MX-3.com

I was driving down the highway yesterday when my AC stopped working then, my engine temp needle maxed out. I pulled over, one bottle of radiator repair and jug of water later I'm back on the road, no problem. Here is the issue, when the radiator was leaking water, it was black. It was also on the inside of my radiator cap and in my reservoir. It looked like oil to me. I googled oil in radiator and came up with my head gasket is bad, but I do not have the typical white smoke out the back... no smoke at all really. Could it still be a blown head gasket?
Would replacing the gasket involve removing the entire engine? I could do it myself as long as i do not need the car to be on anything more complicated that jack stands.

1995 Mazda MX-3
1.6L std ~120,000

If the temp needle shot up fast, then it might be the thermostat. If your car isn't smoking, but it still has an oil looking substance in it, the gasket could still be blown, or at least leaking.

Replacing the gasket does not require to rip out the engine. You should not need jack stands either. Just sockets and wrenches really.

On the bright side you have a 4 cyl. I would def check your oil if it is a creamy colour then the head gasket is blown. Im not sure if the mx-3 have aluminum heads but you may want to check to see if it is warped. Also i noticed that you put stop leak in your rad, have you done this before? If you have the stop leak will turn into a dark brown to black colour and collect in different places especially in your rad cap.