I have an 88 rwd 22re as a daily driver that is acting up. Has 101,000 miles on it. Was wrecked 4 yrs ago running fine and sat there. 2 months ago is was headed to the scraper and I saved it, or so I thought. Got it going and after a week of driving to work it overheated one morning. I got it stopped immediately, but a hose then blew and it let off a little steam. I took it back to the shop and replaced the thermostat, water pump, hoses, radiator, belts, and coolant. Now it is losing a 1/2 gallon of coolant a day. Bought an infrared temp gage and checked the system and it is running about 176 deg F , and the exhaust is very wet (which it always has been). Zero water in oil, or oil in coolant. It runs cool til you stop at a light or something then the heat goes to climbing, fan clutch is fine. Now I have a feeling I know what is wrong but wanted to hear it from more people before I tackle that job.

 

Uh…head gasket.

 

Run a compression test.

 

I was dreading the head gasket answer. Will running a compression test prove if it is a head gasket or not?

 

What I would do is pressure test your coolant system.

You just might find an external leak.

If it is indeed a head gasket you will not be able to build or hold pressure

Do you have exhaust that looks like a crop duster all white smoke??

Just how far are you driving to loose your 1/2 Gallon of coolant??

 

Some shops in the seattle area offer cheap leak down tests I have seen them for around $50 trying to get the business after they find whats wrong. Maybe if you get stuck try and find something like that in your area.

 

No smoke, maybe a small puff of vapor on startup. I am driving about 50 miles a day. Starts and runs fine, no skipping, sputtering, or loss of power. After it warms up you can hold your hand over exhaust and the water will bead up and run off your hand.

 

If your worried about a head gasket then I would do the leak down test and compression test. You say there is no water in your crankcase at the moment. And that good your bearings aren't compromised yet. I would do those tests ASAP to either confirm or eliminate the head gasket issue. Bu if water hits you crankcase and you drive it. There is a really good chance you will smoke you crank bearings and need a complete rebuild. What that saying, An ounce of prevention or something like that.

 

Thanks for the help on this. I can replace parts and disassemble engines as good as anybody but I have Poor skills for diagnosing problems.