole in the timing cover area or it could have thrown a rod. There are no external oil lines on Saturns. Maybe you could post that pic here. That might help.

0507100954.jpg (http://sz0087.wc.mail.comcast.net/service/home/~/0507100954.jpg?auth=co&loc=en_US&id=37224&part=2)

It does still run but I guess it overheats. I hope this pic comes out on here.

I wasnt able to see the picture. And is the oil brownish, or reddish? The automatic transmission has reddish fluid in it, and has two rubber lines going from the front of the transmission to the side of the 'radiator (on the driver's side), where the transmission oil cooler is. If one of those hoses split open or come loose at the end, it would spray oil all over the place under the hood; but the oil would be a red color, or even a brownish rad. There is also an oil filter on the front of the transmission that could have blown out its gasket (though thats rare).
In this case, your car might not move, but the engine would be okay. This happened to my daughter's sl2. After replacing the oil cooler hose and putting several quarts of oil into the transmission - the car was okay, no harm done. (Though I had to spend an afternoon cleaning under the hood).

Anyway, check the motor oil (with engine off) and see if its still up on the dipstick, or is below the hatched area. If you lost very much motor oil - there would only be a drop on the bottom of the motor oil dipstick.
You can check the tranny fluid with the engine stopped, but it will only tell you if there is a lot of it missing. It could look normal even if it were a couple of quarts low - if the enginpe is not running that is.

As for it overheating; the radiators on the Saturn S series cars had a reputation for cracking, on the upper part of the driver's side - that plastic end tank, close to where the transmission cooler line connects. Its not a repairable crack, only a new radiator fixes it. So keep coolant up to the right level in the 'overflow' tank, and check it every morning.
I just replaced the water pump on my son-in-laws 96 SL1. A fine mist of coolant was spraying from the water pump whenever the engine was running, and the mist would dry up fairly quick, so the leak couldnt be seen after the car had sat and cooled down.


When I want to post viewable pictures, I put them in an album on www.photobucket.com, and just list the url of the picture.