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Post by phewop118 on Oct 1, 2019 23:00:06 GMT -6
Having owned 6 cars with Northstars or derivatives, I may have come across my first one with a head gasket leak My 02 Aurora 4.0 (138k miles) suddenly started experiencing temperature rising on this hot October day... Was going up a long hill and the temp just climbed almost all the way up. Cooled back off by the bottom of the other side. Coolant level was good, but little circulation, presumably due to air in the system. After it cooled, I bled off what I could with the cap off and the engine running at 3k rpm while squeezing the upper rad hose periodically. It burped out tons of air and sent a quart or more of coolant bubbling over. I refilled it and drove. After about 20 min, same thing. Plan to test the coolant for exhaust later this week. Symptomatic of a head gasket?
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Paulaurora
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Post by Paulaurora on Oct 2, 2019 8:59:17 GMT -6
Might be clogged heated core or some other issue like crossover gaskets or loss of coolant from the overflow reservoir or just water pump on its way out or belt or belt tensioner no longer working well .
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Post by phewop118 on Oct 2, 2019 11:15:38 GMT -6
It's definitely not losing coolant, except when I took the cap off and let it run. It could be a water pump issue, but the water pump and tensioner are only 4 years old. I'm going to attempt a 200 mile round trip today... Let's see what happens
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tigger
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Post by tigger on Oct 2, 2019 21:37:05 GMT -6
Do the hydrocarbon in coolant test ASAP!
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Post by phewop118 on Oct 3, 2019 23:40:22 GMT -6
Yeah I plan to get a test kit.
Just an update... I drove 300 miles the last 2 days. Only got over 240 once (on the highway doing 65mph). Definitely excessive pressure and air in the coolant though, as after driving, you could hear the air bleeding out from the pressure cap. At this point, if it is a headgaskest, I'm going to drive it as long as I can, as it's not worth the repair. I'll then use it for miscellaneous parts for the 3.5 and part out the rest before scrapping it. Hate to go that route, but I don't have any need to sink $3k into it when I have several other cars to drive. I'll definitely miss it when it's done.
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tigger
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Post by tigger on Oct 4, 2019 2:53:33 GMT -6
...as after driving, you could hear the air bleeding out from the pressure cap. Have you tried a new cap?
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Post by phewop118 on Aug 30, 2020 19:57:01 GMT -6
Well nearly a year later and I finally got a test kit. Prior to it I took the gamble of K-seal headgasket sealer in a bottle. Figured what was the worst it could do.
But the test kit almost immediately showed exhaust gases in the coolant. Managed to get another 4k miles since last year when I originally posted, but I may be seeing the 02 4.0 out the door soon. I’ll keep driving it locally for now, but I know it will only be time before I can’t even do that.
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Paulaurora
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Post by Paulaurora on Aug 31, 2020 6:30:19 GMT -6
try to use head gasket sealant fluid might help to prolong the life .
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Post by phewop118 on Sept 1, 2020 13:18:36 GMT -6
Yeah, as mentioned in my post, I tried K Seal. Put it in probably 500 miles ago, didn’t see much difference. I did the combustion gas test after trying the sealer, and it clearly didn’t work. It’s still not terrible, as I’m not burning coolant and can get about 30-40 minutes before pressure is so bad that coolant can’t circulate (and it then overheats). But I’m done with any other repairs on this Aurora lol ;( soon I will be back to two.
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Post by AuroraGirlFromMars on Sept 26, 2020 9:22:00 GMT -6
sell it before scrapping. they arent made new and its not wrecked its in need of mechanical repair or replacement, and it can help someone else or offer someone an opportunity to keep it going.
also, a new cap would be my #1, i thought i had a similar issue, but my cap went bad and would not allow my cooling system to depressurize (this was 3800)
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Post by phewop118 on Sept 26, 2020 9:45:35 GMT -6
I'm going to keep it for parts for a little while. Still driving it occasionally but on short trips. It's definitely a head gasket, as the combustion gas test changed colors when I pull air from the expansion tank. Believe me, the first thing I changed was the cap, then the thermostat, in hopes it wasn't a HG issue.
I wish I could get the damn chrome wheels to seal for more than a few weeks (tire shop had been grinding on the rim for years now and still not any better) cause they would look good on the 3.5.
I'll post it up for remaining parts when I finally do decide to get rid of it. I would never scrap her without making sure everyone gets their use out of her. Might be next year or who knows.
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