head gasket problem?

Some of you may have been reading my posts on overheating. well i brought it to a diffent mechanic who did a test by sticking what looks like the tube they stick in your exhaust for a emissions test into my radiator overflow tank and it reads CO2%. it read 182 and his conclusion is without a doubt its the head gasket leaking.

since i have had trouble with mechanics in the past is this accurate? he said there should be no co2 reading in the overflow tank.

also any idea how much a head gasket should run, he said labor is 900 and 550 for parts, that dont include rebulding the valves or timing belt stuff just gaskets and labor. is this a good price and do you think i would need rebuit valves? there is no loss of power only thing that happend is car overheats sometimes and the only way to cool it down is to rev the engine for about 15 seconds and the temp goes right down.

thnaks


adam

It the fluid level in your radiator going down? Any oil present in your antifreeze or vice versa?

In my experience a bad head gasket does not cause overheating, the lack of antifreeze because its leaking/burning off causes it. I have heard of head gaskets going bad from overheating though.

While it may be a problem, in my mildly experienced opinion, its not THE problem. Unless you are burning through antifreeze that quickly.

If revving the engine helps it sounds like more of a flow problem. Either air or coolant. I would.start by running the engine with a large fan blowing right at it. If it still overheats its likely a coolant flow issue. If that solves it, its likely a bad fan or a dirty radiator/condensor

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Originally Posted by zadam123

Some of you may have been reading my posts on overheating. well i brought it to a diffent mechanic who did a test by sticking what looks like the tube they stick in your exhaust for a emissions test into my radiator overflow tank and it reads CO2%. it read 182 and his conclusion is without a doubt its the head gasket leaking.

since i have had trouble with mechanics in the past is this accurate? he said there should be no co2 reading in the overflow tank.

also any idea how much a head gasket should run, he said labor is 900 and 550 for parts, that dont include rebulding the valves or timing belt stuff just gaskets and labor. is this a good price and do you think i would need rebuit valves? there is no loss of power only thing that happend is car overheats sometimes and the only way to cool it down is to rev the engine for about 15 seconds and the temp goes right down.

thnaks


adam

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Had similar problem with a different car. Turned out the heater core was going bad. A antifreeze odor in the cabin is a sign this is the issue.

No antifreeze mixed with oil and no loss of power and no smoke from exhaust but I did have to add 1 half gallon of antifreeze in 1 month. Also what about that test can it be wrong?

I went on this site. It gives an estimate of repairs when you enter vehicle, repair, and zip code. I did not have Staen Island so I used my zip it was pretty close.

http://repairpal.com/estimator

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Originally Posted by circmand

Had similar problem with a different car. Turned out the heater core was going bad. A antifreeze odor in the cabin is a sign this is the issue.

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Here is another issue I noticed When my car is running hot My heater works When the car is running normal temperature Sometimes my heater blows out cold air Do you think this is a heater core issue Or could it still be the head gasket

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Originally Posted by zadam123

Here is another issue I noticed When my car is running hot My heater works When the car is running normal temperature Sometimes my heater blows out cold air Do you think this is a heater core issue Or could it still be the head gasket

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I can only say maybe. I was only aware of the symptoms of the core issue since it happened to me. I can not say for sure if these additional symptoms were happening

zadam123, I think you're on the right track now. This is one of those rare times where a leaking head gasket absolutely can cause overheating. I wish it hadn't taken me 2+ years to figure this same problem out. :)

Sounds like head gasket to me.... so you're leaking exhaust into the coolant... which will displace coolant which you have noticed that you had to replace... you will be able to smell if you have exhaust gas by removing the radiator cap and or looking for bubbling in expansion chamber on tickover.... when the heater matrix is full of exhaust gas you get no heat as gas is no good at heat transfer. When you rev it you manage to overcome the gas lock and get some heat.. As we run a V6 it might just be one gasket and someone on here will know if they are a pig to do...

You could try the "magic green liquid" as a temporary fix as your head gasket leak appears quite small at this time and you may like some time before you bite the bullet. My experience is that this bodge will allow you to pootle (<2500rpm) around without loosing coolant for some time but who knows...!!

take care

I brought it to another mechanic and he tested my radiator cap which he said was no good since it was holding no pressure and he said that could cause overheating also my heater core blew out ( i think it happend saturday since my passenger side floor was soaked ) which is probably why my heater was blowing out cold air.


now here is the tricky part he gave me a new cap and bypassed my heater core and the car so far is running fine, no loss of antifreeze , no antifreeze smell in the car and no overheating. Granted it is now cold outside so not sure if the whole problem is the heater core going bad with a bad radiator cap .

If it was the head gasket would the car overheat in the winter as well? I have been driving it to work (25 mile each way) to work for the past 3 days and so far so good. I really hope this is the problem since i dont want to fix the heater core to only find out my head gasket is also no good. I love this vehicle but cant afford all of this work.

BTW i was quoted 700 for the heater core is this accurate?

http://repairpal.com/

Shows that $420-$720 for parts and labor is what to expect for heater core replacement. At least in my area.

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Originally Posted by zadam123

I brought it to another mechanic and he tested my radiator cap which he said was no good since it was holding no pressure and he said that could cause overheating also my heater core blew out ( i think it happend saturday since my passenger side floor was soaked ) which is probably why my heater was blowing out cold air.


now here is the tricky part he gave me a new cap and bypassed my heater core and the car so far is running fine, no loss of antifreeze , no antifreeze smell in the car and no overheating. Granted it is now cold outside so not sure if the whole problem is the heater core going bad with a bad radiator cap .

