Help! Dealer tells me I need a short block (they think)

[madetheswitch]

So, we took the DII in for a cooling system flush/fill about a month and a half ago... It came back with the whoosing sound in the dash. So we took it back to them to have them fix it on their dime which they were happy to do. It still came back with the sound and they said it would "take a good bit of driving to work the bubbles out" Mind you they told all of this to my wife. (I travel for work) So I took it back AGAIN on their dime and they kept it for a week to see what was wrong. They did a combustion gas test and sure enough I have gasses in the coolant. Does this automatically mean I need a new engine? I am thinking that the radiatior is restricted as well. The ultraguage is showing running at 194F and it idles at about 212-218F. The heat only blows warm at around 2,000 rpm. I have a feeling there is more at play here than simply coolant going into a cylinder. Any help is appreciated before I put an engine in and throw problem parts back on.

[Snafu / Disco Fries]

Doesn't sound like your motor is shot. The question is, why did you bring it in for a flush? Were you having issues before or is it something they created? Are you losing coolant?
Sounds to me like you have a head gasket issue, but that doesn't mean you need a new engine.

[94svt50]

Sounds like the only thing you need is new headgaskets. Take it to a different shop.

[Savannah Buzz]

Yep, probably not anything dealer (was this a Rover dealer) did. HGs as you know by now on this forum are quite common. The waterfall sound and the exhaust gas in coolant pretty much sum it up. Yes, rad could be restricted also as a second issue. But it may just be air they could not get out, and pretty strange for this to just "pop" up without a history of other little things, like coolant loss, white smoke, coolant smell, over heating.

HG parts are about $300, machine shop to mill the heads flat is $200. About 12 hours work, longer for a DIY. Most indy shops pice the job in the $1500 - $1700 range.

Now, being a road warrior and a weekend projects manager, time is tight, and these days so is money. You might not trust the shop's analysis, and you can buy that chemical test from the auto parts store for like $50. It will do maybe 15 tests. You sample the warm coolant and it makes a color change. This is not a litmus paper strip, it is a combustion gas in coolant test.

You may also need a thermostat, as heat should be on as soon as engine gets temp, even at idle. There are small metering holes in the stat to allow coolant flow and the heater core has no on/off valve. An air pocket trapped inside the core or engine will keep it from heating (steam over a pot of pasta is hot, but the water in the pan is hotter). Your stat could be gunked up with stuff from the flush.

Pix attached of realistic outcome, stat with blocked holes from trash from engine flush (may have happended to you), radiator with sludge build up (Dexcool), and water flow path of the cooling system.

If the system came back with air in it, it may just be that it needs to be properly purged which is a lost art. Once purged compeletely, if it water rushing sound comes back, perhaps repeat coolant test - before deciding on HG work. You should be able to do a coolant system air purge at home. Most find more success by releasing coolant reserve container and raising it. If system is drained might want to consider inspecting stat (clean out holes, or perhaps replace). Perhaps consider borrow/rent a coolant pressure tester from parst store, it build up pressure to 18 - 20 PSI, and you look for leaks or check for pressure loss over 30 minutes or so. Reason I mention his is you did not mention loss of coolant

[madetheswitch]

to answer your questions, yes I am losing coolant, just not sure to where, it's not in the oil and it doesn't smell like it's burning. No white smoke. Yes, it was a rover dealer, we took it in for a flush mostly as a routine preventative measure. We bought it in the summer and we have no record of the last time it was done so I wanted to be a little proactive. Anyone know of any good shops around Ann Arbor?

[Spike555]

Car Talk, find the "Mechanix File's" link and enter your zip code.

This sounds like blown headgaskets to me too, with 105,000 miles you are over due for them anyway.

[Savannah Buzz]

Coolant has to go somewhere. If not out the tail pipe as white smoke, and not a drip on the ground that you can see on fresh cardboard under truck, then into the oil it may go. Looking at dipstick is not best choice, better to drain oil and look at what comes out in the drain pan.

But coolant loss + water fall sound + dealer gas in coolant test = time for HG, shop wisely.