Radiator Problems?

I have a 92 toyota paseo and have just recently noticed a sweet smell coming through the vents into the car. Once in a while I can see a blueish tint to the exhaust (though there isn't much visible exhaust most of the time) I have had to watch my antifreeze levels and my oil levels and fill up about once a month.
Is this a cooling system problem, what might be the causes, and the fixes for it and can it be done myself (moderate amount of mechanical skill but lacking resources and have no special tools for vehicle repair)

Any and all help is appreciated

Tools may be available for you to rent at Autozone or one of the other chain parts stores.
Blueish tint to your exhaust can be indicative of burning oil. Do a compression on the motor.
Coolant leaks can come from anywhere in the cooling system. Although since it is coming into the passenger compartment I would suspect the heater core.
Pressure test the cooling system to identify the leak(s) and repair accordingly.
Get a repair manual, repair manuals can show you testing procedures and provide instructions on how to make repairs.

A compression test shows "good to fair" (had a trusted garage do it)
They looked at the coolent in the system and it is very dark for what it should be (the green type coolent) and it has bits of "stuff" floating in it. Could this be a sign of a bad head gasket... if so what are my options?

Dark dirty coolant, means your cooling system should be flushed. Stuff floating around in it might possibly mean someone has put some stop leak in there.
You mention head gasket, why? Is your car overheating? Do you have water in the oil?
If you are smelling coolant in the passenger compartment then check the heater core, hoses going to the heater core, and the heater valve for leaks.
Blueish smoke coming from the tail pipe is indicative of burning oil. Oil can get into the cumbustion chamber through worn valve guides, bad piston rings, maybe someone else can name a couple of more reasons. Due to the age of the vehicle and the fact you are not complaining about performance, I wouldn't worry about it now.
The cooling system on the other hand needs to be serviced and repaired. Coolant fumes are toxic. Servicing the cooling system should only require basic tools. A temporary fix for a leaking heater core is to bypass it. You won't have heat or fumes in the passenger compartment if you do this.
autozone.com has some free repair guides available. Read the ones for your car and become familiar with the cooling system and determine if it is a job you want to take on. Haynes manuals are not that expensive and are available at most parts stores.

if there is a bluish tint to your exhaust, it can also mean your burning oil, and then the reason your burning oil could be a number of things, valves, seals, cadalledic converter, etc.

Turns out the problem was a cracked head gasket... such a bummer. I found this out on a road trip to LA from Missoula MT. Talk about a learning experience... my fault really...

If you guys can let me know some options that I have (I'm only a college student so I'm short on money) If I have to put a couple grand into a car that will be reliable and work for a while though I'll do it...

Thanks for your effort though guys

Replace the head gasket yourself.

ya, head gaskets are fairly cheap, around $50 - $150 i'd say, its the labour that kills you. but if you dont know what your doing though, have it professionally done. unfortunately, if you go that route, it's gonna cost you anywhere's from $600 - $800 (close to a $1000). and lets hope the timing belt doesn't need to be replaced either because thats another $900 easily.

I've certainatly thought about replacing it. The only thing is that my engine is high milage 165,000, and I am very worried that there might be more problems than the head gasket that come with a car that overheated. I don't want to put too much money into the car if it's just going to break down again.

Are my fear founded... is it still worth it to replace the head gasket? What other things would I need to look at?

yes, that is true, something else always may be wrong, for now I would just worry about the head gasket because thats one of the main components to the car. as for "high mileage", 165 000 i really dont consider high. my car is going on to 245 000 and it still runs like brand new, but thats besides the point.

i mean you could always go buy a junker for a car or loof for another one and drive that, but who's to say whats wrong with that one? for now, all i can really say is maybe just get a new head gasket, and if anything else is wrong, just take it one step at a time, have them do like a 60 point inspection or something while your in there though, i think thats like $80 extra, kinda costly I know, but it may be worth your time.

so go in to get the head gasket replaced, have them do a 60 point inspection 1st (let them know you want it done first) and then tell them if multiple other things are wrong or something else major is wrong, dont replace the head gasket, and maybe thats when you want to start considering a new car.

well i hope this has been of some help. good luck. ask any more questions if need be.

Just an update-

I had the car in yesterday for an all around inspection... and had the head gasket replaced. Car is running well now. I also recently came to acquire a 4efte engine from a friends car (he had it in a tercel) that he is no longer using. The tercel body isn't mch to look at (all rusted and full of holes) but I may put the engine in later. I know it to be a good engine with relatively low milage (80,000 or so)

Thanks to all for your help and patience... I appreciate it.

David

Just an update-

I had the car in yesterday for an all around inspection... and had the head gasket replaced. Car is running well now. I also recently came to acquire a 4efte engine from a friends car (he had it in a tercel) that he is no longer using. The tercel body isn't mch to look at (all rusted and full of holes) but I may put the engine in later. I know it to be a good engine with relatively low milage (80,000 or so)

Thanks to all for your help and patience... I appreciate it.

David what did it cost you for the head gasket job? there,s alot of companys that import engines with low mileage from japan. i saw some recently for as little as around $250. in l.a. question= how did the car over heat in the first place???? if you had a cooling system problem,guess what = you still may have it. better save that tercel engine!

Problems started (almost two years ago) when a roommate hit a deer with it. It started to overheat, had he radiator replaced, waterpump, and thermostat. Hoses were fine. Cooling problem didn't happen again until just recently when I had a radiator flush. Then oil started mixing with the coolent and the rest followed suit.

Head gasket cost me $65 and the labor cost me $200. (I know a guy who knows a guy...) All around a cheap fix that seems to be working. Since this isn't my main car I don't foresee any problems showing for a while. I'm keeping the tercel engine... No point in not doing it.

Just a side note... watch those JDM engines... the 30 day startup warrenty doesn't do anything for you and some of the engines burn oil bad despite a compression and leak down test... The Japanese (I know it's a general statement, it's not meant to be offending, just MY experience) don't take as good of care of their engines (oil changes etc) because they know it will only need it to last them 50,000 miles or so. Just a warning... not saying ALL JDM's are bad... just a gamble like any used engine, except that you can't see them run until they are in your car... If you get one, get one with the 6 month unlimited miles warrenty... sometimes they cover oil burning engines.