Blown head gasket worth fixing???

[Ravenlost]

Question: My son has a blown head gasket on his 1998 Honda Accord. I'm thinking it's not worth fixing. The car has been totalled and rebuilt, has way over 100,000 miles on it, has body damage and who knows what else is wrong with the engine. It's been running hot for at least three months now.

Shop gave a quote of $1,000+ to fix the head gasket. I'm thinking that $1,000 would be better spent on purchasing a different car. Am I right?

[the mama]

You may be right. I just spent 4K repairing my 99 quest van. It had been sitting with a blown head gasket for 2 years. BUT the body and inside are perfect. Check the blue book value on your son's car, then check trade in value. I would fix it IF the body , inside, brakes, transmition and the block was not cracked or pistions bent. Otherwise, if nothing else, sell it for scrap for $100.

[Pony]

Originally Posted by Ravenlost

Question: My son has a blown head gasket on his 1998 Honda Accord. I'm thinking it's not worth fixing. The car has been totalled and rebuilt, has way over 100,000 miles on it, has body damage and who knows what else is wrong with the engine. It's been running hot for at least three months now.

Shop gave a quote of $1,000+ to fix the head gasket. I'm thinking that $1,000 would be better spent on purchasing a different car. Am I right?

Heck, it's only got 100K on it, and it would only be $1000 to fix it?

Fix it.

The cheapest car you'll ever own is the one that's paid for. $1000 is a lot cheaper than car payments and interest.

Repair the head gasket or have it done. Figure out what a car payment would have been for a new vehicle, and start setting that aside every month. A 98 Accord with that mileage should be drivable for quite a while yet, and your son can pay cash when he's ready to get a newer (NOT new!) replacement vehicle.

Our "newest" car is an '89 Cherokee. Nick drove the '82 CJ-7 to work today. We would rather pay to keep a working car on the road than fork out payments and interest. It's not worth it.

Pony!

[wendle]

Those have an aluminum block, since you said it's been running hot for a while you potentially could have warping on the block or head. Even with the new head gasket it might not fix the problem, and you would still have to pay the shop for all their labor. 100,000 miles isn't bad for a car like that, my 91 honda has 180,000 and still going strong. If he likes the car , and the body is good, you might look into a low mileage engine for it, and see how much it would cost for the mechanic to install. Or sell the car and put the money into something else.

[PyroDon]

your missing an opportunity here
get the boy a chiltons manual on the car and the head gasket and tell him to go put it in .
now if the heads cracked its a wash but for $50 he might be able to put it back on the road and at least learn something in the process .
I just stuck a $20 head gasket in my dakota with 130,000 miles on it .
If I had the manual I might be able to figure out where all the vacuum lines that shattered went and get the check engine light to go off

[wendle]

If you do decide to part with the car, check out how much they are going for on ebay, some people pay good money for cars to part out, or fix.

[Pony]

Originally Posted by PyroDon

your missing an opportunity here
get the boy a chiltons manual on the car and the head gasket and tell him to go put it in .
now if the heads cracked its a wash but for $50 he might be able to put it back on the road and at least learn something in the process .
I just stuck a $20 head gasket in my dakota with 130,000 miles on it .
If I had the manual I might be able to figure out where all the vacuum lines that shattered went and get the check engine light to go off

Ah, great idea!

Have you tried Haynes manuals? We find them much easier to understand than the Chilton's. They do a complete tear-down and rebuild on the cars and document them for the books. Great resource!

Pony!

[Ravenlost]

Ummm...I said it had WAY OVER 100,000 miles on it, the body is damaged in more than one place AND it's been totalled and rebuilt.

[glenn amolenaar]

That Honda is worth fixing up most run over 250,000 miles with little maintance. If it needs more than a head gasket look for a wreck or a salvage motor. I have put over 250,000 on several Hondas the last one was stilling running with over 250,000 miles but tornado flattened it and only had liability insurance. If it was mine I'd repair it and if I were close to one for $100.00 I would snatch it up. Glenn

[wendle]

Great Idea PyroDon! It would be a good experience for your son, and potentially a cheap fix. One thing I'd like to add, be sure he marks any hoses, wires, bolts, etc. So he knows where they go when he's putting it back together. When I changed the engine, I marked everything with scotch tape, by the alphabet, then when I ran out of letters I used numbers.

