Dear Tom and Ray: My wife’s 1996 Toyota Camry, which has been a workhorse for almost 10 years and 110,000 miles, apparently now has a head-gasket leak. I have never had to add oil between oil changes. So, I guess I can spend $2,500 now to fix it, or take my chances and maybe need a new engine one day. How long can I get away with just watching the oil-pressure gauge and dipstick?
– Steven
Ray: It depends on what kind of leak the head gasket is causing, Steven. A cracked head gasket can create several kinds of leaks.
Tom: It can allow oil to leak from the oil passages to the outside of the engine. You’d be able to see that.
Ray: If it’s leaking oil at such a slow rate that you never have to add any between oil changes, it might leak for years like that and be just fine.
Tom: However, if it’s letting oil mix with your coolant inside the engine, then you’ve got to fix it. The problem isn’t so much the oil that gets into the coolant, as the coolant that gets into the oil.
Trying to lubricate an engine with a mixture that’s half antifreeze means you WILL need a new engine one day – soon.
Ray: The same can be said if a broken head gasket is allowing coolant to get into the cylinders. That means you’re burning up your coolant and it’s coming out your tailpipe. At some point, the leak will get a lot worse, and you won’t notice until you run out of coolant and turn the engine into a solid, single-piece, 600-pound paperweight.
Tom: So unless it’s only leaking oil externally, and slowly, I’d recommend that you go ahead and fix it. If properly cared for, this engine could easily go another 110,000 miles.
…
Dear Tom and Ray: My daughter’s boyfriend bought a used car from a dealership. After driving it for a month and a half, the battery needed to be jumped. A friend of mine helped the owner of the car jump the battery from another vehicle; the car wouldn’t start. So, they removed the battery and set it on the ground. A while later, one of the guys bent over the battery and merely put his hands on the sides of it, and it blew up in his face, causing the loss of his eyesight in one eye. Why did this battery blow up?
– Ana
Tom: It has nothing to do with the battery being on the ground. The reason batteries explode is that dead or dying batteries can emit hydrogen gas. Mixing hydrogen gas with a spark is a bad idea.
Ray: So, where did the spark come from? Was anyone around the car smoking? A floating ember could easily have provided the spark.
Tom: Or static electricity. This is a good reminder that safety glasses really can save your eyesight. So wear ’em.
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