Oookay. So I'm a bit sure, maybe, that amongst things wrong with my dear little auto astina.. the head gasket is blown & leaking coolant maybe into the pistons (no signs in the oil, or the coolant, but massive clouds of white smoke pour out the exhaust). The smoke is thick, white, and near constant (I idled the car for 10 minutes and it was continuous, I got nervous and turned the car off after that). It smells a tiny bit like burnt oil, but also like, burnt fur, I guess. It's getting progressively worse- each startup the smoke is taking longer to clear.
Recently I thought it might've been leaking valve stems or stuck piston or whatever. It WAS burning oil before, and would stop once the car had warmed up, that's changed since I switched to a thicker oil, and put new coolant in. The coolant level does seem to be marginally lower then it was when I topped it up. There doesn't seem to be any overheating problems ... yet ... the drive home last night (about an hour) was fine, although it was smokey all the way through parramatta (sorry, locals!). I don't think the car was blowing much smoke on the motorway. hard to tell, it was crazy windy last night.
...
So I got to thinking. I don't really have the money or time right now to go on the hunt for newer astina with lower mileage and less dramas. Maybe an engine from the wreckers would be a good quick fix. I've looked around pickles and ebay, and it seems there are a few astinas with panel damage/storm affected. I don't care about hail damage- my car is structurally more-or-less okay.
Is it worth me trying to source a new engine? Just to keep the auto ticking over till I can get a different ba?
My auto is a P1, aug/94 1.8l. Will other era's fit without drama, or would I be limited to a p1?
Roughly how much does it cost to get a new engine put in?
I was quoted 1,5K for the valve stems (outside the car.. mechanic said he probably would be able to do them with the engine in still). he also said it might not be the problem, and he wouldn't know for sure till he got into it.
Thoughts?
yeah I know it's all super nooby
