lebowski2

Hey all,

Tragically, after a 2 hour car ride in (fairly warm) California, our car started to boil coolant... why exactly the coolant system failed is unclear, but the head gasket blew so it looks like it's lights out for this '95 ES300...

My question to you good people is this: Is there anything sensible I can do with the car now besides letting Cars for Causes take it to sell for parts? I am in pretty dire financial straits... this little hiccup is very nearly the last straw and I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas about salvaging it. Time/inconvenience is no object.

Thanks in advance,
Sean

vintagelex

Just get a good used engine and have someone swap it out for you, or attempt to do it yourself. Around here I've seen good engines starting at around $300.

LeX2K

How did you determined the HG's are blown?

Bdub215

iTrader: (1)

this...........

msekanha

You should try one of those Head Gasket sealer additives. I was always curious to see if it works.

Couldn't hurt to try, right?

lebowski2

Hey Guys - sorry my settings on this forum must be odd; I just got the email saying someone responded!

The mechanic checked the coolant for traces of exhaust, which was positive. If you run the car with water in the coolant tank, it runs fine but you can see a steady stream of bubbles forming in the coolant. If you rev the engine, the bubbles are formed faster so there's some kind of cross-talk between the coolant system and the pistons (or so I'm led to believe, and it makes sense to me).

That said, I've actually been driving it around town without incident... I just have to keep refilling the coolant tank with water every day or two. I can't for the life of me find the coolant leak, but just as msekanha said - since the car drives fine otherwise, I am seriously considering an engine sealant. If that worked I would be incredibly pleased. I had already set up a time to have the car towed but got cold feet at the last moment. It's looking like a good choice so far.

Does anyone have suggestions for engine sealant? Some guy on the Car Talk forums had luck with "Blue Devil".

I'll keep the thread posted! I'm incredibly curious about where the damn leak is... If the engine sealant 'fixed' the head gasket and I could find that leak... I'd say we're in business!