1996 Lumina losing coolant, head gasket?

[roadrunner2005]

I have a 1996 Lumina with the V6 that is losing coolant somewhere but no visible leaks. Today the low coolant light came on so I added some coolant to the overflow tank. Later on in the day I noticed the temp. gauge started rising but then go back down. It repeated this cycle of heating up & cooling down a couple of times before I got home but never overheated. When I got home I noticed no leaks of any kind but my when I checked my oil dipstick I noticed the oil seemed like the color of milk choclate & was about 2-3 quarts over the full mark. Is this a head gasket problem or something else? If this is a head gasket what can I expect to pay for a repair? Mechanic rates in my area run $55-$65 a hour. Thanks.

[jeffcoslacker]

If it's the 3.1 most likely suspect is the lower intake gasket...if it didn't overheat before loosing the water there is no reason to really suspect a head gasket problem.

The fluctuations in the gauge now are probably a result of trapped air in the system...you'd have to open the bleeder screws and fill at the radiator, not the resevoir to purge this...

But with coolant in the oil, you shouldn't even drive it so that makes no difference...coolant in the oil will destroy the bottom end quick...don't push your luck...

[roadrunner2005]

I checked with a local mechanic & he suggest also changing the head gasket at additional $200 charge to be safe. I can see the reasoning since changing the intake gasket & putting back together would be horrible if it turns out to be the head gasket. What does everyone think about this? Also, was told the heads tend to warp on these 3.1 engines & can cause all sorts of problems after they are fixed.

[cf1]

Originally Posted by roadrunner2005

I checked with a local mechanic & he suggest also changing the head gasket at additional $200 charge to be safe. I can see the reasoning since changing the intake gasket & putting back together would be horrible if it turns out to be the head gasket. What does everyone think about this? Also, was told the heads tend to warp on these 3.1 engines & can cause all sorts of problems after they are fixed.

just like jeff said, the 3.1 engins are famous for intake gaskets.. i just went thru it with my 97. just change the intake and your all set. you can perform the job yourself, get a good hayns manual and do some reading here, and in a few hours your car will be on the road again..

[jeffcoslacker]

I haven't ever run across a 3.1 with a warped head that wasn't overheated until it was damn near glowing...bad head gaskets yes, but I wouldn't say they are prone to warpage any more than any other aluminum head and certainly less prone than several others I can think of...

That's kinda a judgement call...my motto is don't fix what ain't broke...I'm all for preventative maintenance but an engine that hasn't been badly cooked should run 'till it's junk on the original head gaskets...

[16th hippy]

gotta also agree with jeff on this one. do the intake gaskets. and change the oil a time or 2. look at the sides of the engine where the lower intake meets the heads and you will see fluid trails most likely. if you were also getting oil in coolant, i would investigate further. due to natural warpage, the heads may have warped enough to need a good milling job, but if it didn't overheat, i would not pull the heads. if you are mechanically inclined in the slightest, you can do the intakes, and you could even do the head gaskets too, not that hard if you follow the instructions. look at it this way, if you replace the intake gaskets youself and spend the $50 or so on parts, and it turns out to be bigger problems, then all you did was spend $50 and some of yor time to be sure instead of getting reamed for $1200+, and then for them to call and say we found problems with the heads and so on. best of luck.