Van died, had it towed to autoshop. They told me that my van was suffering from "Hydrolock". Also, they said that there was antifreeze mixed in with the oil. I am pretty sure the engine is destroyed based on what they said. Probably going to need to replace engine-any thoughts on if this is more expensive than buying another car?

 

Probably just need a new head gasket...much cheaper than a motor

 

Well, before i realized what it was, i tried to start the engine several times because i thought it was a dead batteryi heard that trying to turn over the engine is the worst thing to do when the engine hydrolocks...is this true?

 

only hard on the starter motor. The starter tries to turn the motor but it won't budge so it can burn out. the engine itself just sits there full of anitfreeze

 

Had this same problem with a Lincoln...

You just have to change the gasket on your "tops", and clean out the antifreeze from the engine oil.

You must also remember to check your flex plate (between your engine and transmission) to see if anyteeth are broken.
If they are, you will hear a kind of cracking sound when you try to start the engine again...