Saturn head gasket

[ernie]

My daughter's 1996 Saturn coupe SC1 SOC 150000miles uses antifreeze. I think this is an early head gasket leak. I have read that Saturn puts Supplement Pellets in their new cars. p/n 21007224. This a water pump lube and sealent. Has anyone here tried that product and does it work. The net is full of stop leak products but do any of them work. I ran the car for two hours today and there was a small amount of white smoke out the tail pipe after two hours ( lot of white smoke at startup) Thanks Ernie

 

[James1549]

I would consider getting the head gasket checked/changed and the head checked. Do this before you cause damage to the engine. The leak must be minor at this time, but will get worse.

The reason it is not smoking much yet is because it is minor leak and compression is keeping most of it out of the cylinder when it is running. Once the engine is shut off, the coolant system pressure is forcing coolant back into cylinder to fill with coolant. Then when you start it, it is trying to burn the trapped coolant causing steam. Sometimes this will cause a spark plug misfire until the coolant is forced out. Even after the coolant is forced out of the cylinder, it will keep steaming until the converter has burned it.

This is no good because some of the coolant can get past the rings and into the crankcase and then mixing with the oil. Once the coolant is mixed in the oil, now you are taking a chance of ruining the bearings.

Also that coolant in the cylinder is washing all the oil away causing premature wear in the cylinder wall.

GET IT FIX before it is too late!

James

 

[TheLastDonSC2]

If it takes a while to make it "smoke", it sounds more like a common failure on the SOHC, an intake manifold gasket leak. I would look for coolant near cylinder 3 & 4. Almost guarantee it is leaking there..... I see it quite frequently as a saturn tech. Hope it helps...

 

[ernie]

Intake manifold gaskets seems to be a common problem with GM cars these

days. I just had the gasket changed on my 2001 Buick.
I added Bar's leaks to the antifreeze same as Satun p/n 21007224 ( I am told) and so far that has stopped the leak. If it re-appears I will change the intake manifold it does not look as involved as the buick. Thanks Ernie