advice on my new s13 ka24de

[JRusty15]

I recently picked up a stock 91 automatic that ran rough. Finally got it home and had an issue where it wouldn't start (zilvia.net/f/tech-talk/551906-help-diagnosis-no-start-issue.html). I resolved the issue by replacing the plugs which were fouled. Car starts and runs seemingly great. There is an exhaust leak, so it is kinda loud, but it idles nice appears to have good power. This is my first KA24de car, so I don't know what it should feel like, but it seems strong.

The car had been sitting for several months before I purchased it, so much of the health of the car is unknown. To that end I started some basic maintenance. Once it was running I checked for leaks (none), cleaned the maf and airbox. I put some seafoam in the oil, some in the gas tank and took it for a spin. Car seems to drive ok. The suspension feels pretty soft, but I will address that later. Additionally the brake pedal is soft, but gets firmer upon pumping the brakes. I suspect the brake master cylinder along with getting air out of the lines. Previous owner said he put in new calipers and brake pads.

So once it was warmed up and drove it around, I came back and sucked up some seafoam through a vacuum line. I didn't see much smoke, but ok. Let it sit for 30, started it up again, no smoke. Drove it around, it felt good but again no smoke. I noticed some type of smell that is hard to describe. The best way I can describe it is if when you're working on the car and you get some wd40, oil, or similar on a surface that gets hot and it is burning off.

I got back, drained the oil and the oil looked very thin. It appeared to have some coolant in it as there was a green tint. Oddly enough, there is orange coolant in the reservoir. Now, before I went out for a drive the overflow tank was at full. When I got back it was just below the min line. Is that normal or is coolant getting in the oil?

For now I put in a new oil filter and oil, checked the level and let it run for a few then parked it.

So my questions for you knowledgeable people are:

1) Do I have a bad headgasket that is leading coolant into the oil? I can do a compression test soon, I just didn't have time today.
2) Was that oil on my plugs (see post referenced above)? Could that also be from a bad headgasket?
3) What other things should I check on the car and/or replace as routine maintenance and safety checks?

Thanks!

[JRusty15]

Well I did a compression test today on the car. It probably wasn't up to full operating temperature, but the temp gauge on the cluster doesn't work, so I just had it run for about 5 minutes or so. Results came back as follows:

1) 135psi
2) 150psi
3) 145psi
4) 135psi

Now, as I'm typing this, I literally just realized I didn't keep the throttle open (d'oh!!). The expected numbers should be around 190-ish if I remember correctly, so these seem a bit low. But I'm guessing that could be because the motor wasn't up to operating temp and because I didn't keep the throttle plate open. I'll do another test tomorrow and check the numbers.

Also, when I pulled the plugs, the tips were orange! The previous owner put orange coolant in, so I'm guessing that is coolant on those plugs? That means that coolant is getting in the combustion chamber of every cylinder since all plugs looked this way.

In any case, I'll do another compression test tomorrow and report back. But based on these preliminary results, does it seem like a bad headgasket? Or could there be another reason I'm getting coolant on the plugs and in the oil?

[slideslidegnarslide]

Most likely a head gasket.

[JRusty15]

That's what I think too, but I want to make sure there is no major issues with the short block (like piston rings). I don't want to replace the head gasket only to find another issue.

[JRusty15]

Ok, so I ran another compression test today. Again the coolant temp gauge doesn't work, so I don't know if it warmed up all the way, but I let it run for about 15 minutes. I did a test on each cylinder as-is, then added a little oil and ran it again, these were the results:

Cylinder 1: 160psi, with oil 175psi
Cylinder 2: 165psi, with oil 180psi
Cylinder 3: 150psi, with oil 160psi
Cylinder 4: 155psi, with oil 165psi

Are these numbers within reason for an old car that's been sitting for a while? I'm worried that all cylinders went up in pressure with the oil. Leading me to believe the piston rings are bad. But I would have to imagine after 115k miles and 22-23 years, they probably wouldn't seal 100% either, so it may be within reason. Basically I'm just trying to figure out if its worth doing the headgasket, or should I just do a motor swap now (or rebuild current motor).

[Kingtal0n]

1. orange on the plugs does not necessarily mean head gasket
2. Coolant in the oil DOES usually mean head gasket.
3. Never put orange coolant in your KA/SR/RB (unless you know what you are doing).


Right here, at this moment, I would suggest this:
CHANGE THE OIL RIGHT AWAY. Do not let coolant sit in the oil.
VERIFY that is in fact coolant in the oil. Run the engine with fresh oil and watch for it to appear again. Do not run the engine with coolant in the oil once you are sure that it is in fact coolant. Stop using additives- your most pressing concern is whether or not the head gasket is leaking coolant into the oil. If you want to save the engine from disaster you need to verify this FIRST RIGHT AWAY.

Tip: If using water, always use distilled water when adding to the radiator. Here in Florida, because it never freezes, I only use 15-20% coolant, 80%+ Distilled water. Watch the level of fluid, if you overheat that engine once it could mean serious problems.

observation: Your compression looks very good for an engine with over 100K miles.

[JRusty15]

Yea I did some research and realized the numbers were ok. I didn't put in the orange coolant, that was the previous owner. If the orange on the plugs isn't from coolant, what could it be? At this point I'm actually ready to just rip the head off and check and replace head gasket. How can I verify there is coolant in the oil without sending it out to a lab?

Also the car is currently just sitting in the garage until this is resolved.

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[Kingtal0n]

It should be obvious. Oil looks like oil, and coolant looks like coolant. Run the engine with fresh oil and check it every couple of minutes, perhaps drive it some, keep checking for anything out of the ordinary. If you keep pulling out only fresh looking oil, then drive it some more. Stop doing all manner of work to the engine until you figure out if water is leaking into the oil. Water makes an enormous mess, often white milky looking, and it steams up because oil tends to get hotter than the boiling point of water. It would create a mess on your valvecover for sure if the leak was bad enough, usually you can open the oil cap with the engine hot, and a puff of hot steam will come out, and you stick your finger into the (very hot) valve cover, and feel a thick milky sludge inside all over it.

google up some pictures
http://www.samarins.com/glossary/img/engine_oil_with_coolant.jpg
http://s1.hubimg.com/u/1079576_f520.jpg

[JRusty15]

It has fresh oil. Drove it maybe a mile with the new oil and plugs. You mean check the dipstick?

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[Kingtal0n]

It has fresh oil. Drove it maybe a mile with the new oil and plugs. You mean check the dipstick?

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You can see inside the valvecover AND check the dipstick. See pictures I found above.

http://www.rodsautocenter.com/Picture_130_op_800x600.jpg

It should be obvious when you DRAIN the oil out, if there is any coolant in it.

[Kingtal0n]

http://i48.tinypic.com/2jbjxp1.jpg

[JRusty15]

Ok great info thank you. Last time I drove the car it appears the level of coolant dropped after a 10 min drive. That also concerned me

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[JRusty15]

Oh yea the oil did not look like that at all. The only thing that made me think coolant was the thin nature of it as it drained and it appeared to have a green tint. It did not lool like that. When my new gauge cluster comes in and I have a working temp gauge ill drive it again and check temps and check the oil.

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[Cvworth]

How much seafoam did you put in the oil? That would defiantly thin it out.

[JRusty15]

Maybe three cap fulls

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[JRusty15]

If anyone can help, I am working through an issue with the brakes. The thread can be found here: http://zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=555572