headgasket

[george nimmer]

Yes, my '85 4kq blew a hg this summer and displayed this identical symptoms.
rough running, white smoke (extra thick on cold startup), exhaust smells of
coolant.  Also, when I changed the oil, it came out chocolate-brown colored
and very wattery.  I had to add a half gallon of coolant every 30 mins to keep
it cool for the day or so before the hg was changed.

Mine failed b/c the radiator was the original 18+ year old part and didn't
work well at all.  I just wasn't watching the temp gauge closely and I guess
just a quick overheat was enough to blow it.

IMO, an hg job on an I5 is a royal PITA.

George
'84 & '85 4kq's

>
>boy that really sounds like what my car did when >the hg let go..
>
>rough idle, white smoke, stinks of coolant, etc.
>
>bummer.
>
>jim
>

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A friend of mine has got a 90q (10v) which has started smoking a lot
lately. It's cold here now, so I know that moisture in the exhaust
makes some smoke, but this car smokes thick, the exhaust really stinks
and it idles very rough.. The exhaust is white in color. I don't
really know what it smells like. It might smell a bit of coolant, but
these engines are not known for blowing head gaskets?

A radiator hose popped off recently, and he drove about 1 mile after
the low coolant warning lighted up. Could this cause a blown head
gasket?
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