Originally Posted by thelazzarusman

Thanks to all who responded to my "I've been had" post. The vehicle's A/C has been repaired succesfully and will go into the dealership tomorrow for the trapox recall, when I can hopefully get all my necessary engine repairs done at little or no cost under the recall

I do have a question about the nature of my coolant burning, if for nothing but a better understanding of the process. The car burns coolant, that's established; however, there is no mixing of engine oil in the coolant reservoir. I suspect there may be coolant in the engine oil, but not vice-versa. Also, although she chugs white smoke sometimes at idle, one she is above the low RPMs, she is smooth and powerful, with no smoke. Most importantly, while I was driving her (which was not long, thanks to my suspicions and your advice!), she NEVER got over 100 C.

Would these symptoms indicate a simple headgasket failure, or an entire block failure? If it's a block failure, why no overheating and the smooth operation above the lower RPMs? This is all quite fascinating to me, which mitigates my anger about being duped in the first place.

Any and all replies appreciated!

DL