Head gasket blown! Bought car today! Please help!

[Eli]

Originally posted by: amdforever2
How long does it take to replace head gasket?

Does car have to be lifted to do this?

If I have the seller replace the headgasket at his own expense and everything is fine I will know right?


If he replaces headgasket and everything is unfine I will know it is cracked or something right?

Hmm.. Mechanics love people like you.

 

[amdforever2]

considering the price of a headgasket, I think i'd like to replace it and see if that fixes it.

How hard is it to fix the headgasket? The seller is moderately car savvy I believe, could he do it with basic tools and no lift?

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: amdforever2
Is there any way I can determine if there is permanent engine damage like cracked block and all that needs to be fixed is gaskets?

Can a mechanic with hood up look and see, or does the car have to be lifted?

A good mechanic will be able to tell a lot by a simple inspection and "running" the car. He will then tell you what needs to be done or what needs disassembly. Get mechanic references from people you trust and have the car looked at ASAP (or Monday). Do not drive it in the meantime.

You might have got lucky or you might have major expenses. NO ONE here can tell for sure without a more "hands on" approach (unless we have Psychic Mechanics.



EDIT: It is obvious that you are the rawest of NOOBS re:car and car repair. That is not your fault - but be prepared to PAY and PAY and PAY until you learn more. I'd really suggest you enlist the aid of an older and more knowledgeable person to take your car into tepairs with you.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: amdforever2
How long does it take to replace head gasket?

Not entirely sure what book is on a 3800. call any shop and ask tommorow morning.

Does car have to be lifted to do this?

no

If I have the seller replace the headgasket at his own expense and everything is fine I will know right?

hopefully the problems would be gone, so yes.

If he replaces headgasket and everything is unfine I will know it is cracked or something right?

shops do not replace things willy nilly. well, compentent shops anyway.

This is my recomendation: Get your money back. stop posing here, go to sleep. Tomorrow, call the seller and ask for a refund.

 

[BigNeko]

He already said it was the 3.8

My eyes must be playing tricks cause I don't see that. Help me out.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: amdforever2
considering the price of a headgasket, I think i'd like to replace it and see if that fixes it.

How hard is it to fix the headgasket? The seller is moderately car savvy I believe, could he do it with basic tools and no lift?

He is not going to fix your headgasket for free. At the very minimum it will take one skilled person a full days work, and that's if he's good at it and doesn't have any complications.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: BigNeko

He already said it was the 3.8

My eyes must be playing tricks cause I don't see that. Help me out.

This is the second thread he posted about this car today.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: BigNeko

He already said it was the 3.8

My eyes must be playing tricks cause I don't see that. Help me out.

I do not see it either. notfred probably confused this with one fo the other 8000 threads about the 3800's. It probably has the 3.8 anyway.

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: BigNeko

He already said it was the 3.8

My eyes must be playing tricks cause I don't see that. Help me out.

This is the second thread he posted about this car today.

Or it could be that notfred has a better memory than me

 

[Ultima]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919

Originally posted by: amdforever2
Can headgaskets alone cause:


Fuel tank to drop by 1/4
Smoke to billow en masse from exhaust
engine to stutter
overheating

no.

The last 3, yes. The first one? I dunno...

 

[amdforever2]

It is the V6.

I called seller requesting refund the minute I walked in the door. He said he'd come by tommorow and take a look at what has gone wrong.

Replacing head gasket is 8 hours of work?

 

[Ultima]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: amdforever2
Can headgaskets alone cause:


Fuel tank to drop by 1/4
Smoke to billow en masse from exhaust
engine to stutter
overheating

the last one (overheating) usually happens with blown headgaskets, engine stuttering would be a lot less likely, but possible. Head gaskets usually will not make a lot of smoke after blowing. They may make a little bit, usually under full throttle, but not a whole lot. It wouldn't affect the fuel level at all.

hehe.. guess that depends on what you call a "blown" head gasket. When mine went, I made enough smoke to fog up both sides of a 6-lane boulevard, and I mean FOG up. I had to keep the engine above 1500 rpm or so to keep it from stalling.

 

[BigNeko]

NO ONE here can tell for sure without a more "hands on" approach

And no mechanic is gonna go through the teeth pulling we just did.

amdforever2,

WRITE EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED DOWN!!!!

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: amdforever2
It is the V6.

I called seller requesting refund the minute I walked in the door. He said he'd come by tommorow and take a look at what has gone wrong.

Replacing head gasket is 8 hours of work?

Did you see the picture I posted?

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: amdforever2
Can headgaskets alone cause:


Fuel tank to drop by 1/4
Smoke to billow en masse from exhaust
engine to stutter
overheating

Fuel tank to drop by 1/4 - NO
Smoke to billow en masse from exhaust - YES
engine to stutter - YES
overheating - YES, because most of the coolant is probably gone.

I had a blown headgasket several years ago. On a Sunday morning, I decided to drive the car 3 miles to the repair facility from where it broke down. I topped off the coolant before starting the drive. About 200 feet from the repair facility, a county police officer pulled me over and asked if I was trying to cause an accident with all the smoke I was creating. :Q - He put the flashers on and followed me to the service station. Fortunately, he didn't write me a ticket, but did use some four letter words and didn't seem too happy with me.

