hey guys i just bought a 91 vw jetta from the car auction on saterday as a beater car. I just noticed that the radiator fluid is light brown. Now does this mean the car has a blown head gasket or is it just that the fluid needs changing? i took it for a 20 min drive and it was real smooth no problems or anything. Please give me your inputs thanx again.

i bought the car for 2500 cdn and it has 176000km on it. its a jetta carat 4 door 5speed. i thought it was a good deal, i hope it still is.

 

Change the fluid real soon. A leak in the head gasket might show up in the oil also - I would change that soon also. Just like you plan to use it as a beatter some other person probably did and didn't keep up with the maintenance.

 

if there was a leak in the head gasket what would the oil on the dip stick look like

 

It would also be discolored. Considering that the coolant is already brown it would be hard to spot if it's in the oil. Just change both soon and see what happens.

 

actually fuck i think it does have a leaky headgasket i just took it for a drive and the dip stick had air bubbles. son of a bitch. any idea on how much it is at the shop for a fix??
thanx for your help biker

 

I wouldn't panic just yet. As I said change both fluids and see what happens. Besides the several hundred $ for the head gasket change who knows what else might be found wrong once the engine is apart - not something you want to start on a '91 beater.

 

Biker is right about the oil becoming discolored. I've owned some real POS's. If I recall my own experience correctly, the oil became a light, "milky" brown and it was a little frothy. It definitely wasn't black like old oil or honey colored like fresh oil. .........As far as your coolant, it might just be really old. Also,straight H2O that isn't changed often will turn brown just from normal corrosion. The previous owner might have allowed the water/coolant mix run way too low on coolant and now the mix reflects the brown in the water.. .....I hope the problem is fixed with a simple coolant change. Good luck.

 

BTW, if there is coolant in your oil it is probably either from a blown head gasket or a cracked block. The head gasket might have blown because the head warped. That would mean having the head replaced or milled flat at a machine shop.

 

what are the implications for driving with a leaky headgasket??

 

H2O in the oil degrades the oil. Bad oil = bad lubrication. You can figure out the rest.

 

so are you sayin that if i just change the oil more frequent then i could be fine??

 

No. ......It's a necessary repair. How much can you do yourself?

 

None in the short term. You might observe a leaky head gasket from the outside - fluid leaks, or from the inside - foreign stuff in either the coolant or oil. The former should be obvious, you need clean fluids to start with to observe the latter. You might also notice something in the exhaust - you should have nothing abnormal coming out the tail pipe.

 

i can't do very much myself. I think i am just gona sell it then and hopefully get my money back. thanx for all the help guys. This has got to be the shortest car purchase ever. 2 days

 

Yes, definitely changed both fluids and then observe for a while.

 

hmm interesting so i spent the whole day on google trying to find some solution to my problem. I've come across the engine block sealent products. Has anyone here ever used that stuff, i read great reviews on how it seals cracked blocks and head gaskets.
your feed back is appreciated

 

I know ZIP about doing mechanical work, BUT…

This sounds like a pretty big investment of time and funds for a beater. You might do better to DONATE the car to that Best Buddies program (for the tax bonus) and try to find a less delicate beater to, well, beat.