Coolant Issue

[wkiml]

I own 1997 Olds 88 4 dr sedan

Just some background Last year I had a leak in the engine gasket that allowed antifreeze into my engine , this of course caused the engine to lock

My mechanic complete tore apart the engine cleaned it and replaced all the gaskets , this was a $1200 job on a $4000 car. Since than I have had numerous problems.


1- the check engine light will not shut off ( this will cause an automatic failure of inspection in NJ)

2- I have noticed that my antifreeze reserve tank needs to be filled almost every other month, yet I can't find any signs of an external leak ( no puddles or drops under the car) Does this mean i'm still leaking antifreeze into my engine. The engine temp never gets above 200 no matter how long I drive or sit in traffic.

3- I have noticed on short trips ( less than a mile) quick runs to the local store. That when I try to restart after 5-10 minutes in the store I get a smell of something burning with white exhaust smoke. Longer trips this does not happen.

Any suggestions other than running back to the mechanic, I hoping to get a couple more months out of the car ( I'm getting a newer car early spring 2007)

[maxwedge]

Welcome to AF. Upper intake manifolds are usually the issue with coolant losses, was this replaced, what is the cel code, need more info here. Get the bill and post back exactly what was done , also.

[wkiml8116]

Its wkiml had to reregister

Not sure what you mean by cel number

Itemized bill is as follows

Replace Intake manifiold
Replace Intake gasket
Gumout engine flush
Tracer engine coolant dye
Tracer engine Oil Dye
replace thermostat
Oil change
Coolant change

[manlystanley]

wkiml,
I had the same problem on my car. On these engines there is a defective part on the upper manifold that wears out. My engine seized up and had to be towed to my mechanic. After changing this part, there was no more problems.

At least to me, the mechanic doing the below items seems odd:
--> Gumout engine flush
--> Tracer engine coolant dye
--> Tracer engine Oil Dye

I say this, because, this upper manifold problem is fairly well known. When I get parts at the dealer, the parts guy every time tells me about this defect and asks me if I've had it changed.

Also, in general, white smoke is caused by coolant or water in the engine. So I don't think the mechanic actually fully fixed the original problem.

BTW, I'm a mechanic want-to-be. So I could have some terminology incorrect above.

Best Regards,
Stan

[maxwedge]

Sounds like coolant loss to me, get the car scanned for the code and post back, have the cooling system checked/diagnosed for this coolant loss, asap.

[wkiml8116]

Thanks for the suggestions guys

Looks like its another trip to the mechanic to have it diagnoised

As for the flush and dye, they thought I had originally blown the heads, when he had the engine apart the realized it was the intake manifold and gaskets.

He used the flush to clean out the entire engine and the dyes to make sure that the leak was properly sealed after he completed his work or at least that's the explanation they gave me

[sideshowbob]

The burning of coolant for a prolonged period can wreck your O2 sensor and catalytic converter. You usually need to replace the O2 sensor after these intake failures, even when it sets no code.

[njj_502]

Originally Posted by wkiml8116

Thanks for the suggestions guys

Looks like its another trip to the mechanic to have it diagnoised

As for the flush and dye, they thought I had originally blown the heads, when he had the engine apart the realized it was the intake manifold and gaskets.

He used the flush to clean out the entire engine and the dyes to make sure that the leak was properly sealed after he completed his work or at least that's the explanation they gave me

Don't want to sound like a jerk but it sounds like your mik-an-ik needs some more skewlin'

NJJ