 

[dxkj]

All I can say is take a deep breath, and have it looked at by a mechanic tommorrow. We can give you all the advice in the world on what it "could" be, but based on your limited knowledge I wouldnt go tearing things off and replacing parts. Contact the seller, tell him its F!!@# up from the very beginning, and that you want to take it to a mechanic and have it looked at, see if he is even partly willing to refund you your money. If not suck up the inspection cost and find out exactly what is wrong with it. A mechcanic can tell you, we can't. Your putting 1.3k + buying this car may as well spend 20-50 dollars having someone tell you what the problem is and to see if its a big deal or just something small.


BTW, 99% sure the guy knew something was messed up and thats why he sold it for that price, I think I saw you post earlier asking if this was a good deal, and everyone said yeah if there isnt something majorly wrong with it


Best of luck friend, but take it to a mechanic and figure out exactly whats up

 

[Ultima]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: amdforever2
I wasn't sure there was a problem when I got on freeway.

To get it home i put tons of water in the thing and limped home.

Now you know what to know next time you are not sure. If the temperature is rising suddenly get over to the side and STOP the engine ASAP!!!

As I "added" in the edit to my previous post - you may be lucky if you have a big V-8 engine (they tolerate extreme temperatures much better than the smaller engines) . . . have a mechanic check it out and GOOD LUCK!

It could be a BLOWN engine. Overheat is SERIOUS!

Yep. For my car, I blew my head-gasket, which caused the engine to overheat, which probably precipitated the cracked rings (one was all in little pieces), and that hole in the #3 piston in my car. Thankfully, wasn't too hard to fix, just take off the head and the oil pan. The block is iron so it wasn't cracked or anything

 

[slick230]

Originally posted by: BigNeko

He already said it was the 3.8

My eyes must be playing tricks cause I don't see that. Help me out.

Check the Ebay page, it say's it's the 3.8
LOOKIE HERE

 

[T2T III]

it never hit MAXIMUM hot, just up there.

Remember, the standard gauges and idiot lights on vehicles are not very accurate. Your vehicle's engine could have hit very high temperatures and the temp. gauge could have been a bit slow to respond.

 

[amdforever2]

WJE, you drove 3 miles. About same distance as I.

You drove these miles with blown headgasket correct?

What car was it? Was your engine permanetly damaged?

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: amdforever2
It is the V6.

I called seller requesting refund the minute I walked in the door. He said he'd come by tommorow and take a look at what has gone wrong.

Replacing head gasket is 8 hours of work?

Did you see the picture I posted?

Yes. Damn, talk about a lot of "back breaking" work!

 

[Ultima]

Originally posted by: amdforever2
considering the price of a headgasket, I think i'd like to replace it and see if that fixes it.

How hard is it to fix the headgasket? The seller is moderately car savvy I believe, could he do it with basic tools and no lift?

Just get a repair manual and do it yourself, otherwise you may as well junk the car as you don't want to pay a garage to do it for what that car is worth. Fixing a head-gasket can take a while depending on the car. Took quite a while for mine waiting for parts, bolts broke etc... pain in the ass. Best to get a friend who is mechanically inclined to help you out.

 

[amdforever2]

I don't want to replace the head gasket if that's not whats wrong and besides I can't tell if the engine is permanetly damaged or not. If it is, replacing the head gasket at 8 hours work isn't worth it.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: wje

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: amdforever2
It is the V6.

I called seller requesting refund the minute I walked in the door. He said he'd come by tommorow and take a look at what has gone wrong.

Replacing head gasket is 8 hours of work?

Did you see the picture I posted?

Yes. Damn, talk about a lot of "back breaking" work!

Yeah, leaning over an engine for 8 hours, and capping off the day by trying to lean forward and lift a 50lb cylider head or two off that engine from 2-3 feet in front of you does hurt your back.

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: amdforever2
WJE, you drove 3 miles. About same distance as I.

You drove these miles with blown headgasket correct?

What car was it? Was your engine permanetly damaged?

To answer your questions:

Yes, I drove 3 miles with a blown head gasket. Actually, 3 miles in a severely-blown state. My wife drove it about 5 miles earlier in the day and some silly mechanic told her nothing was wrong with it - even though the engine was shaking like crazy. She left the car at the shop and found another ride to work. I picked up the car later that evening and drove it for a while. It was good for the first 7 miles, then all heck broke lose. I was on I-95 in lots of traffic. A trucker was blocking the right shoulder as he was idling along, so I couldn't pass him to get to the next exit.

My car was a 1984 Pontiac Sunbird with a 1.8L 4 cylinder engine.

My car was not permanently damaged. Actually, the head was slightly warped which required it to be "shaved" slightly. Back in 1988 when this incident happened, my repair bill was about $600 (including the machine shop work on the head.)

 

[Antisocial Virge]

OK, everybody who said "Just buy a head gasket and replace it" How many of you guys have ever done one? I love these threads...." Its just a rear seal.. $5 and 15 min of work"

EDIT: I have seen VW diesels crack between both the intake and exhaust on every cylinder and still run fine. In fact the VW dealer mechanic says that was a common thing and never seemed to cause any harm. In fact the rabbit diesel I had rebuilt had it.