N.C. Kid

About a year and a half almost two years ago when I first got this car, the bearing rods in it went out. The guy replaced it for free because my dad was good friends with. He owns the car lot and had his mechanic do it. They said they replaced the block....What that consisted of, I have no idea and I doubt they remember. I know it was ALTLEAST new bearing rods put in there. So if they did replace the bearing rods, would they not had to have changed the head gaskets or no? Not trying to add cluter to an already talked about topic but I have been reading about the others on here having head gasket failures and stuff. Also, yea when I start it up, occassionally it might have a 3 second puff of white smoke but nothing big. One thing though is the radiator overflow tank. Its cracked on top and sometimes I smell antifreeze when I step outside of the car. I think its because of the resovoir though. Its in pretty crappy shape. A little coolant goes each month but nothing to cry home about. I am pushing towards the overflow tank being a culprit of the smell though and a possible leak. I know I should have it pressure tested but I just wanted to ask on here FIRST before I freak out about having to spend 2000 on a head gasket repair when all was needed was a 15 dollar container. New waterpump, new radiator, new 160 thermostat, ect ect ect...Yes everything is clean and working. Checked that too. Im aiming to do a radiator flush in the next few weeks. Prefer to do it myself and replace the hoses and resovoir and run 50 antifreeze and 50 distilled water. Heard it was better than tap water? Nothing serious though so I am not too concerned. Also if the heads were warped from this occuring or the gasket was leaking, would there not be signs of poorer acceleration because the heads were damaged? Bad leaks on the driveway? Would the oil look kinda green? Thanks. I didnt want to hijack anyone elses thread and just thought I would ask for a little reassurance. I didnt really pay much attention to it until I started reading more on here.

Demonic85

They would had to of changed all the gaskets to do that job, especially if they replaced the block. It is possible to take the engine out, put it on a stand and flip it over to do the job if the block isnt damaged.

cv67

50/50 mix-yes

replace rod bearings-can be done by dropping the pan, no head removal necessary.

Replace the tank, then pressurixe the cooling system to check.

If you had water in the oil you will see the water and coolant come out separate, they dont mix. Overall it would be a light brown color.

N.C. Kid

Ok thanks. Im going to change my oil this week and see what color it comes out. Appreciate it. Where do I get it pressure checked that would be a reilable, honest, and price affordable opinion?