How to / Cost to Fix Headgasket or soemthing ?

[whiteboy]

Hey
a member is sellin the car in the below thread and i was thinking about it, but only if i can fix it and how bad is a blown head gasket ? How much would it cost to get fixed (if it can) thanks guys and yea i know some stuff on the car has to go ie: spoiler, window vents, chrome wheel trim. . .thanks

Jordan

http://3geez.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=110137#post110137

[slammedLXI]

unless you kno what ur doing with engines, which it doesnt look like, then take it to a shop, the part itself costs about 50$, the labor is what kills, the engine has to be all taken apart... your looking at maybe 400$

[Greg]

I myself have actually never done a head gasket, but I know enough about it to know that you can f* it up. If the head or block is warped bad then you need to get them machined by a shop. If you have a CRACK then you're probably screwed. But to change the head gasket you need to take the whole cylinder head off the block. This requires taking off the intake and exhaust manifolds (well, maybe you can leave the exhaust manifold on but just disconnect the flex pipe from manifold)

You have to take the t-belt off (duh),

and you have to then take apart some stuff in the head.

You need a shit load of tools -- DEFINITELY a torque wrench! You have to know exactly what you're doing when you tighten the head and tighten the bolts to specified torque in a certain pattern to make sure it seals.

Anyway, if you're not too experienced with car repairs, you can mess up bad.

I know that junkyards around here sell the whole engine assembly on 3g's for like $250. I'd probably get an engine with lower mileage before changing the head gasket on an engine that you know nothing about (unless I was getting the car for like $50).

[whiteboy]

hey
all right thanks, yea im gonna pass on the car for 600 if it needs 400 of work, i dont wanna mess with the engine too much but body and suspension i can deal with. . . . . thanks fellas

Jordan

[buish]

dealership charges about $520 labor + parts price

[ACCORD EX]

a lot of labor ! may be you can make it your summer project or something !

MIKE

[ELM'sLX+CHL'sDX]

Replacement of a head gasket is probably one of the more time consuming job you can do on a car. It goes a lot quicker if you have power tools, like an impact gun and a pneumatic wrench.

When done correctly, the job requires more than replacing the headgasket. On our cars, it's a good investment to have the head inspected for warps and cracks. If the head is warped, a shop may be able to resurface the head. In addition, it's a good idea to replace the valve seals and the camshaft seals. If the head is cracked, then it will require replacement.

Most dealers will probably require 6-8 hours of labor plus any parts. That doesn't include the resurfacing the head or changing valve seals/stems.

Claude

[oldsub86]

I did the headgaskets in my wife's 1986 Ford Taurus 3.0 about 5 years ago. It was pretty easy. You unbolt a bunch of stuff and then bolt it back on - sort of like a big jigsaw puzzle. The hard part is remembering where everything goes but you can take pictures or label things if need be. A Honda 4 would be a bit different because of the overhead cam but in some ways easier as there is only one head. You have to get the timing right when you put it back together to make sure it will run and not hurt anything but the manuals do a fairly good job of explaing how to do it. If you do decide to try it - it is usually a good idea to replace the head bolts as well as the gasket. Sometimes they stretch and break and sometimes they are a bit corroded.