Should You Replace the Head Gasket or the Engine is the Question!!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ธ.ค. 2014
- Here is some tips and info that you might find very useful whenever you are faced with a suspected bad head gasket.
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You explained the differences of coolant in oil, oil in coolant and the different scenarios that cause them in a way that an average car owner can understand. Thank you.
Is it recommended to change both head gasket if only one is blown ?
Best explanation I have heard on TH-cam, or anywhere for that matter!! Keep up the great work!
Beautifully explained. Thank you.
Thanks for the good tips and what to look for!
Thank you for the eBay suggestion. I wouldn't have ever thought an eBay item cold cost lest and be delivered to my door cheaper than going to a salvage yard. Saved me 75 dollars and delivered to my door so gas saved too.
Most useful information about changing a head gasket or a used working engine 👍
Finally someone that makes sense about this issue!! Thank you (NZ)
Great tips, small correction though. Actually an oil cooler leak can go both ways because the cooling system remains under pressure once the engine is shut off while the oil pressure drops to zero, so the high pressure (~15 PSI) coolant could travel into the comparatively low pressure 0 PSI oil after the engine is shut down.
You know your shit. That makes sense.
Excellent video and to the point. The only thought I would add is that with the complexity of today's cars, most shops don't want to do head gaskets or swap engines. Both are labor intensive expensive jobs that have their associated risks. Even if the junkyard gives a warranty on the used engine they won't pay the shop to do the labor a second time. Letting the junkyard do the job is probably a better idea.
Hello 1st I would like to say thanks for the informative video on the Head Gasket Video. I managed to acquire a Dodge Caravan Sport 1999 from a inlaw. The van was loosing coolant at times, but needing a vehicle we paid no mind to it, we would just add water to the radiator when it got hot. We used the van couple mo with some driving of 100miles a week 1 trip back and forth. When it got hot we added water on the side of teh road, we were in rough times financially as well. So taking in to a mech was not a option. One day the van got hot we rode it hot till it turned off at a light we had no choice we was on a freeway noone to call and had to get home wife pregnant.
It died on us and it cranked again but soon turned off about 1/4 away from home. A mechanic saw us and went to check if we needed help which we did. He checked and said radiator cap is not even hot and that it has a smell to it. He said the water pump must not be working. He towed us home and towed the van to his place to get fixed. He came back and said water pump was busted and that it seems we rode on it like that for some time cause the fins or propeller was grinded down missing. He said looks like the head gasket is blown because water shot out the radiator cap when he tried to crank it. Now we were stuck with no van, I went ahead and said hmmm maybe I can fix it. Mind you van has not cranked since that day it shut off on us.
Well I removed the heads 1st time doing it mind you. I have the gaskets off and heads off was a pain in the rear. Now I have everything in my cart to buy and get shipped to me that is needed to repair this. I got 2 new heads since I have no way to take my current ones to a machine shop no car mind you. Then I see some videos stating that I need to check if the engine had compression to see if its even worth repairing the gaskets. Well its to late to test that cause I have no heads on the van atm. From my story so far what is the odds of my van working with the new heads and gaskets,since I never got to check my engine. The engine is cast iron block. I also notice I did not have a thermostats to even begin with I can't find it at all.
Please help me out thanks.
Very informative. Thank you!
I bought a 1999 Acura RL with a blown head gasket and some incidents of knocking based on service records. The car had 176K miles, so I decided to replace the engine. I found a used engine for $400 at a yard that was stated as having 200 PSI compression in all cylinders and 106K miles - I saw pics of the totaled car. After I swapped out a bunch of seals, hoses and TB/WP then installed the engine, the car has run great. I deal with a lot of Honda aluminum engines, and my personal preference is to replace the engine, especially if I don't know the car's history.
DIY Apprentice how much did you pay for the car with blown gasket?
You were lucky to find that used engine it made a lot more sense to swap it out than trying to fix the old one.
Informative AF!
Can you make a video on what too look for when buying a used engine?
