I have a friend with a '95 Camry that is getting oil in the coolant. Any way to tell what exactly the problem is without tearing it apart?

 

Doesn't make any difference, both require you to remove the head to fix. Once the head is off you can have it crack tested before deciding what solution will work.

 

The problem is that they don't want to deal with it if it's the head, but they'll do it if it's a head gasket. Just trying to figure out if there is any way to determine that without ripping it apart. Are there some symptoms that are more common for one than the other.

 

Anyone know if either head gasket problems or cracked heads are at all common on a '95, 4 cylinder engine?

 

Did the car overheat before this happened? There is no way to tell either HG or head from the outside. What if I told you that 80% of the time it's HG, you would still not be able to determine if you were in the 80% or 20% group. Once the head is off you can see the HG break without spending on crack inspection. If you decide to fix it is worth getting the crack inspection as a safety precaution. But if you see no HG break the head could still be warped so that inspection is usually done with the crack inspection. Clearwater Heads offers an exchange program which might be a better way to go.

 

That's a good thought, thanks for the link!

 

hmm.ok
i will give my views later