1993 Ford Taurus

[quote:1a8371db5b="kjrangson"]1993 Ford Taurus 6 cyl 70000 miles

I've been having problems with my radiator leaking. My mechanic said it was because I have a crack in my head gasket, but he wasn't sure where exactly. He said it'll cost about $1500 to fix but now I'm not really sure if it's worth fixing. The car is in really good condition otherwise. I'm just not sure if $1500 is a bit steep and if I'll have future problems down the line. I want to be able to keep this car for at least another 3 years if I can help it.[/quote:1a8371db5b]

I think the price is too high. Head gaskets are a strong possibility if you have the 3.8 engine. Otherwise, I would do a bit more shopping and diagnostics. Head gasket leaks usually cause coolant to get into the oil. If the oil is clean, and free of coolant, you may have other problems - like a pinhole in a hose, a bad water pump, heater core, or intake manifold gasket.

The way the mechanic described it was that the crack is causing pressure build up when the engine is cold and when the engine warms up the pressure is released. That built up pressure is causing my radiator to leak. I had replaced my radiator last month without knowing the real problem and last week my car started to over heat. The mechanic said my radiator was obviously leaking and he ran a bunch of tests and that was the conclusion he came up with. He said he's not sure where the crack is though which is why it was going to cost a lot. He said he had to take it apart to look for it. Does that sound right? My taurus has a 3.0 liter engine not a 3.8. Should I just get rid of it and call it quits?

Oh, and I don't think coolent is leaking into my oil. How can I find out? The mechanic replaced my radiator again and the drive home was fine (as if my car had been fixed). But I haven't driven it since. I don't want to risk anymore possible damages until I know more. He also said as soon as the car starts, a hose (can't remember which) instantly fills with pressure and gets rock hard. Anyway I appreciate your response and let me know if you have anymore insight. I'm pretty ignorant about cars.

[quote:0bdd924d1f="kjrangson"]Oh, and I don't think coolent is leaking into my oil. How can I find out? The mechanic replaced my radiator again and the drive home was fine (as if my car had been fixed). But I haven't driven it since. I don't want to risk anymore possible damages until I know more. He also said as soon as the car starts, a hose (can't remember which) instantly fills with pressure and gets rock hard. Anyway I appreciate your response and let me know if you have anymore insight. I'm pretty ignorant about cars.[/quote:0bdd924d1f]

If coolant is getting into the oil, it will cause it to foam and turn a medium brown - about like a chocolate milk shake.

If you have head gasket problems, they have to manifest themselves in one of three primary ways:

1) Coolant in the oil. As described above. Also, you can just loosen the oil drian plug - only to the point that it starts to drip. Catch the drips. If there is coolant in the oil, it will settle to the bottom, and will be the first thing to drip out.

2) External leaks. Drips coming from the areas where the block and head come together. On the outside sides of the engine right under the exhaust manifolds is the most common place to see drips if a head gasket is leaking externally.

3) Coolant getting into the combustion chamber(s). This is easily spotted by removing the spark plugs. A plug that is clean and white will indicate that coolant has gotten into that cylinder. A normal plug shows a light brown coloring of the ceramic insulator on the engine side of the plug.

Is it worth it? Well, if the rest of the car is in good shape, and doesn't have a problem with rattles or rust, and the interior is still reasonable complete, clean, and comfortable, I would say yes. The 3.0 engine (not SHO), I have seen in fleets with over 300,000 miles on them and still running good and not using oil. Once you work through this problem, yours can do the same.