Yellow Sludge around Oil Cap

[JCL]

Originally Posted by bajohntrini

Hey guys,

So turns out I'm pretty sure I'm screwed and I really need your guys' help and advice. Since taking those longer trips, I haven't been noticing much of that yellow sludge so I'm pretty sure it was just due to the cold trips. But now coolant keeps going down and my dipstick is way overflown and really runny when I check it, even when the car has sat overnight in -20.

I'm pretty sure from reading all over that my head gasket is blown. I think the overheating issues I had over the summer had something to do with that.

That burnt smell is also getting worse when stopped/idling after driving a while, and it's definitely noticeable at the front of the car when you get out.

It sucks tho because she seems to run perfectly fine, but I guess it must be a ticking time bomb now till the blows.

I called a local indy that used to be the foreman at the dealer here and he said those head gasket jobs start at around $3000 and can go up really quick cus they normally find things warped and whatever afterwards, and he's saying sometimes it's better to get a motor swap done and that's around $10000. I really don't have the money for this and want to know what you guys think I should do.

I'm a good DIY'r, but this head gasket seems over my head. Especially if something else is wrong once I get in there. Should I man up and try it? Should I drive it into the ground? I'm pretty stressed now as this is my only vehicle, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks guys.

If you are losing coolant, and your oil level is higher than it should be, then it is a good bet that coolant is finding its way into the sump. Yes, that can be expensive.

I would find a shop that you trust. It isn't a DIY job unless you are going to just replace everything. Have the shop take the head off and see what they find. Could be a gasket, could be a crack. If it has overheated, then yes, it can get expensive quickly. These engines don't like being overheated, and heads can warp, etc. But until you get it pulled apart, you won't know.

You can have them do some diagnosis first. They can pressurize the cooling system, and see if it holds pressure over time. But at this point, I think you are already past that.

Don't keep driving on a mixture of oil and coolant, it doesn't lubricate very well.

Good luck, and let us know once they get into it what they find.