LexSurfing

It takes several minutes (5) before the temp gauge starts to climb. It halts at the midway point (around 140?) but then continues to climb past the red arc after about 15 minutes. I'm guessing that the reason the gauge halts is because the thermostat releases what little coolant is left.

My two possible theories are that 1) coolant is leaking out of the lines, simply draining the system, making it overheat or 2) the coolant leaked (same as above) and caused the cylinder heads to warp. Now not only is the coolant leaking out of the lines, but also past the head gaskets, into the oil system. I'm hoping that it's only #1.

I checked the oil dipstick today, and noticed that the oil looks quite murky/muddy. I'm going to pour more coolant into the system, and take the ole gal into the dealership to see if they can diagnose the problem. If there is a head gasket leak, my only option is relying on the Blue Devil sealant. Trying to fix the problem at the root of the cause is out of the question... $$$...

Wish me luck, and thanks for the help!