Dan wrote in news:8c41f3b5-fead-423c-bc52-69c328a20269 @k38g2000yqh.googlegroups.com:
Is the engine using coolant?
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Well, there is actually a very slow drop in the coolant level. Something like 1 quart per year, and it's been doing this for quite a while before the misfire appeared. Could all this be a sign of a head gasket going bad? (I hope not...)
snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@w9g2000yqa.googlegroups.com:
Pull the plugs. With a good flashlight, have a good look at the piston tops. Are they all the same degree of blackness, and all equally smooth?
If there's one piston top that's noticeably cleaner than the others, you probably have a head gasket going bad, or corrosion on the mating surfaces that causes a leak.
000yqa.googlegroups.com:
OK, thanks, I'll check that. Is it possible there are other causes to this, like a leaky or partially clogged injector? Or maybe some ignition component?
innews: snipped-for-privacy@w9g2000yqa.googlegroups.com:
If you want to confirm that the problem is caused a coolant leak. Let the car set a couple days and then just crank the engine for a couple of seconds (turn it off right away if it starts). After that check the spark plugs and see which one is wet with antifreeze. A pressure test can also be done, but I have seen situations like you describe where it only seeps a little when the engine is cold and not at all when it is at operating temp. A quart a year is not much antifreeze and if it has been doing this for a long time with no change it may not get much worse and may not be worthwhile to do anything.
-jim
jim wrote in news:a8SdnXxfvsyvKnXUnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@bright.net:
I'd personally consider a quart a year to be unacceptably heavy usage. What drips out the water pump weep hole would be a tiny fraction of that.
Easy for you to say. Your not the one faced with choosing between buying a gallon of antifreeze and feeding it to the car over the next 8 years or paying someone to tear the engine apart and fix it.
-jim
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