1997 Chevrolet Venture Head Gasket Leak

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BRANDONAW
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My girlfriend has a '97 Venture van that was bought with a busted head gasket. My mechanic supposedly fixed it but I'm not sure. After having it for 6 months, a fan rubbed a big hole in the radiator while I was driving it. This caused it to overheat(peg out) before I could stop it at a gas station. The next day I came back with a gallon of water and stopped every mile or to allow it to cool. After getting the radiator fixed today, another mechanic tells me that I have either a busted head gasket or a cracked head. He explained how they knew(some test with a clear cylinder of blue liquid that turns yellow). The problem I have believing this is that the oil is still dark. Could the crack be so small that it hasn't changed the color of the oil? Another problem is that I DO have white smoke coming out of the tailpipe when I first start the van but after 5 minutes, there's no more smoke. Did my mechanic screw me on this?
Feb 8, 2007 at 12:43 PM
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SERVICE WRITER
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The chemical test detects exhaust fumes in the coolant. So there are right that it is a head or head gasket.


https://images.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/30961_diasappoited2_1.jpg

If there was a problem the the head job from 6 months ago, then it would have shown up a while back IMHO. The rad failing and the overheat is probably the reason for the currant problem. Hard to place any blame one way or the other. The question is why the fan rubbed through.
Feb 8, 2007 at 7:35 PM

Suggested Repair

The combustion-gas test indicates exhaust in the coolant, so plan on a head gasket or cracked-head repair caused by the severe overheat. Also determine why the cooling fan rubbed through the radiator so the damage does not recur.

Conversation Summary

A 1997 Chevrolet Venture overheated after a cooling fan rubbed a hole in the radiator. A later chemical test that changed color indicated exhaust gases in the coolant, which the expert said confirms a head gasket or cylinder-head problem. Dark oil and brief white smoke at startup do not rule that out. The expert said the recent overheat, not the head-gasket work from six months earlier, most likely caused the current failure, and that blame is hard to assign without knowing why the fan contacted the radiator.

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