Instead of appending this to the huge long tale of my trials with this car, I thought I'd start a new thread. I know I'm long winded, so bear with me.

My 2001 Monte Carlo SS has recently had A LOT of stuff done to it. for details, check out this thread.

Short story, it's just had the exhaust manifold replaced (Federal to CA Emissions) along with the Secondary Air Intake System. The car originally came with CA emissions, and when the dealer replaced the engine in it, he didn't take the CA emissions stuff off the old engine, so I had to hunt down all the parts myself. I've also had the transmission Pressure Control Solenoid replaced, the valve body rebuilt, and the driver's side wheel hub replaced. I will have owned it a month tomorrow. I'm hoping it will pass emissions tomorrow (since the temp tag expires tomorrow, too), but I have to get it through it's "drive cycle" first, it failed emissions today because the ready monitors hadn't all gotten to ready.

So, while I was driving it around, the Low Coolant Level message came on the message center. It's done this a couple of times, but the coolant ISN'T low, and it doesn't overheat. It does this when it approaches halfway on the temp gauge (near 180-190 degrees.)

I took it to Firestone to have them flush the coolant and maybe check out the sensor. I got a call back from them, they can't do anything to it because it failed their "Block Test." They put some kind of blue liquid in something, and it came out green. The tech said that means it needs a new head gasket.

The guy who sold me the car said if there's no water in the oil, and the engine isn't missing, that it's not the head gasket. My Dad agreed. Daddy thinks it might be the thermostat. I'm still thinking it might be the sensor.

But my main question is, how did exhaust get into the coolant? Was it something to do with the exhaust manifold replacement?

The Head Gasket is something that is listed as covered on the 90 day warranty they gave me when I bought the car.

Any advice?

 

Nothing in the manifold could put exhaust into the coolant. The guy who sold you the car and your dad have decent logic, but there are all sorts of ways a head gasket could leak. Its is certainly possible to leak exhaust into the coolant through the head gasket without leaking oil - its just leaking at a specific spot. It may not be the bad, but Firestone isn't eager to flush it because then they can be held accountable to future problems the head gasket may give you.

The head gasket may be able to be sealed with a bottle of Iron-tite, but I don't know what that has to do with the low coolant light to begin with. That sounds more like a faulty sensor. Use the Iron-tite - the problem could be worse then a head gasket too...

 

Mine does the same. It started after we replaced the t-stat and part of the coolant (hubby only changed what was in the radiator, didn't drain the block, what came out looked clean and smelled good). Then the low coolant light started appearing randomly, then stayed on. Replaced the sensor. Now it comes on and goes back off, it may stay on for 10 or 15 minutes or it may stay on for just a second, then it may stay off an hour and come back. I read somewhere on here that it could be air in the system. I want to double check that this weekend as we never could get it to come through the bleeder valve like it was supposed to unless you squeezed on the hose a tiny bit. You could see it looked full and we couldn't put anymore in the radiator. I didn't take a level to the car but it appeared to be on level ground. I haven't had anything pressure checked so who knows. My husband and son both think I'm just paranoid (well, yeah, I don't like sitting on the side of the road) and say there's nothing wrong with it, drive it, so...... At least if it breaks down, my son and his friends do have the know-how to fix it but that's beside the point.

I've about decided mine is haunted, LOL. Radio was stuck in clock mode for a year then one day decided to work right, that was about a year ago. Since then randomly my light map light will be on (not so much lately), now the coolant light.

 

Well, if the head gasket IS leaking, and it's covered under this warranty, then I want to get it fixed before the warranty runs out.

Do these cars have a problem with head gaskets like they do with Intake Manifolds leaking?

 

I would want it changed too, but I don't trust Blue and his team of super mechanics like you do. I'm thinking they'd likely screw it up more then it already is. I would say these cars are bad for head gaskets. Another possibility is a cracked head, which is one more reason I suggest IronTite - a lot of mechanics swear by that stuff

 

Well, I've checked the oil and there's no water in it. I called Freeland Chevrolet, told the service rep about the exhaust in the coolant, and they agree that the head gasket probably needs replacing, as well as (possibly) the sensor in the coolant reservoir. Kenny, who seems to be their best and most knowledgeable tech, will be taking a look at it tomorrow.

Kenny is the guy who told me what all was missing off the engine originally, even took some time out of his day another time to come out to the car and point out where the stuff we needed would go, or where it would be if I could find it on a car at a salvage yard. I'm sure he'll look over Blue's guys installation of the exhaust manifold and Secondary Air Injection System stuff to make sure that was put in right, too.

The only reason I trusted Blue's guys to do the emission stuff was I had a diagram for them that laid out what connected to which, and if I'd had the dealership do it, it would have cost me another $1000 which I don't have. I'm all out of money to spend on this car, and my boyfriend needs a new car, too, so we need to save some for that.

I've driven it for about 75 miles, and the check engine light hasn't come back on. I think, at this point, it'll pass emissions. But the head gasket worries me. I really don't want to have to get a new engine on it after the warranty expires.

I'll kep everyone posted on what Kenny says, and what the warranty will cover.

 

dont wait dont use iron-tight only use it if you are planning to git rid of the car. when my head gaskets went the gm dealer did a great job with mine i was glad it was under warrenty.if you have a warrenty use it and dont be shy about it. gm when assembiling there cars used cheep gaskets to keep the caughst down. but get them done because they will be a good quality and i dont have any more coolent problems any more.

 

if you have warrenty on your monte dont worrie get in tutch with a gm rep i did the same thing that is why i got anouther 100k warrenty taced on my car do to what i had to pay out of pocet do to what the local dealer did. gm wanted me to be saticfied with there cars so get in tutch with gm and give them how much you spent on repairs with having the warrenty and send them the copy they want that

 

The warranty I have currently is an Extended Warranty type, from another company, not GM. The engine in it was a junkyard motor. I didn't know this until after I'd bought the car. The guy that sold it to me told me the engine had been replaced with one that only had 42,000 miles on it, and when I asked "Rebuilt?" he said yes. It hasn't been rebuilt.

The car is currently at Freeland Chevrolet. I left it there yesterday afternoon, for the tech to start on this morning. I'm calling now to check on it.

edit: Wow. This car has multiple oil leaks, a right axle that's slinging grease, and some other things I forgot - as well as the head gasket. The tech is at lunch now, so once he gets back they'll know what to call in to the warranty company. Crap.

 

Got it back from the dealer. It needs:

Upper and Lower Intake Manifold Gaskets
Valve Cover gasket
High Pressure Power Steering Hose
Right Front Axel
Low Coolant Sensor (piddly)
AC Compressor
Manifold Hoses
Oil Pan Gasket

and the only stuff that MIGHT be covered under this warranty are the AC Compressor and the Right Front Axel.

I've already got what it's worth (retail) invested in it. If I try to trade it in on anything, I'll only get trade-in-value. Either way, I'm hosed.

Car problems suck.

Kenny was nice enough to take me through the car, problem by problem, and show me the leaks.

edit: Oh, and evidently the head gasket is fine. If it WAS the head gasket, the biggest portion of it WOULD have been covered, since it all has to come off for the head gasket to be replaced.

I guess I'll just address the big stuff that has to be done all at once, and do the smaller stuff as I can afford to.