1998 lumina 3.1

[richlover27]

how would you know if its your intake gaskets or head gasket bad if you have water in your oil.and when i change it out,will the tapping noise stop.it just started tapping when i noticed water in my oil.i know the 3.1 engine makes noise but this is different.thanks in advance

[Retardo]

Tapping noise is probably nothign more than the valves. Some engines tap when they're cold, others tap when its warm. It's normal, but nothing more than metal expanding and contracting. It's nothing that's going to damage the engine.

As for water in the oil, you'll notice white gunk on the filler cap, down in the valve area inside the covers, and the oil would look milky on the dipstick. A good way to find out if water is actually going inside the motor is to get a perm. marker and mark a line on the coolant box when the engine is cold. Then go drive the engine so it's good and warm for about 5-10 minutes, then let it cool back down. Compare the water line to the line you made with the marker. This is a good way to tell if water is leaking, but it's not the BEST.

As for intake and head gaskets, if you have water in the oil, and oil in the water (in the radiator/coolant box), it could be either one. If it's the head gasket, you'll have steam coming out of the exhaust, since the water will be burnt in the combustion chambers and exhausted out of the engine. If it's the intake, you'll just have water in the oil, and oil in the water. It could be a cracked head, but that's not likely possible.

I had an intake gasket go out on my 3.1 about 2 months ago. One of the water jackets were clogged in the lifter valley, which caused so much pressure in that area that it blew the gasket in 2 places. Filled the engine with water within a matter of seconds. The car was stuck in traffic, couldn't move due to traffic. Decided to drive it on home once traffic started moving since the engine's temperature guage never hit "hot", nor did the "hot" engine light come on. Since the transmission uses an transmission fluid cooler up in the radiator and is also cooled by the engine coolant, all the water went inside the engine, therefore causing the transmission to overheat. Well, it burnt the transmission slap to pieces. Stick it in drive and you could feel it engage into drive, but giving it gas didn't budge the car.

I'd get the problem looked at or fixed as soon as possible. If there is water in the engine, it could possibly warp internal parts, which could lead to perm. damage, or $$$