If it was the head gasket would the car overheat in the winter as well? I have been driving it to work (25 mile each way) to work for the past 3 days and so far so good. I really hope this is the problem since i dont want to fix the heater core to only find out my head gasket is also no good. I love this vehicle but cant afford all of this work.

BTW i was quoted 700 for the heater core is this accurate?

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You should be OK for short trips in the winter. But you will need to get this replaced before spring so why take chances. I think the repair estimate is on the high end I would get the part from Merlin mention the club for 10% discount then find a different mechanic who will instal it for a reasonable cost. You can save a decent % when you buy the parts because we get quality OEM from Merlin at a 10% discount and also the mechanic doesnt get to charge you more for the part than he paid without the discount.

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Originally Posted by circmand

You should be OK for short trips in the winter. But you will need to get this replaced before spring so why take chances. I think the repair estimate is on the high end I would get the part from Merlin mention the club for 10% discount then find a different mechanic who will instal it for a reasonable cost. You can save a decent % when you buy the parts because we get quality OEM from Merlin at a 10% discount and also the mechanic doesnt get to charge you more for the part than he paid without the discount.

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Yep, and I just found out from the local Firestone sevice center that they mark up parts 25%. I saved about $1500 buying my replacement engine myself.

The only problem you might run in to is a lot of mechanics won't install customer-purchased parts. They'll feed you some line about not wanting to be liable for sub-standard parts (even if they are OEM)... whatever... Just find a local garage without that policy and you're good to go.

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Originally Posted by phines

The only problem you might run in to is a lot of mechanics won't install customer-purchased parts. They'll feed you some line about not wanting to be liable for sub-standard parts (even if they are OEM)... whatever... Just find a local garage without that policy and you're good to go.

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+1, that's what I do and it's a must for this vehicle since many of the parts have to be ordered from Isuzu. As for what to do, I'm not as experienced as these other guys, but I would recommend you fix what you know is wrong (radiator cap + heater core) ASAP then wait and see on the head gasket issue. That repair is WAY too expensive to do if you're not even sure it's the problem. But if those immediate fixes don't get the job done, then yeah I think you need to bite the bullet and get the gasket replaced.

Btw, and not that this is helpful in any way, but moving from NY would likely reduce your repair costs considerably. ;) Good luck!

[QUOTE=vt_maverick;210061.

Btw, and not that this is helpful in any way, but moving from NY would likely reduce your repair costs considerably. ;) Good luck![/QUOTE]

Moving from NY would reduce your cost on everything

been driving the car now for a week for hour long drives to and from work both in traffic and no traffic and no more problems since i have bypassed the heater core and the smell of antifreeze is also gone.

If the headgasket is bad do you think it should be overheating in the winter as well as the summer? Does the temperture outside have anything to do with overheating if its a head gasket?

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Originally Posted by zadam123

been driving the car now for a week for hour long drives to and from work both in traffic and no traffic and no more problems since i have bypassed the heater core and the smell of antifreeze is also gone.

If the headgasket is bad do you think it should be overheating in the winter as well as the summer? Does the temperture outside have anything to do with overheating if its a head gasket?

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Good to hear you have the problem under control for now.

As for the potential head gasket problem, mine never really had the overheating problem in the winter either. I did manage to have it overheat once when I was pulling a trailer up a mountain. You may not see that symptom again until it warms up. I don't know if that's good news or bad news, but at least it gives you a chance to save up some money for the repairs.

Well, since I'm new to the VX circle I can't fully comment on the particulars, but I can offer a generalized overview.
Ahem, my old raggedy, but terribly durable '98 Kia Sportage (Stop laughing, damnit!) :madb: :p (nicknamed "Lazarus") had pretty much the same issues you described. One evening as I was desperately trying to ease it on down the road to the shop for repair before it overheated again (I had already figured out it was the heater core based on a similar go-round with an '82 Dodge Rampage) and all hell broke loose... all hell broke loose. The heater core blew up in a geyser of coolant and steam, clouded the windshield, filled the cabin with toxic coolant fumes and steam, disgraced itself in the passenger footwell, sent the temp gauge soaring, and all at 60 mph! Half blind, I zoomed to the shoulder and jammed it into neutral... or TRIED to jam it into neutral. Wound up nailing reverse for a nanosecond (always thought lockouts prevented that sort of thing in automatics.. who knew??) and heard this godawful roar and the tires chirp VERY loudly. I recovered quickly and popped it into neutral. My girlfriend, who was tailing me, thought I had blown it up. I figured I was wholly screwed and called for a tow. The next day the preliminary verdict came in (likely blown headgasket, shot heater core, possible transmission damage, etc.). The next day I went out and bought a new car. On a hunch I called the mechanic and had him run a few tests, since I hadn't seen any white smoke coming out of the tailpipe after I got it towed.
Sure enough, ol' Lazarus had faked me out again. Tranny was fine (pissed off probably, but fine), head gasket was fine and it was just a shot heater core. It was July, so I had him bypass the core and Laz was good to go. Of course when I started freezing my butt off in November I sprang for the $800 smackers to get some heat (and more importantly, the defroster).
That was three years ago and no further problems until just recently with a clutch fan and a clogged radiator. Hope you're as lucky (not the clutch fan or radiator). :happyface