Very informative video thxs
Thanks for all your help.
I have a question
How do you know if a car was overheating? I'm working on this Jeep timing chain issue but just wanted to Know about overheating.
Is there any signs that I should look for?
Thanks for you videos...they've saved me many times! My son's 2015 ford fiesta 1.6L w/ 149000 overheated 2x, once issue was fan . I didn't diagnose just changed pump then found timing belt and crankshaft timing gear needed changed. running great a few weeks then overheated again Christmas eve on the way back from LAX with daughter & husband from Germany. broke down midnight on freeway near Compton had to tow it to ford dealer. ford charged $207 to diagnose and said it was thermostat not engine. they wanted 1080.00 to change it! i said no towed it home 50 miles. has to run for about 15 -20 min before the degas tank starts to bubble and push coolant out.. no white smoke and no water in oil pan. losing coolant somewhere after it runs for a while. did block test on it without combustion gas detected so leak must be on intake side? I have repeatedly purged any air out of cooling system and heater blows hot. i was thinking possible heater control valve not working properly or intake gasket. head gasket, or cracked /warped head. used complete motor 795.00 with 31000, 3yr warranty or I try bars leak, if successful how long will it last?, if fail i dont know what to do.. head gasket & resurface head/ fix crack or reconditioned head, or change engine? already have 600+ in parts and tow and diagnostic. what you think?
Outstanding video, but didn't give a lot of confidence for my situation.
That said, really appreciate your insight.
You are right!! It happen to me, had a head job on my civic done, lasted only one month and had it redone again per warranty and again overheated, so now i need a complete engine swap. i've already wasted 850 trying to save money, for which i didn't save money cause now i need an engine. Good advise. i should of watch youtube before.
Great vid and info, thanks man.
Much appreciated, this cleared up alot of things for me. A neighbor told me something similar.
Like what
Informative video.
Thanks for the video
I found this entertaining!
Good video
This is a hella old video man, but so helpful in what i was just debating with myself . New or continue to changing this head gasket and so forth. Im still left with making the choice and Id rather not just put in a used engine at that point and would rather just buy a new one. My problem is i have no real way to know what went wrong. I saw coolant when i removed my spark plugs in 3 out of 4 cylinders. The car never got hot on my gauge but was sputtering and spitting and the coolant level for the last week or two was constantly needed to be topped off. How much of that coolant made its way to my bearings i don't know.
The car is turbocharged stock and it's probably aluminum, i should prob go check lol. With 200,000 miles on the car, i made sure that the fluids were always changed and used top quality fluids. Still i'm uncertain in how much life is left on internals in block and cylinder head.
Last i drove car the power seemed to be hesitant but there still. The vibration though was insane and the engine sound was sounding different the last few days. Enough that you knew something wasn't right. I just don't know how much of that can be contributed to how the coolant was getting into those cylinders.
I suppose it could of been going on for a good amount of time as well just not that noticeable. I hate to have to call a mechanic adding more to the overall cost when i ultimately want this car to be running strong once I'm done and reliable.
Some would say well its got 200k on the other parts of the car, and ive been taking care of it and also in the process and have been repairing everything from a to z. The only things left are the suspension and its components, engine and transmission. So this isn't so bad i wanted it to hurry up so i could get to building it back up but left with choices makes me spin circles lol ... ugh...
Hi i have a 2007 Mitsubishi eclipse 2.4 that i bought cheap but the problem is it sounds like a spun / knocking rod bearing noise it does turn on, but it sounds loud if you accelerate more. My question is i have the same engine in my garage, which was yunk because belt broke and valves bent, do you think it's a good idea to replace the cylinder head from the car to the engine thats sitting in my garage? Do I need to take the cylinder head to be resurfaced or no? Or just replace the cylinder gasket and torque to yield bolts? What's your advice.?
Thanks in advance!
Hi, the Toyota Prius 3rd generation has that problem too and in not for overheating, i think is more for fatigue.
