Thick Sludge on Dipstick
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Thick Sludge on Dipstick
I'm new here so bear with me if I'm doing something wrong...
I have a 2006 Cobalt 2.2 with 150K + miles...
The check engine light has been on for about a year (please no lectures, I've had the computer reprogrammed 3x since I bought the car brand new so usually the lights/gadgets mean nothing). I know, I know.
Yesterday I was driving home from work and the oil light came on (red dash light, NOT the change oil notification), then immediately went back off. I drove the 2 miles to my house and checked the oil... sludge all over the dipstick and in the tube... wiped the dipstick and checked again, same amount of sludge was there.
From the little bit of research I've done... this looks REALLY BAD.
Cracked head, blown head gasket, or something else???
If anyone can help, please also include a price and/or the parts I would need so I could look it up myself. Need to know if I should just bite the bullet and buy a new car, or if this is something worth fixing.
I have a 2006 Cobalt 2.2 with 150K + miles...
The check engine light has been on for about a year (please no lectures, I've had the computer reprogrammed 3x since I bought the car brand new so usually the lights/gadgets mean nothing). I know, I know.
Yesterday I was driving home from work and the oil light came on (red dash light, NOT the change oil notification), then immediately went back off. I drove the 2 miles to my house and checked the oil... sludge all over the dipstick and in the tube... wiped the dipstick and checked again, same amount of sludge was there.
From the little bit of research I've done... this looks REALLY BAD.
Cracked head, blown head gasket, or something else???
If anyone can help, please also include a price and/or the parts I would need so I could look it up myself. Need to know if I should just bite the bullet and buy a new car, or if this is something worth fixing.
Last edited by Kristina1866; 02-11-2014 at 09:55 AM. Reason: photo error
#2
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Headgasket is gone dude
Pull the vavle cover, $20 says it looks the same on te inside
Take the vavle cover off, look for cracks or anything els around the head. After that remove the head itsself
To take a deeper look. Its not that hard i just did it on a 2.2 for my first headgasket repair ever. The machine shop was the longest part.
Look at everything, look for cracks , wear marks, all that ****
Needless to say, do not drive it again. Damage might mot be that bad, provided you didnt neglect this car and did oil changes and this is the first youve seen this sludge
Pull the vavle cover, $20 says it looks the same on te inside
Take the vavle cover off, look for cracks or anything els around the head. After that remove the head itsself
To take a deeper look. Its not that hard i just did it on a 2.2 for my first headgasket repair ever. The machine shop was the longest part.
Look at everything, look for cracks , wear marks, all that ****
Needless to say, do not drive it again. Damage might mot be that bad, provided you didnt neglect this car and did oil changes and this is the first youve seen this sludge
Last edited by 05g5; 02-11-2014 at 11:08 AM.
#3
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Headgasket kit, with gaskets all the way around, bolts is around $200 and a machine shop is anotjer $200 to get the head shaved. After that, oil and coolant. Get a torque wrench and a heate garage, rest is peanuts. Oh ask your local dealer for a print of on how to do the headgasket, they give you torque specs, bolt order, everything. Timig is np
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Had this happen to two vehicles in my life.
First one was driven like this for awhile and died, second one caught sooner and saved. Only issue is no way to know how long you've been driving it like this.
Oh and check your coolant as the oil can get into the cooling system and sludge it up as well.
First one was driven like this for awhile and died, second one caught sooner and saved. Only issue is no way to know how long you've been driving it like this.
Oh and check your coolant as the oil can get into the cooling system and sludge it up as well.
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Thank you for your very detailed response. If only I knew a mechanic here... Last time my friends touched my car the caliper hanger bolt fell out.
Headgasket is gone dude
Pull the vavle cover, $20 says it looks the same on te inside
Take the vavle cover off, look for cracks or anything els around the head. After that remove the head itsself
To take a deeper look. Its not that hard i just did it on a 2.2 for my first headgasket repair ever. The machine shop was the longest part.
Look at everything, look for cracks , wear marks, all that ****
Needless to say, do not drive it again. Damage might mot be that bad, provided you didnt neglect this car and did oil changes and this is the first youve seen this sludge
Pull the vavle cover, $20 says it looks the same on te inside
Take the vavle cover off, look for cracks or anything els around the head. After that remove the head itsself
To take a deeper look. Its not that hard i just did it on a 2.2 for my first headgasket repair ever. The machine shop was the longest part.
Look at everything, look for cracks , wear marks, all that ****
Needless to say, do not drive it again. Damage might mot be that bad, provided you didnt neglect this car and did oil changes and this is the first youve seen this sludge
#12
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#13
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Yeah I'd do that however my man doesn't even know how to change oil... I did it for a living thru high school so it wasn't that I forgot to do change the oil. This just happened all of a sudden... Which blows. And my birthday is tomorrow. 😡
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My thoughts also. My computer has shut off engine power to 50% on the highway when there was a glitch... But no notifications, noises, heat, or changes and the motors all gummed up this bad?! WTH.
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Temp was 201 when I got home. Oil light flashed at about 2 miles away from where I stopped driving... haven't checked the coolant yet, but it definitely didn't overheat.
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Thank you for the suggestion ... Additional question- should I use AAA to tow it ? Can it get to the shop 5-10mi away... I have 2 quarts of oil I can add if that's an option... I figure I'm already looking at $500-1000 to fix a $3000 car...
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Thank you everyone for the opinions and expertise. Couldn't have asked for a shittier birthday gift than for this to happen... All the responses have alleviated some of the salt being dumped on the wound here. 💥🚘💥
#23
With the mileage you have on that car I'd honestly be looking for a low mileage 2.2 to swap in instead of trying to fix that one...
You may be able to find a used 2.2l with lower mileage for a decent price and it'll be more peace of mind then tearing apart your current motor and finding more and more issues. Or better yet get a rebuilt one.
You may be able to find a used 2.2l with lower mileage for a decent price and it'll be more peace of mind then tearing apart your current motor and finding more and more issues. Or better yet get a rebuilt one.
#24
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The internet however was not as much help as it is today and given your circumstances as long as you have some sense of being mechanically inclined, or know the right people, you can get your car back on the road and in tip top shape with relative ease.
#25
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With the mileage you have on that car I'd honestly be looking for a low mileage 2.2 to swap in instead of trying to fix that one...
You may be able to find a used 2.2l with lower mileage for a decent price and it'll be more peace of mind then tearing apart your current motor and finding more and more issues. Or better yet get a rebuilt one.
You may be able to find a used 2.2l with lower mileage for a decent price and it'll be more peace of mind then tearing apart your current motor and finding more and more issues. Or better yet get a rebuilt one.