This is a classic blown head gasket (inner). You could take it to a mechanic with an exhaust gas sniffer to confirm. I had the same problem recently, precipitated a top end rebuild. I found that the rubber seals on the cylinders are o-rings about 1mm thick, one of mine had disintegrated (it's always a relief to actually find the failed component!) Of course there is also a metal ring on the top, but this alone won't keep the coolant out of the cylinder. Additionally I had the classic external coolant leak, patched for about 40K miles with Alumaseal, badly pitted heads. I was a little leary of taking the engine apart, but it sure was satisfying getting it back together (with minimal leftover parts) and having it run well (even more so passing CA smog). I'd go ahead and get it fixed Dan Fuller '90 Carat |
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