This is some good stuff
I just got it 04 Xscape its smokes would it be OK to replace the gaskets
What are your thoughts on replacing the head gasket just as preventative maintenance? Such as if you are already removing the cylinder head to replace valve stem seals and you just decide to replace it anyway
OH MY I always did that and I have my truck going for 230k miles before any major work need to be done.
I totally agree, the problem is where to get the engine, here in Chile a 4Age costs around $2000 and a 1990 corolla costs around $1600 (the coupe with 4age) :(
What about in a 2004 Pontiac grand am se 6 c y l? Oil looks like a milkshake. Fill coolant and 5 min later says low coolant. Is the engine toast? I think it blew the upper manifold gasket too. Changed the oil and that's when I found it. Oil pan full of milkshake. Omg... Got done with the oil change turned on the car and the dipstick was milkshake too. What it be worth it to replace all the gaskets for everything or just replace the engine with a rebuilt one from a salvage yard? Has almost 200000 miles on it.
the longer the car is run with a blown head gasket the more the damage, ive seen the aluminum burn out between the combustion chambers, forget repairing that, the block gets messed up too.
Toyota 4.0 1gr-fe Tacoma engines. Fix head gasket or replace?
What could cause gasoline being in the coolant reservoir? The mechanic said it's because my head gasket is warped on my 2016 jeep patriot latitude 2.0 i told him i wanted to buy a whole new engine or a slightly used engine with low miles but he swears that it can be repaired at a local machine shop that specializes in repairing cylinder heads but what scares me is he told me there is a slight hairline crack in the block between cylinder 2 and 3 and he said it can be welded and fixed but since it is a aluminum head I'm kinda iffy? What do you think i should do? I dont really know this mechanic very well i met him on FB and im kinda scared I'm going to get screwed. I also still owe almost $7,000 on this truck and i still owe nearly 2 more years on this truck and i just want to last me at least for as long as im still making payments on it if it lasts longer then even better but my question is should i allow the mechanic to repair my damaged heads or should i look into buying a new or rebuilt engine all together?
Hello, why would the fuel injectors go as well as the head gasket ? It's blowing white smoke out the tail pipe and the car smells like gas ...... is it worth fixing 2011 Camaro
Thanks, finally found an answer on TH-cam.
I have some pretty cool cousins that do all the work for free on my truck. I have a 2007 Chevy Avalanche with 230k miles!!! it had work great for all those miles until my sister over heat it. Im wondering now with this video if I will need a new engine soon. Its been fixed for about 2 months and so far it been like new, though I feel a small lose of power.
Update
I think I messed up, however, there isn't another car for 150 miles under $1500 that isn't wrecked or bleeding oil everywhere.
Is it 04 Xscape aluminum or cast-iron
where is your shop located?
thnx
I don’t have oil on the coolant or viceversa but I have a coolant leak on front of the head, by the second piston front side (four cylinder car. Should I change the engine? My car runs but sometimes overheats. You said the junkyard can change the engine if they have one? They will charge on top of buying the engine a fee for installing the engine? Just trying to find out what is common here. Thx 🙏
Like he said , find out my its overheating in the first place
That’s what I was thinking it’s easier just to swap the engine then changing a head gasket. The price cost is essentially the same
That's crazy. I guess I better prepare to buy a new car soon.
@@MrSupernova111why lol
My car overheated after the radiator cap was left off and all the coolant leaked out.
There are no signs of oil/coolant mixing. There is definitely combustion gases getting into the cooling system which are easy to smell in the reservoir and radiator.
Same smell occurs (exhaust) when starting the car after sitting for a day or so as well as the car being hard to start, having a miss, low idle and occasionally shutting back off.
Warm engine has slight rough idle. Possibly a slight loss of power and a small but noticeable dip in fuel economy.
Coolant is being forced into the reservoir but is not being drawn back into the radiator. No white smoke or steam is noticeably coming from the exhaust, no visible leaks anywhere, and the seems to run pretty good both city and highway.
Intake manifold gaskets or head gasket??
