My car coolant is mixing in with my engine oil creating a milky looking oil. So I was wondering should I just change my head gasket? Plus my exhaust throwing out white smoke.

10

Asked by Boxster_6466 Mar 11, 2017 at 09:23 PM about the 2003 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I need answer asap!!

6 Answers

223,895

All related to a blown head gasket or a cracked head most definitely.

2 people found this helpful.
223,895

You would have to have the head checked for cracks, and reworked before putting it back on. But if there is a lot of miles on the engine, it would not be worth it to do..

1 people found this helpful.
40,005

I had a good mechanic tell me that once the coolant and oil mix it gets circulated all through the engine and only a complete tear down will do , but of course people do replace head gaskets all the time and drive without a problem . So , what ever .

2 people found this helpful.
59,745

It depends on how long the engine is ran and the condition of it prior to mixing and of course the worst is to let it sit without draining water and changing oil and turning it over to cover internals without any coolant added first otherwise the oil/water separate and with temp changes condensates on the parts above and starts to rust. Then its a boat anchor.

2 people found this helpful.
10

If water mixes with oil you correct the problem, change the oil, then a good long drive will take care of the rest. It will be turned to steam and consumed by the engine via the pvc. If you have left the problem for a long time it will start to lose oil pressure and the lifters and hydrolic tensioners will not work properly and will lead to a catastrophic falure.

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Altima

Looking for a Used Altima in your area?

CarGurus has 689 nationwide Altima listings starting at $1,500.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    3,270
  • #2
    GuruB42YD
    Reputation
    2,450
  • #3
    GuruSY3ZL
    Reputation
    2,380
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Honda Accord
44 Great Deals out of 910 listings starting at $2,799
Used Toyota Camry
57 Great Deals out of 981 listings starting at $2,212
Used Nissan Maxima
6 Great Deals out of 149 listings starting at $5,995
Used Nissan Sentra
65 Great Deals out of 1,773 listings starting at $1,024
Used Honda Civic
173 Great Deals out of 3,651 listings starting at $2,495
Used Chevrolet Malibu
43 Great Deals out of 1,156 listings starting at $1,495
Used Hyundai Sonata
35 Great Deals out of 1,118 listings starting at $3,995
Used Toyota Corolla
120 Great Deals out of 1,971 listings starting at $2,795
Used Hyundai Elantra
144 Great Deals out of 3,462 listings starting at $2,998
Used BMW 3 Series
66 Great Deals out of 1,175 listings starting at $1,995

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.