I have a 92 Chevy Cavalier, auto, 2.2L that was purchased from a friend for $800 and now it has died. It broke down on the freeway and upon inspection there was not any oil or radiator fluid in the engine and traces of oil on the radiator cap. The car has 155K miles. Suspect at least a blown head gasket but concerned that it might be more. Wondering if it would be worth fixing or should I just junk it? I am thinking that if I can fix it for less than $700 that it would be a reliable second vehicle.
This car isn’t even remotely worth fixing, the engine AND transmission are surely fried.
some times junk yards will buy cars. but they usually charge to take this model of chevy because there are very few reusable parts.
You would get better answers if you provided more details…Have you refilled the crankcase? How much oil did it take? “Broke down on the freeway” does not give us much to work with…Did the engine seize up and stop running, what happened???
No I have not refilled the crank case. The engine seized up and stopped.
Time to donate the car and start shopping for another one. The motor is shot and not worth repairing. The transmission could be shot too, since it likely experienced severe overheating conditions too.
If you can find a salvage yard motor, and transmission for under $700 and you can do the switch yourself that’s the only way you’d do this within your budget. Would it be reliable, likely not.
Make sure to check your oil, coolant, and other fluids more frequently. You might have had a blown head gasket that was repairable before the motor got burned up and is now irrepairable.