* another ****ty udpate*Blown Head gasket

[camaroincal]

Here's what I'm thinking is the deal with Dexcool. I think people leave the original coolant in for too long becasue in the manual it says some rediculous amount of time before you have to change the coolant. So therefore it gets all clumpy and/or low. And then when the people go to change the coolant, I'm guessing the majority never remove the engine drain plug (me included), so they empty out only some of the old coolant, and can never get rid of all the clumps.

[jc Kyle]

engine drain plug? i remove the radiator drain plug... is there another?

[camaroincal]

I'm almost positive there is. Am I right anyone??

[chas]

the knock sensors act as drain plugs for the engine block.

[MegaHertz]

Originally posted by camaroincal:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by MegaHertz:
Personally i'd say that I don't wanna have it fixed for that much, drive/tow it home, buy a service manual and fix it. I'd buy a beater car for $500 to hold me over while i rebuilt the engine if i had to. I can't stand paying people for labor that I know i would enjoy doing myself.

Ya so your going to machine your own heads and do your own valve job? lmao I'd like to see that. I mean, all you act like I'm doing the wrong thing, but what else can I friggen do? It's not just as simple as taking off the top end and replacing the gaskets, everything has to be done properly or else your just gonna have more problems down the road. If the heads aren't torqued just so etc it can happened all over again.</font>[/QUOTE]I'd port the intake manifold myself, i'd have the heads ported / valve job done at a machine shop. I have a torque wrench and my repair manual gives me torque specs and tightening order. But then again i'd have fun doin it.

[Jerriko]

I think you are getting some bad advice here. You have to remember that a majority of this board are do-it-yourselfers. That price does seem high for what you need done. But you have never been done by this person before and he stands by his work. Just stick with what you know works. I live an hour away from Chicago and I do understand the difference between labor out here and in the city. Especially since you are in CA, I am sure mechanics charge more because they can (or maybe they have to). Please notice that you have no one responding to this thread that lives in CA so no one responding so far has any idea as to how much mechanics in CA really charge. Either way, you should see the head. Tell him its for your own curiousity. Verify its a cracked head. And yes, its possible to crack a cast iron head. Please people, don't act like the 3800 cast iron head is invincible. EVERY motor in the world can crack a head if the conditions (low coolant or overheating on a regular basis,etc) are right. And seeing how he said that the coolant was not in the best condition when he first got the vehicle, who knows what type of abuse the car was subjected to. If you really want to put a junkyard motor in it, just ask your mechanic and see if it would be cheaper that way. If your are not comfortable learning how to work on your car, please don't use this problem to learn how. Chances are that something may not get done right and then you will be posting more threads on here about other problems.
My .02, just talk to your mechanic about your concerns and work them out.

[camaroincal]

Thanks for that post Jerriko. I realize a lot of people here are do it yourselfers. I am as well to a point, but when it comes to something as important as this I want it done right. And I also realize that knowone that's posted lives in Cali. The prices here are really quite a bit higher than most everywhere else in the country.

I'm pretty sure he'll show me the head but I'm gonna ask for sure. I'm also going to ask about other things about the well being of the car. For instance, the cat has been making rattling noises and is possibly clogged or about to go bad. Now I've heard a bad cat can do all kinds of bad things to an engine. I'm curious exacly what it can do...could it have contributed to the overheating aspects of the car?

Also I'm gonna ask about the 02 sensors and plugs, wires, and coils. I did change the plugs about 6 months ago, but is it possible the could be junk becasue of the cracked head? Also I have 86,xxx onm the car and I'm almost positive the wires and coils are stock. Would it be cheaper to have him install new wires and coils while the top end is off or should I just wait until later on when I can afford it? I really want to wait becasue I want to order the good stuff...MSD wires/coils etc.

Is there anything else I should ask about when I go gto pick up the car? Oh ya I forgot..what about the radiator? Possible things wrong with the radiator because of the cracked head? What about radiator cap? Prety sure it's the stock one as well as the thermastat. I'm pretty sure he's replacing the thermastat though..i hope for $2200... [img]redface.gif[/img]

[94PontV6]

About the coils and wires.. Don't pay this guy anymore than you're already going to. It's a piece of cake to change the coils.. The wires on the other hand may take 2-3 hours.. That's the job that you should start learing on. Just take your time, and you can get it done.

