Hey guys,
My car has been down for a few months now, and between school and work I've been too busy to do anything about it. Hopefully this christmas break I'll have some time to get it back up and running. I'm pretty sure the problem is a leaky head gasket, as indicated by the following symptoms:
- Front cylinder on drivers side has lower compression by about 25-30% than the other 5
- Spark plug from same cylinder is rusted to the point that the ground and electrode are one mass of rust
- If the car runs for more than 30 minutes or an hour, it will start running hot, due to a loss of coolant, but if i do this in the driveway, not a single drop leaks anywhere (its gotta be going someplace, right?)
I've checked my oil and coolant repeatedly, it does not appear the two are mixing, so im guessing theres a little crack in the head gasket from a coolant passage to that cylinder's bore.
My question is, are there any particular brand/style of head gasket I should buy? Also, even though the passenger side seems fine, I guess I should probably replace that side's gasket too while I'm at it already? Lastly, are there any other maintenance items I should take care of while I've got the top half of my motor all taken apart?
Any advice or suggestions would be welcome, Thanks guys!
I can't wait to get that black beast back on the road.
My car has been down for a few months now, and between school and work I've been too busy to do anything about it. Hopefully this christmas break I'll have some time to get it back up and running. I'm pretty sure the problem is a leaky head gasket, as indicated by the following symptoms:
- Front cylinder on drivers side has lower compression by about 25-30% than the other 5
- Spark plug from same cylinder is rusted to the point that the ground and electrode are one mass of rust
- If the car runs for more than 30 minutes or an hour, it will start running hot, due to a loss of coolant, but if i do this in the driveway, not a single drop leaks anywhere (its gotta be going someplace, right?)
I've checked my oil and coolant repeatedly, it does not appear the two are mixing, so im guessing theres a little crack in the head gasket from a coolant passage to that cylinder's bore.
My question is, are there any particular brand/style of head gasket I should buy? Also, even though the passenger side seems fine, I guess I should probably replace that side's gasket too while I'm at it already? Lastly, are there any other maintenance items I should take care of while I've got the top half of my motor all taken apart?
Any advice or suggestions would be welcome, Thanks guys!
I can't wait to get that black beast back on the road.
