engine concern

2002 PONTIAC SUNFIRE
77,000 MILES • 4 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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TONY71
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found white gunk on my dip stick and oil fill cap on my 02 pontiac sunfire..car runs a little rougher lately as well...any ideas
Feb 7, 2011 at 1:33 AM
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FIXITMR
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could just be cold weather condensation buildup. quite common actually. just for fun, pull your plugs and check their condition. if you aint had a tune up in a while, might as well put new 1's in. i'm always amazed how a new set of plugs can improve an engines performance. both starting and running. these days we neglect these things cause they are made to last so long.
Feb 7, 2011 at 4:43 AM
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TONY71
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the plug are less than a year old. the car has also started to hesitate accelerating.been noticing strange smells on initial start up and durring acceleration on highway...just concerned..been told from friends sounds like the warning signs of head gasket failure
Feb 7, 2011 at 10:21 AM
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FIXITMR
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if your not losing antifreeze then no need to be too concerned. and by looking at plugs now you could see if any cylinders are burning different. but yes, this could be a sign of pending gasket problem just seems unlikely on a car of this mileage unless it's been overheated?
Feb 7, 2011 at 4:23 PM