Walter Kurtz

About a year ago I purchased an 06 GT Z with about 72k miles on it. I love the car and its probably been the most enjoyable ride I've ever owned. There were a few aftermarket additions like exhaust and this oilpan thing which was completely not necessary. In fact it was causing my coolant to leak from one of the hoses.

I took it to the dealer and was told I had a valve cover leak. Upon fixing this issue the mechanic told me that when he was working on the leak it looked like radiator fluid had been leaking into the engine. He advised that I sell the car and told me it would not be worth it to fix as I could possibly have head gasket issues.

I wasn't sure what to think of this but I made sure to check my oil and coolant religiously for months afterwards and everything was fine.

Now about 6 months later and I hadn't checked my coolant in a long time. Im driving and I notice my Z is overheating. I get to the gas station, let it cool and check my coolant only to find I have virtually none! So I pour a whole new can of coolant in there and now it seems to be fine. Only now I am super paranoid to drive the car based on what this mechanic told me over 6 months ago.

Should I sell the car or what? Is losing coolant like I did over a 6 month period a normal thing or does this indicate a larger problem?:

dcains

iTrader: (15)

Some people just shouldn't be allowed to have cars. Take it to a qualified Nissan mechanic ASAP for an assessment - no one here can do that remotely.

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

You could also send a used oil sample into a company like Blackstone for analysis. If there's serious amounts of coolant and metallic residue, a $30 UOA will show it.

Atreyu'z 350

No, it's definitely not normal to loose that much radiator fluid(antifreeze). It sounds to me like you didn't address your head gasket issue and now you have coolant leaking into your combustion chamber. What color is your exhaust smoke, white? Your heads are most likely warped now due to excessive overheating. So now you'll have to have your heads redone and/or replaced if that's the case.. Should you get rid of it? Idk. Is the car worth $1,500 to fix to you?

Walter Kurtz

There is no visible exhaust smoke. I guess im gonna sell it. I've already had to pay nearly 2k for other repairs that came out of nowhere within the year that I've owned the vehicle.

iideadeyeii

iTrader: (6)

and hopefully disclose the coolant issue to any potential buyer

Walter Kurtz

Naturally I'm going to have the problem fixed first. I'm tired of stressing over this ****. Swear I have the worst luck with cars.

zakmartin

If the oil is milky, there's coolant in it. If you do a simple hydrocarbon test on the antifreeze (I hope you used the right brand and mixture, btw) then there's oil in the coolant. Hydrocarbon test kits are dirt cheap on Amazon.

If you don't want to test it first and just want it fixed, then yes, take it in and get it fixed. Honestly, if it's a cracked head, it may be cheaper to just install a new engine.

Realize that a lot of times, when you buy a used car, you're buying someone else's problem. Given that, paying a decent mechanic to inspect a used vehicle prior to purchasing it can save you thousands of dollars' worth of grief.

Good luck with the repair and I hope it's not too terrible for you.

Walter Kurtz

The oil was not milky at all but it also was kinda low.