94' Camry Problems
 

Hey, I just bought a 94' Camry with 220k on it. The car runs absolutely fine and starts up with no problems. . .However the oil on the dipstick appears to be chocolate milk colored. . .I thought at first that it may be a blown head gasket, but upon further inspection, no smoke comes out of the exhaust or engine, and the car doesn't run too hot (it gets slightly below the half point pretty quickly though, and stays there). On occasion, it idles somewhat rough, but has a constant rev (never sags).
My bigger concern is the smoke which pours out of my ac vents, and when i say pour, i mean pour, it literally billows out. I have never used the AC or heater on the car since i purchased it. Through research about blown head-gaskets, no symptoms speak of smoke coming from the AC vents. The smoke is odorless by the way.

Can anyone help me?

If the oil is the color you state suggest having a "Block Test" done, this tests the coolant for exhaust gases. The kit has a chemical that changes color if exhaust gases are in the coolant.

If there is exhaust gas in the coolant, the head gasket is bad and would explain the color of the oil. Coolant in the oil is it is very bad for the engine bearings. It may also be getting into the exhaust which is very bad for the emissions system items.

The smoke could be coolant from the heater system under the dash. The coolant tends to form a thin, slick film on the windshield. Check for a moist carpet under the passengers side of the dash.

Or something could be inside the heater duct system, a mouse nest?

I don't really have the money right now to have anything checked on the car and i only bought it for $700. . .I am wondering how long a car could run with a blown head-gasket, if this is my problem. Because I've had for a little over a month now, and have myself put an additional 600 miles on it, still runs the same, no additional problems. . .

The floorboard isn't damp. and I did some additional research, something called the heater-core may be damaged. . .I don't even know what this is. . .is this what you were talking about?

Also, to prolong the life of a car with a blown headgasket without getting it replaced, could very frequent oil changes help?

Yes, the heater core. I think the core can be replaced without taking the dash board out, unlike later cars (but check this).

It is a small radiator that gives off heat as the coolant runs through it.

Don't know how long the engine will run. Frequent oil changes will help. Perhaps change it now and determine if the oil once again become chocolate milk. If so, a sure sign of coolant in the oil.

You can try block seal in the coolant although this may cause more problems then it solves.

you need to at least change the oil frequently until you can get the problem fixed. that would help on a budget, but still you're running a big risk of a breakdown.

I would say about every 1,000 miles or so do a drain and fill...

I'm not a mechanic, but I had the same chcolate problem on a car I had in high school and the frequent oil changes helped it last a few months until I could save up to fix it....

call around to some shops and ask for referals of who they recommend to fix the head gasket for less...

I had to get the head gasket replaced last year on my 93 Camry and I found a shop that did it for $450 and engines is all they do..runs great ever since!! They didn;t speak much english which scared me, but they came with high praise as a referral from my general mechanic I go to for stuff I cannot fix myself. They were in a bad part of town too!! But, I saw alot of other cars engines getting worked on at the shop which led me to believe they knew what they're doing....