Car Engine Troubles- Mechanics out there??

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by prarieboy

Is it possible the car is overfilled with oil?? I did this once to a honda civic and I could not believe the smoke coming out of that thing.
Oh the days of being my own mechanic.......

Not if the smoke is white.

A head gasket replacement can cost a lot of money depending on the mechanic, but I think the problem is bigger then just a head gasket.

Out of curiosty is your engine pushing any oil up through the upper part of your engine.

[Dion]

This article might be of help.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...04/ai_n8834516

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by prarieboy

Is it possible the car is overfilled with oil?? I did this once to a honda civic and I could not believe the smoke coming out of that thing.
Oh the days of being my own mechanic.......

ahh yes my GF did the same thing cause her low oil light was malfunctioning, so she filled and filled without ever bothering to check the dipstick.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

Just curious, what color is the smoke and what does it smell like? When I hear a mechanic saying he "thinks" he pinpointed what's wrong, I cringe. There's nothing stopping him from fixing it then finding out the problem still exists, leaving you with another repair bill after that one.

No disrespect man, but auto mechanics isn't always an exact science. By that I mean a symptom of a problem doesn't always lead to a single cause. Sometimes it can be multiple causes and the mechanic needs to go through a prcess of elimination to find the right solution. And yes I would cringe too, however, that's the realty of auto repair.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by prarieboy

Is it possible the car is overfilled with oil?? I did this once to a honda civic and I could not believe the smoke coming out of that thing.
Oh the days of being my own mechanic.......

or you put a quart of transmission fluid in by mistake. Doesn't do any harm but cleans out the engine and causes lots of smoke.

[Rathji]

Is your coolant level dropping? Is it discolored at all?

Either way, for 1500, go buy yourself a cheap car and run it into the ground.

[Alana Flames]

there actualy was a problem with the coolant too.... the rat. hose burst. but I got that fixed and cleaned up and it's still doing it. Also, it doesn't do it everytime, mostly if it's been sitting for a while.

looks like it's time for me to scan the bargain finder...

[Gugstanley]

very hard to diagnois over the internet. Peoples lack of car knowledge and maintenance is why I don't dare by used cars anymore. Just don't know what you are getting.

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Your Mazda Protege is a 4 cylinder, not v6. I had the same car (97 model). If someone is telling you it's v6, they lied to you.

[burn_this_city]

Private Message me if your looking for a $500 car. It's nothing special but it would likely make it thru the winter..

[eazyduzzit]

Are you sure it's a V6? I didn't think they where made with V6's, especially in 95. Only head gaskets I can find are I-4. Pop the hood and count the cylinders? hah

Definitely sounds like the head gasket to me though, how often do you have to top up your coolant?

When removing the engine bloc to replace the head gasket you can check for wear or a potentially cracked cylinder - which isn't worth fixing in your case - if all is ok the gasket isn't that hard to replace.

You should get a leakdown test done it will be around $100-120. The test will tell you the percentage of loss in each cylinder. If only 1 cylinder is loosing compression it's a minor problem, several cylinders then it's the gasket but if you are loosing over 25-30% then the engine is in need of some big repairs. Best way to find out if the gasket is blown is by doing a leakdown test also, as the coolant will bubble which means air is escaping the cylinder into the water jackets via a bad head gasket.

You can purchase the gasket for under $100 and it should only take about 4 hours to do. It's just the matter of taking apart the things in the way of the engine block, i.e. throttle, intake hoses etc. I just replaced the gasket on my Z before I store it for the winter...saved myself 2 grand atleast.

I'm leaving sunday afternoon for work up north and i'll be out there until Oct 28th and i'll have some time off. Now depending on what comes up I can't promise anything but I could do the job for you at no charge if you are willing to wait that long and pay for the head gasket kit (head bolts, gasket, vavle cover), it will all come in a kit for less than $100. I've been in your situation before and i'd be happy to lend my time if I can. I'm not sure what the deal is with you needing a vehicle and how fast but I can make the repair if nothing should arise in the meantime. Only problem is I cannot promise anything.

I just don't want you waiting that long and me not being able to do it. So i'm not sure if it's a good idea or not.

Shoot me a PM though.