We have many mechanic-schooled and mechanically-savvy friends and family, this problem has had many of them scratching their heads. Everyone did mention it could possibly be a head gasket issue... but it wasn't very obvious, it did not have any of the common tell-tale signs. We did have an overheating problem, which came out-of-the-blue one day.

We very tediously replaced the thermostat and water pump in our driveway in below-30-degree weather. It was miserable. After all our efforts yielded no results, we took it to Sears Auto to try flushing out air or anything from the coolant system. Well, they gave it a good look-over before doing any work and told us it was definitely a blown head gasket. T_T We don't have much money and just bought the car last year for $3,000.

It has been a wonderful car, and everything else is in perfect shape!

We are not sure what we can do...?

My father says to junk it, our mechanical friends point out it is a lot of work, and the engine is quite old... I wish we could afford to replace the whole engine. It sucks, I really love this car.

I bought this SUV in 2000 and it's been a good vehicle for me despite all the troubles. So far I have done all my own work and I am not a mechanic by no means. I love DIY projects but this takes the cake. I replaced the AC Condenser 3 times so far at $160 each...my own time not included. I replaced the front wheel bearings (5) total. Brakes and rotors seem to wear out very fast. I no more about brakes now than Midas. Four years ago I replaced the Intake manifold gasket. Took me 7 days after work. What a challenge that was. 3 months ago a radiator. Now the head gasket. Let me tell you what I've learned so far....patients and my labor is cheap. So now I am going to tear my engine down all the way and replace every gasket, washer, o-ring and anything else that might leak. I am thinking about 2 weeks worth of labor for me to tear it down and rebuild. I have saved thousands of dollars in labor and have added many tools to my collection. I think this vehicle should have been taken off the market years ago. But like I said at the beginning....193000 miles...not bad I guess.