I have a Z24 1996. 130 000KM
1. What are the signs of a head gasket going?
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It's the 2.2 with the head gasket problem. But, besides that, whiter exhaust smoke, 'wet' spark plug tips, small hints/trails of fluid starting at the block/head seam, contaminated oil, darker fluid showing up in the coolant overflow tank, sweet smell of coolant with HVAC controls set for fresh air, and the most obvious, system constantly needing topped off.
I can give you a small list, but sometimes its not the head gasket, sometimes is the cylinder-head that it might be cracked. and it doesn't matter what you drive 2.2 or 2.4 you can still blow the head-gasket or crack the cylinder head.
2.2s do it more because the head-gasket desing is all wrong. its the GM way
Get a better head-gasket. stronger, thinker and do it right.
Don't say, its a 2.4 its impossible to blow the head gasket. that's not a fact.
1. Overheating in traffic
2. Lossing coolant
3. Overheating as soon as you stop
4. Horse power lost
5. Have heardly any heat
6. Cooling system's pressure gets too high
7. Coolant coming out from the overflow
8. Coolant smell
9. Engine Sputters
10. Overheating with no leaks
11. Overheating after driving 20-30 miles
12. you drive your car, GREAT!!! but then overheats WTF
13. Coolant mixed with DEXCOOL
Remember, the thermostat will stay close because there's combustion gasses from the cylinder head.
also, some people can really rip you off on this.
They say is the water pump and charge you 800.00 dollars at the dealer and then they say ooops! you blew the head gasket too because you let it over heat.
if you really really want to know if you have a blown head-gasket or cracked cylinder head?
"DO A CARBON DIOXIDE TEST ON THE COOLING SYSTEM TO TELL YOU IF C02 IS GOING INSIDE YOUR COOLANT" You can get one at your local store.
Good luck!
hahaha sorry I said coolant mixed with DEXCOOL.
is OIL MIXED WITH COOLANT
Nice!
I'll concede the 2.4 as a possibility. The 2.2 had the recall on it, the more 'popular' failure. Symptoms still the same. GM installed an alignment pin ('C' in cross-section) in the 2.2's head by the #4 cylinder such that the open part faced a coolant passage. Real easy for coolant to 'eat' away at the gasket, hence the failure. Once re-oriented, open part faces outside the block, no more worries (sort of). Oddly enough, the pin by #1 cylinder WAS installed open part facing the outside of the block. WTF!!
I don't know but We answer this questions over and over and we give the same answers.
Yes 2.2s had a recall for blown head gaskets and some people know this stuff but they ask anyway
how many times do we have to answer this over and over
I think its time to make this a Sticky.
we have a sticky for no heat, and sometimes when you blow the head gasket you have no heat. Blower speeds don't work and AC don't work its kinda the same AC topic.
So
Anyway
I vote for this post to be a sticky or creat a new head gasket sticky post and maybe*** a Sticky for the water pump too
Good Luck!
