Hi all,
I am new to this group. As a matter of fact I just got my first ever pickup(I'm 37) A '95 two wheel drive ,4-cylinder S-10. The truck was bought new by my father-in-law and has 51K miles on it. He drove it pretty steady for about 5 years and then his health went downhill. He is now on disability and can't drive at all. So it has been sitting on and off for about 5 years. I have been driving aircooled VW's for the last 10 years. Kinda ironic that the first thing I have problems with is the cooling system.
I am getting a coolant leak from somewhere at the back of the engine. The coolant is running down the drivers side of the transmission and dripping onto the exhaust. The vehicle is running perfectly. The temp stays right at
195 with the A/C running. The engine is smooth. No white smoke. It is getting about 22 mpg. Is that about normal? I don't seem to be getting any coolant in the oil.It is not a major leak. It is mainly the smell. I think the leak is so small that it usually evaporates before it ever gets to the ground. I have seen it drip just once in the last 4 days that I have been driving it.
So, head gasket?Is there something else at the back of the engine that could leak coolant?How difficult of a job is it to replace the head gasket? Is this common on these vehicles?
Thanks,
J