I got the same problem but my car runs fine but im losing coolant without any leaks, but car drives very well and starts up great. Id guess head gasket or minor crack
What about a old 4.3 vortek out of s10
I just subscribed and liked the video and I been liking other ones as well thanks for the knowledge your like a Yoda or Obi Wan Kenobi or whatever his name is I have a 97 Toyota Camry V6 blow HG and p0115 p0325/330
If we buy a used engine, what would be the cost for installing the engine in a 2007 Prius ? Our car has over 230K miles on it, is sucking oil and now has gray smoke coming out of it.
I was under the impression that in their modern iterations, Subaru made engines with iron short blocks, and aluminum heads. Yet you mention that they have aluminum blocks - are we thinking about different generations or displacements of their engines?
I need some help figuring out of my 01 durango has a bad head gasket. white ploom of smoke. starts up fine wiht a good battery. the smoke actually smells of gas not really coolant.
Richard Cowtails block test kit. Cheap tool. $30 or so at automotive stores. 2 min and you know.
how can I tell if it's just a head gasket. I have to get my car fixed fast. im almost positive it's a gasket. can I talk to you over phone. I watch ur videos alot and you know cars
1994 honda civic blown head gas kit .with 275000 kms .because of broken radiator hose .should i change engine or just head gas kit
That is actually a quite complicated questions. That is a low kilometerage for a car that old, but is that a car worth a major repair? I keep trying to make the time to replace the head gasket in my Civic, but there is always a chance there is additional damage that will not show up until after the job is done, and I may still not have a drivable car.
I don't have coolant in my oil but I do have oil in my coolant....Is that signs of a blown head gasket? I just flushed the radiator and it is dirty again (only about 1 week of use after flush).
Ok you answered my question my car runs fine but there is oil in the coolant so I will check both the transmission and oil coolant...which should I check first?
I was told to replace a gasket on my avalon 05 im not sure if i should do it, toyota last long and my car is going strong, but i dont want crazyness to happend on my car
Should i replace the gasket as i was recommended ? Or get a engine ? Nothing has happend yet to my car but i want to prevent that from happening i also have 222,000 miles on it.
Update
exactly; especially as a 90's or 20 year+ car ages; and there are tons of the old engines, good shape that are just paper weights waiting to be used by hands-on people or scrapped for Tesla food.
Or just replace headgasket
Thank you. Very helpful. I have a blown head gasket and I’m thinking about replacing the engine soon. The car runs but smokes out the back. When I look in the exhaust pipe on the back of the car there is mud like brown stuff in there, I think it’s oil. Do you know if it’s safe to drive like this if I just get a head gasket sealant for now, like blue devil or liquid glass? The oil in the exhaust made me a little worried to drive it even if I replace the head gasket, the engine, or do a temporary fix like the sealant. What’s your advice? Thank you
You probably have coolant in the oil, which is brown and milky looking, most likely coolant is getting into the oil because of a blown head gaskets.
Miguel Dominic I have this same symptom with my 11 Chevy Cruze Lt 1.4L engine 4 cylinder. It has a blown head gasket, I tried sealing it with the blue devil sealant but it still overheats. Whenever I put coolant or water in the coolant Reservoir it disappears. The last time I drove it (over a year ago), it overheated and shut off. Had to tow it back to my house and it has been sitting there ever since because it doesn’t start anymore. Whenever I turn the key to the on position all I hear is a click. 🤷🏽♂️
What if the left cylinder head is gone plus housing gasket is gone misfires 1,3,5 is it better to just check the engine
I have a 2004 Audi A4 with 330,000 km on it. Is it a good idea to change the head gasket? Not sure if there is anything wrong. I just want to do an ovehaul
A new gasket will not help if its not needed
Its all about the fun you have while doing it. But if its not broken why fix it ?? I spent over 500 dollars on kool parts to make my engine like new. But I am no mechanic only have about 2 years of working on my own car. Oil changes or whatever. And it was a huge head ache. But I had fun . learned a lot. Like . dont force a bolt that doesnt belong... I cracked my block. But I found out after I rebuilt the cylinder head with new valves , springs, retainers. Cleaned it up all nice. Put new head bolts. Torqued it all down. It ran like a dream..... But then it popped because my coolant mixed with the oil. Yup new coolant and oil. It was a huge mess. ... This took me about 2 months. In between work and life.
