ok, i bout this 96 sohc mtx off some punk kid and he says he thinks the car has a bad gasket and/or a warped head. this is all because he and his friends assumed that could be the only logical answer sincethe engine would randomly run hot and then coolant would leak from ?above? the exhaust manifold? causing the exhaust manifold heat shield to rust showing where the leak is happening. not below the manifold where the head gasket actually resides. coolant would not be coming from the valve cover gasket, right? or is this too a sign of a blown HG? the odometer read 83k+ and i noticed that the radiator (the tiny, no a/c, can't find it anywhere and when i do its $300!) was all shot out and the fins had actuallyentered into the path of thefan blades, either killing it or causing the relay to go. since i couldnt seem to get it to come on while i am talkin to this kid about what else is wrong with it, i will have to connect a hot lead to it and see if its actually shot. the radiator leaks like crazy and it tends to spary toward the engine thru the fan, makin me think the fluid is being blown over the engine by the airflow and thats where the rust and green color on the exhaust heat shield. so i tell this kid i agree that the block is warped and that i would give him 300 cash for the car. (heheheheh) he agreed and now i am stuck tryin to decide if i follow the forums and do the HG kit on it and do the timing belt and water pump, starter, alternator, maybe oil pump. i do tattoos and work on all my own cars so i can afford to do it all at once and get it done in about 1 day. but i know i need a radiator and possibly a fan (i will hook up a positive from the battery before i head out to the junk yard, hopefully its just the relay), plus the kid even took out the thermostat to keep it from running hot but it still did. i am thinkin its the rad+fan+air in the system from "fresh outta high school" not purgin the coolant system of any and all air. the air may be causing the subtle and random temp spikes and thelack of flow and leaky radiator is just addin to the air problem. plus no fan qould only make it worse when he slows down and no wind is hittin the rad. damn, this sucks. my whole purpose for being so torn is that the car doesn't sputter, runs fast as all hell and doesn't ever act like there is any lack of power, i let it run today in idle for 25 minutes and the only leak i could find is the rad. unless maybe its the cam position sensor leaking? this sucks. brain surgery or just a new canteen? decisions decisions. i can only afford to do one or the other and i am startin after noon tomoro so any quik input would be appreciated. anyone still readin this at this hour must be dedicated. thanks in advance/ and before i forget, i can see the metal edge of the head gasket stickin out from behind the intake on cylinder #1. does this mean i have the MLS or not? the rest of the gasket area between intakes looks like its brown but it could be rust from all the spraying coolant. i dunno.

if you can see the metal tab on the head gasket then it is a mls.....
i just about garantee you that the problem is with the radiator and fans.....not the head gasket unless the gasket went bad from being overheated due to the radiator and fans...

a new radiator from car quest only costs $115.00....so i dont know what the deal with $300.00 is[&:]
the 96 neons have a small fan controll box thats located on on of the fans.....its at the location where the electrical plug connects to the fans.....anyways, ive had a few situations where that controll bax has actually shorted out....

and as for the air in the coolant system, it basically releases any air and forces it out of the system when you shut the car off, so there isnt really any need to bleed it

so in response to the coolant stains on the exhaust heat shield? only oil would be comin outta the valve cover, right? what about the cam sensor? can water come out there? i just dont wanna do all the work for a HG and its not the prob.

no coolant will come from the cam sensor
i would assume the oil leak is from the valve cover

thats the prob. there is no oil on the back of the engine. but there is coolant on the valve cover and down the back of the engine but its comin from above the exhaust manifold.

maybe one of the heater core lines has a hole in it

****in heater cores. didnt even think of that. thanks. will check that next. and sorry dude but lighter=faster

ok, so i replaced the radiator, fan relay, thermostat and gasket, radiator cap. all work and no leaks. fan cut on at midway up the guage. no leaks from anywhere on the engine. now i am getting an alternating rubbing sound that speeds up with the engine like the accessory belt maybe is goin out or the spots that got antifreeze on it are squeeking or ( my worst nightmare) the overheating killed the water pump. if so, how can i determine if its bad or not before i remove it?

you can try this http://www.rxauto.com/blocktest.htm

ok, how would i test the water pump?