Hi again :-)
This time, I'm posting for a friend that isn't usenet savvy.
She has a '96 Dodge Intrepid that has been leaking coolant for about 2 months.
Previously, she was simply topping off the fluid level every 3-4 days, as needed, as she's not intending to keep the car beyond the winter months. In the last week or so, the leak has gotten much worse.
During the progressively worse stages, the engine would "smoke" a tiny bit when she drove it say, 40+ miles, after she shut it off.
Now, she can't drive it 5 miles without it smoking while idling at a stoplight, and she notices that she's blowing smoke from the rear of the vehicle, as well. Yes, it's cold here, but this isn't the typical exhaust you'd see, it's billowy and abundant when she accelerates, but not constantly.
She said she'd smell a "burnt antifreeze odor" previously, but that odor has diminished some with the increase in "smoke".
She took it to a mechanic who didn't do a pressure test, but told her he thinks it is leaking from the intake gasket and it would cost at least $600 to fix. That is more than she wants to pay for the car since her plan all along was to dump it in the spring.
However, she does know she's losing oil somehow, as there is oil on the engine, surrounding the area of the fill cap. She's wondering if the "smoke" is oil burning, or coolant? Or both?
Her biggest issue is that the vehicle limp along at least another 2 months, if possible. If she continues to make sure there is sufficient fluid in the radiator (there is no oil in the radiator, so that's a good sign) is there a major worry that the engine will 'seize' or die out on her?
She does say that the other day she heard a "boiling sound" under the hood when she got home, but the temp gauge was okay, and the engine wasn't hot. What's "boiling"? Or bubbling?
Anyway, thanks for any advice/suggestions and I'll pass the info on to her :-)
Nan