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Car Forum / Saab Cars / May 2006Head Gasket Blown Is this the end for my 9000CS
On my way home from work the car overheated ,the cooling fan didnt kick in . I stopped the car and saw the coolant was empty .Refilled with coolant adn made it home .White ish smoke from the exhaust and the oil was coffee coloured Steam/liquid /goo escaping from the engine manifold . I had foolishly used semi synthetic oil for the last oil change and think that had something to do with it .The oil level was very low. Is this motor beyond repair ?It has only 115k miles on the clock. There should be a "Check Radiator" message on the dashboard if the coolant level falls too low. > On my way home from work the car overheated ,the cooling fan didnt kick > in . [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > think that had something to do with it .The oil level was very low. > Is this motor beyond repair ?It has only 115k miles on the clock. Sounds like a blown head gasket. Not necesarily beyond repair, depending on how long you drove it in an overheated condition. Using semi-synthetic oil was not a foolish thing. You'll want to drain the oil out of it very soon (it has water in it and you don't weant that sitting in the crankcase). Then pull the head (or have someone do that) and determine if it was just the head gasket. If so, that is not that big of a deal.  Signature-Fred W The Check Radiator Light didnt come on .I think there was enough coolant in the system . I didnt drive too far when I saw the engine was over heating ,probably about ten miles all told . I am going to have it seen to by my mechanic and hopefully get it back on the road . I ll drain the oil out straight away .Thanks for the tip. > The Check Radiator Light didnt come on .I think there was enough > coolant in the system . > I didnt drive too far when I saw the engine was over heating ,probably > about ten miles all told . Ah. That would be a definition of "too far", I think. Coolant emergencies aren't something you can drive home with. I let the engine cool down ,called my wife and she arrived with a refill of coolant .Filled it up and drove home .My wife following behing told me late about the plumes of white smoke or steam from the exhaust..When I pulled the bonnet and turned on the ignition you could see steam and liquid escaping from the manifold.. Does all this sound "too far gone" ? > I let the engine cool down ,called my wife and she arrived with a > refill of coolant .Filled it up and drove home .My wife following > behing told me late about the plumes of white smoke or steam from the > exhaust.. Not good. > When I pulled the bonnet and turned on the ignition you could > see steam and liquid escaping from the manifold.. Very not good. > Does all this sound "too far gone" ? Well, there's a gasket between the head and intake manifold, of course. That gasket does deal with some coolant, so it's possible that that's all you lost. I haven't followed the thread, sorry if you've answered this aready, but you could have white smoke from the exhaust and _not_ have a blown head gasket, if the coolant was getting into the combustion through the air intake. That is consistant with what you're describing. Can you do a compression test on the engine? If you have all 4 more or less equal (post the numbers please) you may be perfectly fine with just an intake manifold gasket, which isn't horrible at all on that engine. If it's the head, me, I'd fix it, but it depends on if you do your own work or of you'd be paying more than the car can be replaced for. Where physically are you? The group may be able to suggest a local resource for you if you're not planning to do this yourself. Dave Hinz I can have a compression test done on the engine .I wouldnt attempt to do the work my self but I have a good relationship with a mechanic who might take it on (or my nephew who works part time in Halfords and is car mad .The 9000has sentimental rather than monetary value . There didnt appear to be any loss of power and I think the car has some life in it yet. I live in County Galway ,Ireland and have the workshop space in my garage. > I can have a compression test done on the engine .I wouldnt attempt to > do the work my self but I have a good relationship with a mechanic who > might take it on (or my nephew who works part time in Halfords and is > car mad .The 9000has sentimental rather than monetary value . > There didnt appear to be any loss of power and I think the car has > some life in it yet. I'd strongly suspect intake manifold gasket then, if the head gasket was involved I'd think you'd see performance problems. Any coolant in the oil? (white froth on the dipstick)? Hopefully you say no. Not definitive, but helpful to know. > I live in County Galway ,Ireland and have the workshop space in my > garage. If it's an intake manifold gasket, and if your nephew is comfortable with a very straightforward gasket job, your home garage will be more than sufficient. I've not done it in a 9000 but I know that engine and unless there's something seriously in the way that isn't like that on the 900, it's not bad at all (a few hours including breaks for swearing). Please feel free to ask specific questions once you get your compression test. The car has been lying up for two weeks .I dipped the oil and it looks ok although I recall it being creamy at the time . The coolant reservoir appears to be completly empty at this stage. I will order the part(s) talk to my nephew and keep you posted. . Thanks for your advice and help. |
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