Matts2k87

Hey guys, just wondering if anybody would know an easy way to diagnose a problem i have. My s2k started idling rough on start up so knowing something was not right, i dumped the oil and noticed a little bit of coolant in the bottom of the tub. I'm pretty sure its most likely a cracked cylinder, cracked block or blown head gasket. I just wanted to know if there is a way to find out which one it is without ripping the head off? Or hopefully someone can tell me something else that could be causing the problem I should look for before sending it into the mechanic and spending big bucks. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks people

s2klariat

Compression test and leak down test should be your first step

zeroptzero

I think spotting a small amount of coolant in the oil would be hard to tell just by looking at it ? . You should check for oil in the coolant system too. I would send the oil out for analysis to be sure. When you have a cracked cylinder or bad head gasket you would end up with a lot of oil and coolant mixing, not just a small bit ?. The car would not drive very well with any of those conditions, not just rough idle. Is the engine boosted ?.

Matts2k87

I tipped the oil into 2L coke bottles and had just over an inch in the bottom of one. It seems to have lost a lot more water from radiator than I found in the oil though. I don't really notice any power loss as I dumped the oil as soon as it started idling rough, and havnt driven it since I found the coolant in there. I havnt dumped the coolant so ill check that today. And no the cars not boosted. I should have also mentioned the car over heated more than usuall before it all started. It didnt hit the red but it made it up to 5 out of 7 bars, and that never happens.

zeroptzero

overheating could have caused the head to warp, and yeah that seems plausible in causing the fluids to mix.

slalom44

Overheating can cause the head to warp as JFusion stated. This would result in a leaky head gasket. If it was a relatively small leak, you'd only notice a misfire and white exhaust smoke at startup. Other symptoms would include oily residue in your coolant overflow tank, low levels in your radiator (resulting in higher engine temps and possibly more overheating), reduced MPGs, and your A/C might seem to not be able to keep up. I know this from experience on another car.

You need to get this fixed immediately. You run the risk of hydrolocking your engine by sucking in enough coolant while the engine is off.

Matts2k87

So would a compression test be able to tell me if my head is warped? And if it is a warped head will I be up for a whole top end?

Car Analogy

Dup post.

Car Analogy

A compression test or leakdown isn't going to be able to tell if a leak is due to head gasket, warped head, cracked head, or cracked block. All it will do is tell you that there is a leak. A leakdown test can distinguish an issue with rings vs valves, but if its a crack or warped head you are dealing with, you won't be able to determine which.

But once a compression and/or leakdown test confirms you do have a problem, you aren't going to waste any effort to pull the head. If its a warped or cracked head or just a head gasket, pulling the head is required step. If its the block, well you'll probably just want to get a used motor, but it still wasn't much wasted effort to find out for sure what the issue is.

Matts2k87

Just dropped the coolant until I can organise compression test. Came out looking like new, not a sign of oil in the over flow bottle either. Thanks for all the info guys, ill keep posted soon :/