Should I buy it anyway?

2002 BUICK LESABRE
49,000 MILES • 3.8L • 6 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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GREGG GRAGNANI
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I am contemplating buying an immaculate, low mileage le Sabre that has been sitting two months. Apparently, the car overheated and now won’t start and the battery has gone dead. Is it not starting due to blown head gaskets? I realize I need a new battery and am somewhat prepared for a head gasket replacement bill at a garage. However, any other thoughts about what the problems might be that I should be on the lookout for?
Sep 4, 2023 at 3:53 AM
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STRAILER
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That is low mileage, what a good find. To see if the engine is locked up remove all of the spark plugs and use a breaker bar on the front of the engine balancer bolt to see if you can turn the engine over, the reason I need the spark plug removed is if the head gasket is blown it can fill the cylinder with coolant and not compress, and this will give us a clue if the engine does have a blown head gasket as well.

This guide may help as well:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/recognizing-the-symptoms-understanding-a-blown-head-gasket-in-your-vehicle

Let us know what happens and please upload pictures or videos of the problem so we can see what's going on.
Sep 4, 2023 at 1:05 PM