For a quick change, how about a mechanic?

About 3 weeks ago, before Christmas, my heater return hose burst, while I was on the highway, spilling my coolant everywhere.  As my luck would have it, I was in the 3rd lane in front of a mall exit, and getting to the breakdown lane was near impossible ('tis the season to be kinder, but not when there's a guy in a Ford Explorer that's smoking like crazy.....they wouldn't let me over, only honked at me, trying to let me know my car was steaming).  Anyways, by the time I was safe enough to shut my truck down, the temperature gauge was juuuuuuuuuuuust outside the little red "HOT" mark, but still incredibly high. 
(getting home was a little bit of a project, being highway side on a dark night..........but routing the heater hoses around a little, with a bit of anti-freeze and water, did the trick)

Since then, the radiator has been flushed, the hoses replaced, and thermostat replaced.  However, just yesterday, (the 7th)  my oil pressure started to get a little low.  I've never really looked at the gauges before, but with the temperature and battery level now being a concern, I've watched them more than my speedo........  The difference is about 1 cm, from where it is usually set.   I wasn't sure if I may be facing head gasket failure, or whether the sudden cold spell has an effect.  While I haven't driven the car more than 20 minutes during the cold, the temperatur gauge still remains just inside the normal range (for all of you non-ford drivers,  the 1994 explorer i drive has needles that point just outside the marked region at startup,  so the temperature usually has a little play in it.....)

What signs would point out a head gasket failure, and what should I look for?  BY THE WAY, THE TEMPERATURE HERE IN BOSTON HAS BEEN AROUND 10-30 degrees farenheit,  well below freezing....  just so you know.....  I also use Quaker state  5W-SAE30 synthetic oil.  So mechanics, or car buffs, let me know what I may be looking at.........and the rest of you, join my prayers that I wont have to dish out 1500 dollars to have a mechanic fix any head gasket.........I just don't have the money..........  (and there isn't any way i could do it myself.........no garage........parking just off the street........freeeezing cold.......no time............no trust in myself.....haha) 

Any tips/ advice/ soothing facts (that I'm just worrying and the gasket is fine) will be greeeeeeeeeeeatly appreciated.............thanks!

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~WAYLAND

It sounds like the headgasket to me. What you should do is drain your radiator into a catch pan and see if there is any oil in the coolant, you should aslo do the oil to see if it looks milky. Are you blowing any smoke?

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Certified Security Specialist
Always check info with a digital multimeter.
I promise to be good.
Tell Darwin I sent you.

I've been sick lately, sorry I won't be on much.

If you are really *seriously* concerned about this matter, then I would strongly suggest that you do a compression and leak down test.

Both test combined will tell you 100% as to what condition your engine is in.

The compression should build up quickly in a healthy engine. Low compression on the first stroke , followed by a gradually increasing pressure on successive strokes indicate worn piston rings.

A low compression reading on the first stroke, which doesn't build up during successive strokes indicates a leaking valve or a blown head gasket.

If you add in 3 squirts of oil into the spark plug hole and the compression increases, then this indicates that the rings are worn.

If you measure (2) adjacent cylinders which have equally low compression, there is a strong possibility that the head gasket is blown open.

Using the air leak down test will specificly locate the cause, or defect area.

If you require more specifics, please let me know.

Regards

EVIL Teken . . .

There doesn't appear to be any obvious smoking, from the engine, or excessive smoking from the exhaust.  I was told that a good hint of failure is a burning like smell when you check your oil....I havne't noticed anything out of the norm, really....

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~WAYLAND

If you go to any competant automotive shop. They will be able to perform a block test, which uses a dye which is placed in a syringe and the presence of gases in the radiators fluid will indicate a blow head gasket.

Regards

EVIL Teken . . .

I dont think you have any thing to worry about. everything you have stated indicats no problems. Like you said you just started watching your gauges now that you have had a problem. they may have been running that way for some time. Drive as normal and dont worry. just start watching your gauges.

Workingman2000,  what I originally meant was that I didn't pay as much attention to the gauges as I do now.  The oil pressure is slightly lower than it was several weeks ago,  when it was still a decent temperature.  Today it was around 0 degrees f.   But, I decided to test my luck, and took it for a nice, hour long drive, to get the temperature into a decent range.  The pressure increased to its normal level, about 20 minutes in, when the engine was at a nice warm temperature.  So, for the time being, I'm going to blame the temperatures for the decrease in pressure.  I don't know if the synthetic oil is affected by the temperature, but it also could be the oil pump, possibly being a little different because of the anti-freeze that soaked the entire engine, whent he heater-return hose burst.  Anyways, thank you all for the help!  I will still keep an open mind that I'm not officially home-free yet........still gotta try the compression test Teken reccommended.... 

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~WAYLAND

The combination of a compression & leak down test will varify the results. But the block testing will do the very same thing, in less time, and is 100% accurate.

The results can be obtained in less than 20 seconds, and the costs is alot more favorable to those on a budget.

Regards

EVIL Teken . . .

Free way to check for blown headgasket, Mayo in the oil, and bubbles in the radiator. If oil gets in the antifreeze it get white and chunky, like mayonaise. With a COLD radiator take off the cap and start engine, look for bubbles. If your headgasket is blown you will see a trickle of bubbles from the compression leak.  A blown headgasket or cracked head -even worse- will show one of these signs, compression test will show which cylinders are affected.

Good tips!  Thanks everybody.  But fortunately, the compression test, done by a mechanic,  turned out to be normal.  It seems that the source of my problems, were, as I hoped, just the cold weather.....  THANKS AGAIN THOUGH!

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~WAYLAND

Low oil pressure after an overheat is usually due to the oil thining out. Where I work (Lexus Dealer) we always change the oil, after doing any repairs related to an overheat.

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itmdtr

Thanks itmdtr.  So far your post is the one I enjoy most (it doesn't leave me stressed like the others, haha)  I'll consider changing the oil in a few days.

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~WAYLAND