Possible radiator problem with 1997 Chevy Cavalier

[justing]

Hi,

I'm learning little by little about cars but hopefully sooner or later I'll be able to help someone out in the future.

1997 Chevrolet Cavalier, 123k Miles, Just bought it from someone for $1300, had water pump, fuel pump and cooling fan sensor replaced because of previous overheating issue.

My problem:
The other day my cavalier started to overheat and the coolant and engine light was on. Took it to my friend and he put a thermostat in and still same problem. The coolant leaked out of the car the first time, but he said the bolt was loose which is why he leaked. An hour later, everything tightened up, no leak it seems. Drove home and the problem is still there. I looked at the engine coolant and it still appeared to be empty like maybe it all leaked out while I was driving. When the car get extremely hot a (check gages light comes on) engine sounds like its knocking or something. Could I have blown a head gasket? I don't see any smoke or anything and I really can't afford the head gasket repair. I've been searching online and the prices seem to be $1000+. Or do I need a new radiator/hose because its leaking. The coolant light is on still when my friend first put in the thermostat the engine light disappeared but came back on as I was driving. Anyone know how much for the radiator/hoses to be fixed or any other possible problems? I'm going to be taking it to a shop next week maybe but I would like to hear every opinion, really.

[J-Ri]

There's a very good chance the head gasket is shot, even getting up to the 260 degree mark is very bad on them, but if it gets to the point it's knocking because it's hot, it's very possible that the head even warped or cracked. The knocking you hear is the fuel igniting early from the heat of the valves or spark plugs.

If you got lucky and didn't warp the head, then anything leaking needs to be replaced. Also, I believe this engine has air bleed screws. There should be one right next to the thermostat housing, and possibly another one at a high point in the cooling system. If there is air in the system it will overheat, and if you push the air out, then the coolant level will drop in the reservoir.

[justing]

Is there another way to tell if the head gasket is shot or warped? I didn't do much driving while the car was hot, just drove it home. If that is the case, is it worth fixing since I only paid $1300 for the car?

[PlanetDude]

Originally Posted by justing

Is there another way to tell if the head gasket is shot or warped? I didn't do much driving while the car was hot, just drove it home. If that is the case, is it worth fixing since I only paid $1300 for the car?

If parts were replaced before you bought it because of overheating, then it may be worse than you think.... you only drove it home..... the other guy may have driven it a lot longer.

I`d get it checked, and see what you`re up against. Also, shop around on prices for whatever repairs are needed. You probably can`t sell it that easy with a blown head, but once fixed, you could probably get a lot of use out of it, as long as you care for it.

Post back and let us know what you find out, and what you decide.

[J-Ri]

Originally Posted by justing

Is there another way to tell if the head gasket is shot or warped? I didn't do much driving while the car was hot, just drove it home. If that is the case, is it worth fixing since I only paid $1300 for the car?

Usually you can put a cooling system pressure tester on it and pressurize it to 15 PSI and let it sit for several hours, after that try to start it and if he engine is hydro-locked (won't turn over because the water in the cylinder doesn't compress) or it shoots white smoke out the exhaust when it starts up then head and/or gasket are bad.

Also, it doesn't take much driving to warp the head when it gets so hot that it runs bad, and once the coolant level is so low that there's none in the head, the temperature can easily get hot enough to melt even the cast iron block (or, rather cast iron heads), and aluminum melts at a much lower temprature.

[justing]

There is no white smoke when I start the engine. I'm getting it checked out today, so I'll let you guys know what happens. I'm praying it isn't the gasket.

[J-Ri]

Originally Posted by J-Ri

...or it shoots white smoke out the exhaust when it starts up then head and/or gasket are bad.

Originally Posted by justing

There is no white smoke when I start the engine. I'm getting it checked out today, so I'll let you guys know what happens. I'm praying it isn't the gasket.

Probably doesn't matter to you since it's in the shop already, but for anyone in the future:

I didn't word that entirely right... what I meant was after letting it sit with the pressure tester on it if it shoots white smoke. They don't usually leak bad enough for much coolant to leak into the cylinder just from the heat induced pressure. The engine cools off fairly quickly, and will lose pressure before it reaches ambient temperature. Sometimes it takes hours of pressure with the engine off to get any noticeable smoke.

[justing]

It is the head gasket. The coolant is pumping out of the tank. I'm in for a bit of a pricey fix but the shop that the car was parked in when I received it gave me a $500 estimate which I think is not all to bad. I think the damage may have been done before I bought it since it had overheating problems before.