random headgasket issue?

[nickdalzell1]

Ever since I drove in temps -2F it never forgave me. Lately ive been slowly losing coolant with no leaks in sight. Now heater is completely dead even with coolant, but my car tends to overheat. Sometimes it runs extremely rough and a cloud of white smoke shoots out back. No milkshake oil and it tends to fix itself and runs great for weeks then does the symptoms again. Seems to happen most below freezing. Is it possible for head gaskets to fail then fix themselves? ive had cars fail there but they always puff white all the time, oil turns brown and eventually develops rod knock. None of that seems to happen, it just runs like crap, tends to overheat and I never lose oil pressure.

[J Wikoff]

That is weird. I'd most suspect the LIM gaskets though. Not as common as on Series II, but it happens. So do headgaskets, but rarely.

[nickdalzell1]

Do LIM gaskets fail like headgaskets? This seems to exhibit two headgasket related symptoms-loss of coolant then overheating, but cures itself and runs well for weeks later. A similar thing happened when the water pump gave up. It did this for a week after like as if the engine changed shape and such. Not sure how things happen with aluminum blocks, been around carburetors and cast iron engines most of my life.

EDIT water is in one cylinder. Rear of engine, plug on driver side. Water hydrolocked it. Still no water in oil or any other problems.

[RJolly87]

Sounds like the gasket/seal between the lim and uim has failed. 92's use the aluminum uim and seal with goop. The seal for the throttle body passage is probably gone. Coolant flows somewhere, usually the easiest path. With the aluminum uim, it is usually the closest intake runner on the drivers side. Usually later models wth the plastic leak externally. Overheat can be running out of coolant or air pocket.

[nos4blood70]

Headgaskets are very rare on any 3800. Sounds like the motor needs a gasket refresh. Remove all the sparkplugs and crank the motor to expel any water in the cylinders.

[SSEBonne4evr]

Head gaskets are rock solid on these cars, your problem is the intake gaskets.
Follow the advice here and replace the gaskets.

[RJolly87]

Yup, plan on a lim job, because those gaskets age with time as well.

[nickdalzell1]

yup, it's the LIM gasket. i found one cylinder full of water. it will run so long as i don't fill it up all the way but it eventually overheats. hoping it's not as much a PITA as the water pump. that engine mount sucked.

[J Wikoff]

Did you drain the coolant and swap the oil out with fresh cheap stuff, then run it for several seconds to pump it around yet?

[nickdalzell1]

no, the oil was not affected. i did try flushing the cooling system (as much as i can in temps below zero--have no garage which helps none!) but if i fill it up to capacity it fills the cylinder which hydrolocks it even if the engine is off when i do the filling, then slowly drains through the muffler. once that happens and i dry the cylinder out it is fine again. it will run normally so long as i keep it no more than half full of coolant. unfortunately i won't be able to do any repairs until Spring. i'm not cold weather tolerant. All i can do until then is limit my driving and take short trips. it's been so cold that wherever i drive to never warms the engine up anyway (never gets past 100 usually, highest is 200-210 if i can trust the temperature gauge). i got a can of that quick fix junk but am shy to try it.

[J Wikoff]

I wouldn't trust the gauge. The sensor won't be in coolant. If you wait, you're gonna lose your engine.

[Jfridge92]

Get it done quick. If there's coolant hydrolocking it, all it takes is one try to start and you'll bend/snap a connecting rod and can kiss your motor goodbye. If it's also leaking that bad, there's a pretty good chance you're getting coolant in the oil/bearings, you just might not be able to see it.

[ChilinMichael]

Don't wait...do this job. Make certain to change out the oil, even if you are sure it hasn't been affected. You're asking for bye-bye motor otherwise.

[RJolly87]

I agree with everyone, this car needs to come off the road while it can still be saved (like now).

Just filling, not any pressure, just filling, is causing water go through the failure (LIM or otherwise), through the intake valve, filling the cylinder, flowing out of the exhaust valve, through the exhaust system (catalytic converter included) until it flows out the muffler.

There are one of 2 places it can be leaking, between the LIM and UIM (Where I first mentioned), or it is the LIM gasket itself. If it is the LIM gasket itself, you are sucking coolant across a gasket, and by some miracle, not dumping it in to the crankcase, you are very lucky, and it is only a matter of time before it does. I am surprised the engine vacuum is not sucking the coolant even with it being low.

It's bad, and it won't be getting any better. You are flirting with disaster. These engines can take a lot, but when they go down, they go down hard and fast.

[nickdalzell1]

if it weren't intolerable cold out and if it weren't for the fact i have no other vehicle (other than a moped--good luck driving that in temps below zero) i'd be either driving a spare or getting it done. and with work coming Monday i have myself in quite a spot. this really isn't the time of year i need to be outside. snow, ice, cold, no garage. from what i read online it's not hard to do, but still enough that i won't be very handy with frozen fingers.

[quicksilver]

If water was able to get into a cylinder and then leak out the muffler eventually, then it was also able to leak into your crankcase. The piston rings are able to seal the cylinder when under compression, but when the engine is not running, they will let fluid by. It might not be much, but it'd be enough to make me wanna stand out in the cold and get it done. Ive done an engine swap in 10° weather for four days so I could have a vehicle to drive. It wasnt fun at all and the steel toe boots made the whole experience even worse. Just layer up as much as possible and dive in. Take as many breaks as you need to stay warm, and keep a stash of fresh coffee on hand, youll need it.

[quicksilver]

Get yourslef some of those nitrile dipped gloves, they have some that are meant for winter and are nice for keeping your hands warm and allowing you to work with tools. Since its your only car, id say you have no choice but to do this, if you don't your liable to overheat it and do serious damage, or you will slowly kill the engine cause water is getting sucked into the crankcase. I understand that your caught between a rock and a hard place right now, but I wouldnt want to shell out the money it would cost for another engine, or car.

[nickdalzell1]

Drove it this week and all of a sudden it's working fine. except now it never warms up. I just drove home from work and the engine was literally cool to the touch. idle never goes down from 1500rpm (cold idle) and no heat (of course). think my thermo stuck open after the overheating it did a few weeks ago. either the quick sealer i'm using until it warms up has temporarily fixed the gasket or the cold weather is helping. it's not misfired a lick and hasn't shot any more steam out back. oil remains clean of coolant, engine isn't making any noise. i'm seriously keeping driving to a minimum as I have no other vehicle and can't tackle this until I finally pick me up a Chevy truck later this Spring, then I can have all summer to work on the car. I work 8-5 each day and spend my weekends out grocery shopping and the laundry. I literally have zero time to do any work. i'm always needing my car. and if I do something stupid and crack a manifold (the one on top feels like plastic?) i'm screwed and then have no job and no money.