I know the most common cause is the head gasket which I'm dreading completely... but I was just curious if there was anything else that could cause it, like a leaky water pump perhaps?

Also, for those of you who have ran these engines with slight head gasket leaks, how long did it last before @!#$ting out totally?

You could drive with a blown head gasket as long as you don't stop. when you stop the car overheats in seconds depending on how bad the leak is. sometimes the leak is so bad that you can't drive at all.
if you drive the car and it goes to the red zone or goes over the 3/4 mark is going to get worst the more you drive it.
do not try to add any stop leak because it will also stop the radiator.
bottom line is, don't drive if it gets to the red zone.

And yet, people still try to make it that last mile on an engine that is way overheated, only to have the engine stop running in a dramatic puff of black smoke. The shame.


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We all drive in a yellow Cavalier...

Yeah I'm pretty straight on not overheating the car, warping the head is the absolute last thing I want to do. Anyways, I'm still driving the car, its not showing any signs of imminent failure yet. I'm kind of wondering if perhaps its not the water pump leaking coolant into the timing case area. Because I notice it more so on the oil cap than I did when I changed the oil. The cap usually gets some sludge on it after driving, but when I last changed oil which I think was the day I posted, there was only a trace amount of coolant in the oil, 2 - 3 tablespoons of chocolatey brown color opposed to the rest of the 4 quarts of normal colored oil...

Anyways, this sucks, thanks for the replies guys. Anymore insight from anyone is always worth reading,