[mwhit]

Originally Posted by PyroDon

your missing an opportunity here
get the boy a chiltons manual on the car and the head gasket and tell him to go put it in .
now if the heads cracked its a wash but for $50 he might be able to put it back on the road and at least learn something in the process .
I just stuck a $20 head gasket in my dakota with 130,000 miles on it .
If I had the manual I might be able to figure out where all the vacuum lines that shattered went and get the check engine light to go off

What year Dakota? I might have the right repair manual...

Michelle

[mwhit]

Originally Posted by Ravenlost

Ummm...I said it had WAY OVER 100,000 miles on it, the body is damaged in more than one place AND it's been totalled and rebuilt.

Sounds like you know what you want to do

Honestly, the car probably has many, many more miles in it and I would fix it. Of course, I could care less what the body looks like as long as it runs and is safe (no broken frame, missing floorboards etc.).

Am I the only one that thinks $1000 sounds steep for a head gasket job?? Seems like the gasket set should be about $100 or less. I know antifreeze is pricey, but it really sounds high to me.

Michelle

[PyroDon]

Originally Posted by wendle

Great Idea PyroDon! It would be a good experience for your son, and potentially a cheap fix. One thing I'd like to add, be sure he marks any hoses, wires, bolts, etc. So he knows where they go when he's putting it back together. When I changed the engine, I marked everything with scotch tape, by the alphabet, then when I ran out of letters I used numbers.

Yeap marking everything is a must .
My problem came from where the factory installed hard plastic Vac lines when I unhooked them the plastic lines shattered Its running but not right
Ive been looking for the schematic online but no luck unless I want to spend $30 bucks .
Its running a little rough but gets from point A to point B.
learning to fix what ya break is a good deal besides skinned knuckles build character

[harley]

For that same $1000 you may be able to find a whole motor, if been driving for 3 months with it hot, may be risky. If coolant has gotten into the cylinders and leaked into the bottom end or through the oil passages (depends where it is leaking), then I personally wouldnt trust it. Coolant is worst thing for bearings and bushings, and DOES NOT take much to ruin them.
Any chance of taking that $1000 and getting another similiar car, and use this one for parts?

[PyroDon]

Originally Posted by mwhit

What year Dakota? I might have the right repair manual...

Michelle

Its a 91 4 cyclinder
Its been the biggest lemon Ive ever had but kinda stuck with it at the moment

[HermitJohn]

Originally Posted by harley

For that same $1000 you may be able to find a whole motor, if been driving for 3 months with it hot, may be risky. If coolant has gotten into the cylinders and leaked into the bottom end or through the oil passages (depends where it is leaking), then I personally wouldnt trust it. Coolant is worst thing for bearings and bushings, and DOES NOT take much to ruin them.
Any chance of taking that $1000 and getting another similiar car, and use this one for parts?

Aluminum engines, generally head will warp if overheated. At $1000 if the body is in EXCELLENT shape, put in good used engine. The engine will probably be anywhere from $300 to $600 and then labor to r&r it. Better a low mile used engine than to do internal engine work with no guarentee how long it will last. Look on ebay for used engines or even rebuilt engines. Sometimes you will find a really good deal. I've bought couple that way with no problems. Always figure in shipping though as part of total price.

[harley]

Yeah, between aluminum head and possible internal damage, IF the car itself was solid enough to bother with a replacement motor, id look at that route, but then that can lead into so much more things that can pop up. Id look at using this one for parts and the money as downpayment on something else. Or try and get as much for this one for sale, around here cars like this are popular the way it is to get faily cheap car, then fix/replace motor etc and be a good car for a new driver.
But finding another Accord that wasnt worn out and didnt cost a small fortune may nix the idea of this one for parts. Depends on values in your area, availability and of course how much money is available to be spent...if any.
Good luck

[PyroDon]

If your going to scrap the car take everything in decent shape off and list it on Ebay
with starting bids of $5.00 each plus shipping .
alternator fan radiator tail lights etc you'll make a small fortune

[harley]

Hes right, scrap yard will give you AT MOST $200, usually $50 or $100.
Alternator alone would prob get you close to $10o or so
Tail lights $50-100 a piece etc
I wish i had something better than 2 Dodge neons sitting in the yard, havent had anybody around here want any parts.

[Pony]

Where y'all getting your engines? We can't touch a crate around here for less than $1200 plus doodads and thingamabobs, and we have to do the install. Could go pull one at the yard, but you're never sure what you're getting with those.

Pony!