Hey everyone; rapid coolant loss noticed yesterday,light comes up on the dash, left side of the engine shows it, seems to be coolant mixed with oil, and the oil in the dipstick looks very milky. Head gasket?

Also intermittent, sometimes when I turn the ignition on, I hear a gassing sound from the passenger side, hose?, all related?

How much am I looking for in regards of repairs, never had to deal with this before so I'm not sure.

Hope this was in the right section. Cheers.

"Chocolate milkshake" oil normally indicates coolant in the oil. In an EF 6 cylinder, that is most likely to be the head gasket letting go. But get a mechanic to confirm that before spending money on it.

If you are mechanically inclined and have reasonable tools available, you can do it for $200-$300, depending on what you find needing replacement when you take it apart. At minimum, you will need an AU multi-layer steel (MLS) head gasket set (incl manifold & rocker cover gaskets), new head bolts (they can be used only once), coolant, oil and a Haines or Gregorys service manual. You will probably also need gasket remover spray and a gasket scraper to get the old gasket off. For tools, you will need a torque wrench, impact socket and breaker bar for the head bolts - I got these cheap from Supercheap. It is also highly recommended that you get the head skimmed/machined so you have a perfectly flat surface for the gasket.

If you get a mechanic to do the job, I have heard estimates around $1,000, but can't say for sure.

thanks for the reply, I might try look into doing it myself, as I just got quoted for $750 to fix the head gasket,including everything involved etc.

I might opt for that,as I'm not that confident in doing it myself lol

But yep, I'll get it checked first.

Cheers

For $750 make sure that the head gets crack tested & also machined if it passes crack test.

No use putting back in a head if it hasn't been crack tested or machined.

cheers, I'll make sure to remember that when I take the car in. I'll also ask specifically for an AU one when and if I get the green light for the repairs.