The radiator should be fine if you haven't seen any fluid running from it. Do a flush and add some new coolant. Changing the thermostat is also a diy job.

Good luck with getting everything together man..

[Razzer]

Mechanics in CA charge on average 80-100$ per hour of work. They actually make 13 to 35$ resonably for themselves. Shops are very exspensive out here is sacramento california. And that doesn't even count the 2 to 3 times the part cost markup!!! I do most of my own work, if I need help my dad is a certified GM Tech, that helps to.

[camaroincal]

Originally posted by Razzer:
Mechanics in CA charge on average 80-100$ per hour of work. They actually make 13 to 35$ resonably for themselves. Shops are very exspensive out here is sacramento california. And that doesn't even count the 2 to 3 times the part cost markup!!! I do most of my own work, if I need help my dad is a certified GM Tech, that helps to.

I wish my dad was a certified GM tech right about now ...LOL

[Magnus]

Please keep us updated.

Bring a digital camera with you too. Make sure he notices and even say you brought the cam to take pics of the cracked head. If he cannot provide proof of the failure, leave the car there and inform him you will be contacting an attorney or something.

[camaroincal]

Originally posted by Magnus:
Please keep us updated.

Bring a digital camera with you too. Make sure he notices and even say you brought the cam to take pics of the cracked head. If he cannot provide proof of the failure, leave the car there and inform him you will be contacting an attorney or something.

Damn man...lol. I'm not about to do all that. I don't have a digital camara. Besides I have enough stress in my life to go through all that. I have good instincts about things anyway so I'd know if something was fishy or not. And it's not like I'm some old lady that knows nothing about cars. And he knows that as well. I think he'd better have some big balls to rip a 22 year old off of 2 grand.

But anyway I will of course keep updating. I will be getting the car back this week possibly tommorow. I know it's probably hard for a lot of you that do know how to work on cars and could probably do this yourself. I mean it makes me look kind of like a fool to pay this much money. But of course, as I said, I have absolutely no experience in fixing this sort of thing. So I'm **** out of luck on this.

[Magnus]

Well for those of us that knows how much effort it takes to do what your mechanic did and what he charged you, we just want to see you come out ok.

At that price, really.. that is just ridiculous.. but hey, its your money. How much is it really worth to you?

[Brett Garret]

A majority of us are 'do-it-yourselfers' yet some of us aren't. However, we all 'do-our-homework' when it comes to this stuff. To be honest you shouldn't pay for that sort of work, and I am skeptical as to your cracked head. 2K, or however much it is up to now, is absolutly rediculous to pay for work on the 3.8L engine. From an economical aspect I think you should look at your investment. You will be investing 2k into a mid-high milage car. How long do you plan on keeping it? If you had considered other options will the outcome be just as good? Just really think this over. I was screwed out of an engine myself...not a 3.8l either!
To answer your other questions. A clogged cat does not usually affect a cars temp, only gas milage. If your engine has backed up exhaust then it will have a hard time running - could be a very small contribution to overheating.
The other things you wish to change out are all part of a basic tune-up. After you get your engine work sorted out it would be a great idea to change all that out. Good luck bro.

[camaroincal]

Ok everyone please read the whole topic before posting. The $2178 includes the assembly and disassembly of the top end, getting a used head shipped to the machinist along with the other head for the valve job and other work that needs to be done to the heads. New head gaskets and other gaskets needed. And the water pump he installed that was about $160. Also....$100 an hour here we are talkin approx. for the labor.

The second post on the 1st page shows that someone else payed $1500 for a valve job, thermostat, and that was in NY and time has passed so prices have gone up from that bit, as well as that 1500 he payed didn't include the extra price of dealing with a cracked head or new water pump.

And I have looked around on the net and on average, ANY car that requires this kind of work is in the 1500-2500 range from a mechanic.