Well...
Its a 2000 Tiburon.
My parents just bought it from a small lot in chesterland. Once they got it home, we went to take a look at a "ticking" or so they said. I uncapped the coolant reservoir ( or what was left of it ), and then appeared a well melted plastic container! I'm not sure when it happened, but its so caved in from whenever it melted, that it wont even get close to a seal with the cap (which also melted a bit).
I'm not 100% familiar with the cooling system, so I'm not sure where to go from here. Here is what I've done so far.
Ive drained the coolant from the radiator and flushed it with water. The coolant that came out is VERY dark. Looks a lot like oil. Which obviously would make sense if it warped the head at all over heating. The coolant that i took from the reservoir was what looked like pure water and whatever dark liquid suspended through it. I replaced with new 50/50 coolant and bled via the pressure cap while the car ran, got to operating temp, and blew hot air.
Am I missing a step in bleeding? I know in some cases there are bleeders somewhere else in the system, but i couldn't find any.
Moving on.
I also drained the oil, and pulled a sample while it drained. With light against it i came to the conclusion that the oil is either relatively new, or has a high amount of coolant in it. How can i test this? If i remember correctly there are strips of paper that change color when dipped in fluid containing water (like brake fluid).
I know its not a J necessarily, but with the same situation, the solution would be the same. Any suggestions would be great. I'd much rather be sure of the problem, than guess. I'm confident i could do the head gasket if it came to it. I've done them in school, but I've got a lot to learn yet.
This is a DOHC engine, with 95k miles.
Well I would suspect that the coolant & oil wouldn't mix too well. If you let it sit in a clear container it should separate out. You might start to see what they call a whitish "milkshake" stuff in the oil if you have a head gasket leak.
