[BeckyTheMom]

Hello, I've recantly had my 2001 Chevy Cavaliers head gasket replaced (in summer). Now it's leaking coolant, overheating after driving for 5 minutes, and just this mornong is leaking oil! I am so broke being that it's almost Christmas and having three kids I can't afford to get it looked at yet, does anyone have any idea what's wrong with my car? I would very much appreciate any advice.

[TxGreaseMonkey]

Due to overheating, the aluminum head is likely warped, which is allowing the head gasket to leak coolant and oil. Don't drive the car, until it's fixed--have it towed. If you drive the car, you run the risk of also damaging the valves. It's very important to never allow an aluminum head engine to overheat--all it takes is once for major damage to occur.

Once you get the engine repaired, the information in the link below should help ensure it never happens again:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...tml#post235973

[BeckyTheMom]

Due to overheating, the aluminum head is likely warped, which is allowing the head gasket to leak coolant and oil.  Don't drive the car, until it's fixed--have it towed.  If you drive the car, you run the risk of also damaging the valves.  It's very important to never allow an aluminum head engine to overheat--all it takes is once for major damage to occur.

Thank you for answering so quickly!. Is this usually expensive to fix? And are there usually any other problems related to the aluminum head being warped?

[TxGreaseMonkey]

Normally the head needs to be machined and any damaged valves need to be repaired. Depending on the engine, the repair may cost around $2,300.

As a single mom, the best advice I can give you is to 1) use synthetic engine oil (e.g. 5W-30 Mobil 1), changing it every 6,000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first; 2) use synthetic transmission fluid (e.g. Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF), changing it (and filter) every 30,000 miles or 3 years, whichever comes first; and 3) change the coolant (50/50 mixture of recommended antifreeze and distilled water) every 3 years. If you do these simple things, you greatly reduce the chances of facing the big unexpected expense. If you take care of the engine and transmission, everything else is relatively minor.

Most of us get into preventive maintenance, because we screwed up at some point and learned the lesson the hard way. We can learn "synthetically," from others, or we can learn from the "school of hard knocks." The former is easier, superior, and less costly.

[TxGreaseMonkey]

If the head was not inspected for warpage in the summer, and the head gasket was just replaced, it was likely the new gasket would start to leak. For major engine and transmission repairs, my advice is to take it to the dealer.