Intake gasket replacement. Oil in coolant. Flushing coolant a possible temporary fix?

Hi. I had some regular maintenance done today (1996 Olds Cutlass Supreme, 131k) and the mechanic said I had an intake (I assume manifold) gasket leaking causing oil to leak into the coolant. I opened up the coolant container when I got home, and it indeed had a lot of oil inside. The proposed fix was quoted $730 for replacing the gasket.





Unfortunately, this is a bit expensive for me at the moment being a student and all. I have a trip upcoming which is around 3,000 miles which leaves me worried to let this go.





I was wondering if a temporary fix would be to either drain and replace the coolant, or do a radiator flush? Granted this would not be fixing the problem, but would leave me with clean coolant. The leaking would start into the coolant again, but if the leak isn't all that bad, maybe it would be a slow process and I would have time to save the money for a fix. So, is this a good idea? I'm not sure about the other issues which can arise from a leaking intake gasket? Suggestions?Intake gasket replacement. Oil in coolant. Flushing coolant a possible temporary fix?
NO, not a good idea, as these problems never get better on their own, only worse, and if you get stuck in the middle of nowhere, it could cost much more.


Make sure it's not transmission oil in the radiator, as the tranny cooler is usually part of the cooling system.


This doesn't sound like a intake gasket problem.


Take it to a radiator shop and get their opinion.Intake gasket replacement. Oil in coolant. Flushing coolant a possible temporary fix?
DUDE. Do not risk taking that trip without getting your car properly fixed, or you could wind up on the side of the road with a car that needs a new engine. Your engine block could crack and after that.. there's no 'fixing,' just 'replacing.'





The other issue that could arise from this is water/coolant leaking into your oil.. which will give you the same cracked-engine-block results.
No flushing it won't fix it... Go to an auto parts store and purchase a product called Silver seal.... That would be a temporary fix... I've recommended it to customers who has leaking head gaskets and actually lost money because of it because they never came back because it worked so well. You just put it in the radiator
Nope, not a good idea. It might get you back and forth to work for a few days, but if you break down on the road, you're screwed ! I would cancel the trip and use that money to fix the car. It is probably more of a DIY job than you can do right now.
No it's not a good idea. The longer you put it off the more problems it will cause. If you can't afford to fix the car the proper way,you either need to find another way to make your trip of forget it. That's life. Get used to it.
ll I an say is,your rolling the dice.Changing the coolant is going do very little, and if you keep running it like it is,eventually you could over heat the engine which will cause your head gasket to blow and possibly crack the head.
This is a common problem with these engines and I dont suggest you take the trip because there is no quick fix.


Another thing is it is a GM product so its not worth anything.


GM products always fall apart.
If you are going on a trip you need to get the gasket fixed or you will break down on the road and it will cost you a lot more money to get it fixed