My brother found a used engine. We took it out in 4 hours. Same for the broken one. And swapped it in one weekend .
Only cost 400 dollars.
So. 400 vs. About 500 dollars . I would rather replace the engine if it was to fix the car I loved. But if you have a cheap car. That you want to rebuild and have fun doing it. Engine rebuild is fun too. Just involves a lot of tools. Engine hoist . engine stand. And you might break something like the transmission bell housing. .. Its all a big mess.
But you might have everything already. Tools a nice place to work.
Engines are never the same again after separating the head from the block for the first time. The head and block grow and age together over the thousands of kilometres and kind of knit and seal together.
When you break them open, the "magic" is lost and it will be a comparatively shorter amount of time before you have to do it again, and then again and again.
I would advise to get an old engine that needs overhauling and have fun with that one, and keep up with the maintenance on the A4 and see how far she'll go! 330,000km isn't really that much all by itself. More depends on maintenance and/or abuse.
Just my 2c.
Alfa romeo giulia 2017 80k miles. Can a oil cooler lead to exhaust gasses in the coolant? There is also oil in my coolant but not mixed, its layer of oil on top of coolant. Alfa Shop says cyl 2 and 3 are leaking through bad head gasket. No coolant in oil
Should i just replace engine? $5000 for head gasket replacement plus $3000 turbo replacement (they say engine light is on bc low boost signal so whole turbo replacement is required) vs. $10,500 engine replacement that comes w new turbo
Or they will give me $5k for the car lol
Even tho it is a Q2 Ti sport
All 3 engines I got from 2 junkyards had blown head gaskets. Dealing with junkyard engines is a nightmare.
wow, did you get them at a pick your part type of junkyard? I've had good luck buying engines on ebay too.
RatchetsAnd Wrenches
No they were both closed/go up to the desk yards. After all I spent in the end I should have just ordered a re-manufactured engine off ebay.
ebay is a good way to buy a engine because they tested before putting it for sale , plus you get 90 day guaranty
Ratchets And Wrenches what a guy 👍
Can you just put the gasket on and see if it works without all the other stuff? If it doesn't work then replace engine.
If I get a new engine will I still need a new head gasket?
You’d have a new engine so no
Thanks 😊 🙏 Sr
Use Jaspers Engines or Powertrain Engines brand new 3yr/100k mile warranty 😊😊😊😊
How much?
Do I need a gasket if I open the cylinder
I like you
16 minutes of "just replace your engine unless the cost of replacing it outweighs the cost of rebuild.
Such as performance engines, if you were to replace a complete performance engine it would be upwards of $50,000 whereas rebuilding the engine would be near $5,000
I have a toyota rav4 4
My car hit water and the insurance didn't want to pay just to open it up and see the problem so to speak I took the credit score hit and let it get repo
My poor 1999 Neon
jdm engines cost around 600 to 700 less very low clicks while the gasket might run you 1000s
If your mechanic tells you it’s cheaper to change engine than change head gasket get a new mechanic
If you got a shit ton of money
si si i wanna gettin
So basically either drive the car until it dies and stop putting money into it or prepare to buy a new car.
So pretty much I need a new car.
Yep. Me too.
@@MrSupernova111no you don’t
@@jayislander . 2 years later and I'm still driving the old clunker. As long as it drives I'm keeping it. Not giving the greedy dealerships ad dime over MSRP for a new car in this ridiculous market environment.
@@MrSupernova111 did you change head gaskit
@@jayislander . No. I just check routinely and top off between oil changes.
Thought it was shartimusprime for a second
Those are some ugly aftermarket taillights on that Audi.
Good video