ANSWERS: 3
  • If you have a blown head gasket or a cracked head, you will have to have it repaired. Stop leak products will not work as the pressures and temperatures related to this type of damage are too high for it to work properly. Stop leak will work on small leaks to some extent but if you use it improperly it can damage the heater core and/or radiator in the process. Keep in mind with all of the automotive additives on the market today, if they all worked as consumers believed, mechanics would be unemployed by the thousands. There is no such thing as a "rebuild in a bottle". If it is worn out or broken , you will ultimately have to take it apart to fix it.
  • got to edmunds.com and look at the SATURN Auto group
  • This leak is not from a head gasket. When I worked at a Saturn dealer, we saw many SOHC heads with a casting flaw (crack) in one of the center cam journals. When this happens, oil can be pressureized into the cooling system causing the coolant reservoir to look sothing like a chocolate milkshake. Unfortuneately, stop leak will not fix this concern. The proper fix is to replace the head and all rubber parts in the cooling system (water pump, thermostat, all hoses, surge tank, and cap) and flush the oil out of the cooling system. We used to use cascade dishwasher detergent(powder) mixed with hot water to dissolve the powder and then pour this mix into the radiator (after removing the thermostat) before replacing any of the hoses. repeat this procedure several times to get the oil out of the coolant passages in the block. Use the block drain plug (bolt with 10mm head and aluminum washer, below thermostat on block)to help drain out all the coolant/oil mixture in cooling system. This will get the block fairly clean so you don't contaminate the new hoses with oil. You will still need to flush the cooling system after you have completed the repairs, but at least the bulk of the mess will be gone so you don't contaminate/damage the new surge tank and hoses. It is most likely cheaper to replace the engine with one from the salvage yard, since the head alone goes for about 1000 dollars.

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