94 Olds Acheiva problem?
It has started to overheat and release anti-freeze. I have been told 2 different things. Either the head gaskets need to be replaced or since it is a V6 engine, it may just be an intake manifold that needs to be replaced. (I am looking to possibly buy this vehicle for a VERY low price and am actually wondering if it would be worth the cost to fix this as the car is in otherwise MINT condition.)
Comments
A 94 olds achieva is worth almost nothing even if it runs great. If you really like the car, buy one that runs for about $800 and let this one rust in peace.
It could be either - or a few other possibilities. You may be opening up a can of worms by buying this car with the intent to fix it. Sometimes it works that way and you get a great deal, but sometimes (especially with overheating) once you fix one problem then several other problems surface. It is very possibly that the engine has been over heated and warped the head (and that will cost you a lot). If any coolant got into the oil it will ruin the oil and to make a long story short, ruin the engine in the near future. Also, if it is losing coolant, the same coolant that cools the engine also cools the transmission and the transmission may have been over heated and could soon need a rebuild. Buying this car is pretty risky and you just might end up with a great deal, but I wouldn't recommend buying it.
I seriously doubt it's your intake manifold. I have a v6 grand am. it's more than likely a head gasket problem. I bought some stuff on the internet about 9 months ago and it still works great. go to rxauto.com. the stuff is called thermagasket. I have had no problems with it. cost about 125 bucks or so (including shipping) after you use it though you need to see what the overheating problem is right away. it could be a water pump or a bad radiator. good luck
If you can buy the car for $200 then it might be worth,,putting the possible $1,500 into it to replace a possible cracked motor,,,or to have the head gaskets done,,,cylinder heads machined,,etc.
Short answer,,,,suspected head gasket problem is just the begining on this car.
It could also be a leaking waterpump, that's happend to me before, it can be fairly expensive depending on a couple of things, how common the part is will determine its price at the auto parts store, ex: a chevy 350 water pump is around $50 or so, yours will probably be considerably more because its not that common of a motor, i would think at least $150 and the other thing is if your planning on doing the job yourself, labor on something like this isn't going to be cheap, maybe $200.
Since its a '94, I'm assuming it's fuel injected. That means that the manifold (intake) does not carry fuel vapor. I believe that if the fuel tank is corroded, that transfers to the fuel and corrodes the manifold. If the engine has throttle body injection (also known as single port injection) or is carburetted, the manifold has a higher chance of corrosion and ultamitely, failure.
look, this is an easy thing to figure out. if it is such a good deal, take it to a shop and for 75 bucks they will tell u what is wrong and what it will cost to fix it. if it is a head gasket, its gonna cost some bucks. worse case scenario, u are out 75 bucks and go looking for another car.
take it to a reliable mechanic..............intake manifold gasket,s have been a persist ant problem since they started using aluminum intake,s................most shop,s will refund the price of the estimate if you have the work done there...........if it,s the intake gasket,s.....your looking at 400 to500.00...........if it,s head gasket,s [valve job]....your looking at more than a grand......if you can get it cheap enough......it may be worth it.
one thing that you have to consider is how long has it beend doing it the manifold is a little easier but if you have antifreeze in the oil for too l;ong you bearings and rings are going to sieze up and you will need an engine
Kristine does it have electric cooling fans on it or, a fan blade
the fans may not be coming on to cool the Eng. could be a relay or a sensor or a blown fuse. sorry could not be much help...
how many miles does it have, lots of things can make it over heat