Blown Head Gasket - Have Coolant - Can I Drive 20 Miles?

It'll be cheaper to get it towed than get a warped head fixed.

No, get it towed/trailored.

If it was a 15 year old Fiat Panda, yes (DAMHIK, IJK).

Si

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm gonna get it towed, I just checked some of the problem signs (half of the anti-freeze I put in that tank is gone, water is dripping out of the tailpipe, it runs rough on startup) and definitely don't want to risk any further damage. Now all I have to do is win the lottery :-(

Obviously not a car guy then... ;-)

If it is a gasket gone, your coolant is what you saw as smoke... it wasn't that you forgot to check it (although that could be true as well...)

What makes you sure? What symptoms do you see?

If it was mine, I wouldn't. When coolant (water and antifreeze) gets into the oil, it doesn't mix. So sometimes you get oil lubricating your expensive engine, sometimes you get water, or a foamy mixture. Neither of which is a very good lubricant.

I know it wasn't what you wanted to hear, but...

If you try and drive twenty miles with lots of water in the oil, you could well kill your engine and need to replace it. Not cheap at all, even if it wasn't four litres...

It's a four litre jeep. A win win situation I'd say.

Are the 4L Jeep engines built poorly or something?

No it's the concept of using a 4X4 with a four litre engine for commuting. Unless your work involves getting into inaccessible places in the American logging forests of course.

I live in Northern Wisconsin... everything up this far is inaccessible (particularly during this time of year). Plus, I bought it in 2001 for 8 grand.

:-)

rec.autos.tech is probably more use to you in general then.

It's becoming more tempting. Shame there isn't a (readily available) conversion kit for the motorbike as well.