98 neon overheated, won't start

My 98 Neon water pump went out, the car overheated and was driven until the motor shut down. I got it towed home and tried starting it the next day, it cranks but won't catch. I bought a compression tester and I am only getting compression on the #3 cylinder and 30 PSI at that. Is this a blown head gasket or somthing else? I really don't want to put a lot of $ into this car. Thanks

Joel http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/images/icons/icon9.gif

'kept driving til the car shut down'

makes me think the pistons pretty much eithier got fused to the block or just plain melted..? warped the block.. idk, im pretty sure the things toast.

'kept driving til the car shut down'

makes me think the pistons pretty much eithier got fused to the block or just plain melted..? warped the block.. idk, im pretty sure the things toast.
I would have to agree with this assessment.

I agree the next step if you are going to keep the car, would be to remove the engine; for rebuilding or replacement.

even if its a blown gasket the heads need to be checked for cracks & for being worped if you are able to do your self you're still looking at hundreds at the very least
Good Luck

prolly cheaper to buy a junker neon and rip the engine out of that..

That is what I figured just wanted to make sure....appreciate all the replies....tough lesson for my daughter to learn but a valable one...

Joel:banghead:

Hi everyone, I failed to mention that the car was only driven about 3 miles, around 40 mph, maybe 5 minutes or so, would it heat up that much in that amount of time? Could it be possible that it is just a blown head gasket and what is the best way to tell if it is, tear it down?

I also own a Saturn and was on their board and saw where someone "said" they drove their car 35 minutes without coolant, could this be possible?

Thanks
Joel

Signs of a blown headgasket can be oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil.

That would be hard to believe, but who knows.

hi joe so i guess the car has been sitting since.have you done any diagnosing?are you able to to any of the mechanical?before i would
just scrap the car i would want to be sure

Yes the car has been sitting ever since. I have a 96 Saturn that my daughter is using. I am just now getting some free time to look at it. That and the wifes been nagging about it taking up space in the driveway.

I am somewhat mechanical and will try just about anything. The only thing I did was do a compression test, I didn't even replace the water pump yet. Wasn't sure if I should sink $ into it.

What would my next step, tear it down to the head gasket? Is there an easier way to determine what the problem is? If I tear it down, what should I be looking for?

I don't remember seeing anything in the oil but I will check again. I know there is nothing in the coolant as there is no coolant in the car :banghead: .

Thanks
Joel

hi joel ok if nothing has been done.remove therostat fill the radiator.(water is fine for now)crank the engine & see if you get any water coming out of the spark plugs holes.if so head gasket has blown.this is the only thing i can think of thats easy & you can do in your driveway.also check the spark plugs to see if they are wet with anti-freeze.but after sitting for mths they may have dried. good luck mike
btw you may see water coming out before you even crank engine

Ok did the water test, didnt see any water. Pulled the plugs,
#1 gas , zero compression
#2 gas & Oil, zero compression
#3 gas & Oil, 30 PSI compression
#4 gas, zero compression
On a side not, it did smoke a little

Checked oil via dip stick, looked fine, no coolant or water

Any other ideas? When the water pump went is it possible that it also affected the timing belt? I guess I should start ripping it down on the end 1st.

Also, was at the local pic-n-pull and see that they sell heads for $40, maybe I could go that way?

Thanks
Joel

If your water pump froze, then it took the timing belt along with it and probably damaged the valves as well (interference engine). That would be a pretty good assumption given your compression numbers.

hi joel when you were cranking you should be able to see camshaft move through the valve cover or you could remove valve cover.also when t-belt breaks your only turning crank.the sound from engine cranking is a very differant sound when this happens.outside of the no start does cranking sound normal?? i (guess)the w-pump could of effect t-belt but im not sure if wp is turned by t-belt.you had all plugs out when you cranked right??

When the water pump went out the car sat for about 20 minutes, was restarted and drove around 3 miles and then just shut down. Could it still be the timing belt?

hearing that joel makes me think the worst!! running after it already over heated.your going to see if belt is intac.pull tb top cover & watch while
turning the crankshaft

As for someone saying they drove a car for 35 minutes without coolant - I would say they were mistaken. There may have been coolant in the block that was boiling away, in which case I would expect it -might- run for fifteen minutes are very moderate speed before the pistons welded themselves to the cylinder walls or the bearings melted. But the innards would have been junk long before the engine siezed anyway.

The sound is the same when cranking, probably because I had the plugs in:banghead: It sounds like it wants to start but doesn't. Next nice weekend I'll give it a go and pull the TB cover, remove the plugs and see what I have. I guess at this point I should also count on at least removing the head to see what it looks like, only problem is I am not sure what I'll be looking for. Hopefully it will be obvious.

Thanks to everyone for the replies.

Joel

hi joel i unserstand the time or good weather.just make sure the water we put in is drained.i hate to see it freeze up on you. mike