Hi everyone,
May I add the opinion of doing a bit more research before any repairs are started? Find out if the vehicle will start and run may be a bit of information that would influence the repair, i.e., repair problem as is or pull motor and overhaul. The PO may have forgotten some of the issues the vehicle had when it was parked. Then not remembered to pass the information which might change the thoughts on what is needed. This is not a complaint about the PO just what happens over time. Fixing a leaking oil cooler or head gasket, then finding out the rod bearings (or worse) are bad is frustrating and counter-productive. Speaking from experience is not fun but taught me to get a vehicle running and moving (even if only in the driveway) is a good thing after a vehicle hibernated.

Flush the fuel system, drain and refill the oil, coolant and fuel systems. Borrow a battery and make sure where the vehicle is may be worthwhile.

 

Well, I didn't have a lot of time with this car. It started very hard when I first bought it. You could drive it, and once off idle it was great, but starting and idle were terrible. The vacuum hoses (the big ones under the intake) just crumbled as you touched them, so I had a pretty good idea what the problem was. It's first 2-3 weeks with me it had the intake off and I was waiting on hoses, then installing them.

That fixed all those issues. I drove it daily for about 2 weeks, watching oil and temp like a hawk (I'm one of those people that watch oil and temp as often as MPH and RPM) It did great, I was really impressed with how well the cooling system worked. Till the day it overheated. Only did it that once. And when I got it parked I had water in the oil and oil in the water. So yes, it was recent. It's all apart now for a rebuild. I'm just going to zero time everything, and have a new car! LOL

I'm looking forward, and dreading, pulling the oil cooler. I'm really hoping I can see something what would explain my water in my oil, because my headgasket didn't scream blown. But if the HG wasn't blown, then I have no explanation for the overheating.... and around and round it goes.

I bought the car knowing it had issues, and I paid for a car with issues. I knew exactly what I was getting into, and in fact was seeking just exactly what I got. A car I could learn these things inside and out on.

Mission accomplished.

I've seen more of it's insides than I've seen the road from inside IT! But that will change, someday. Soon I hope.

 

I just did my oil cooler seals yesterday. The job isn't all that bad. Much of the time I was trying to get the oil cooler hoses off. A large chunk of time also when to draining fluid and cleaning / reinstalling the oil cooler just right.

I changed mine at the first sign of just a small layer of sludge film in coolant tank, nothing else. And I didn't find any other sign of oil in the coolant system at all, but I will flush it anyway later today with shout product. The oil cooler definitely needed some maintenance, but I wonder if I really addressed the problem? I guess so, even though it was such a small amount of contamination.

Alignment tool worked great, by the way.

 

Do testers such as the ~$35 "Lisle 75500 Combustion Leak Detector" work? There is a blue fluid that you mix with your coolant in their test tube and if there is exhaust gas contamination in your coolant the blue fluid turns yellow. Has anyone tried this test for a leaky head gasket?

 

Well, that makes it a little more palatable...but no less frustrating.

And as you will undoubtedly rebuild your motor with new parts, there's not much I can pull off that '86 to help your [engine] cause. That said, and while they are probably not at the top of your list, I will earmark the sways as we discussed and give you right of first refusal when the time comes.

 

I'm interested, I love bigger sways. That's an upgrade I've done to most of my handling cars in the past. However, it's not at the top of the list currently. We'll see where I'm at when it comes time.

 

Yes, they work. Buy from a reputable source though. We bought some from Advance Auto Parts, the bottle arrived half full, looking like diluted Windex. It did nothing when we tried to use it. We ordered some from another supplier and it arrived in a full bottle and was a fairly dark blue. Used it on the same car and confirmed a blown head gasket. It changed color immediately and very clearly.

 

Easy way to check for a bad head gasket is put a coolant pressure tester on it, but don't pump it and start the car. If the head gasket is blown you'll see pressure on thr gauge quickly after start up. Or the gauge will pulsate from the exhaust pulses.

 

Any updates? I'm facing a similar dilemma.