# Blown head gasket worth fixing???



## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

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?

:help:


----------



## the mama (Mar 1, 2006)

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 (Jan 6, 2003)

Ravenlost said:


> 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?
> 
> :help:



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 (Feb 22, 2006)

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 (Jul 30, 2006)

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 (Feb 22, 2006)

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 (Jan 6, 2003)

PyroDon said:


> 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 (Jul 20, 2004)

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 (Mar 3, 2007)

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 (Feb 22, 2006)

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 (Jun 8, 2006)

PyroDon said:


> 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 (Jun 8, 2006)

Ravenlost said:


> 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 (Jul 30, 2006)

wendle said:


> 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 (Nov 13, 2005)

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 (Jul 30, 2006)

mwhit said:


> 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 (May 10, 2002)

harley said:


> 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 (Nov 13, 2005)

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 (Jul 30, 2006)

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 (Nov 13, 2005)

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 (Jan 6, 2003)

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!


----------



## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

I got mine from ebay for 300.00, plus 90.00 shipping, less than 60,000 miles, cleaned, and 6 month warranty. This has been almost two years ago, and still running great. The seller was Ericjapan out of Chicago area. The engine came from overseas. It probably depends on the motor, mine is a little 4 cyl 1.5, but some of the other engines that would fit in my car I noticed were a little pricier.
The first engine I installed in the car was from the junk yard, unknown miles, it threw a rod, ouch. So I started over.


----------



## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

Pony said:


> 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!


Haynes manuals are OK (just OK) if you already have quite a bit of knowledge of how things work to begin with. They, for the most part, don't give a lot of detail and several times I have found they have left off a step or an important detail.


----------



## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

wendle said:


> 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.


Another hint. Take lots of pics with a digital camera! I have found many times when having step by step pics of what I did has saved me a lot of headaches!


----------



## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

mwhit said:


> 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


Yeah, now that you mention it. Just went online to do a quick price check on head gasket sets, and the most expensive one was for Volvos at $218. Labor must be really high where Raven is. :shrug: 

Pony!


----------



## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

A 1998 Honda Accord in any condition is not worth putting that much money into, if you can't do the work yourself (I know I couldn't). New cars are a pain to work on.

Now I have a 1974 Dodge Adventurer that seems to have lost its transmission and I'm considering putting a new one in. Paid only a couple of hundred for the whole truck itself last year, got that money back in saved delivery costs, and now if I have to put a brand new transmission in it for $1000 I've still got a pretty decent truck at the end of it, and one I know has a new transmission.

In my opinion (which is worth about squat on the open market), expensive repairs on vehicles less than 20 years old just aren't worth it. The bodies are made cheaply and as soon as you fix one thing, something else is broken. And you're paying a lot more in insurance too. AND you can't hardly get your hands under the hood to fix anything unless you are a Japanese elf or a toddler. 

As for buying a vehicle for your son, I'd give him the money to get it repaired and tell him to pick out something for that amount. If he wants something better than $1000 will buy, it's time to get a job. (Old enough to drive is old enough to work) If he doesn't want to learn how to work on it, then it's time to buy a bicycle or a bus pass.


----------



## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

The last three used cars we bought all had leaking head gaskets. For about $250 in parts, DH went through them all and then got about 100,000 miles out of them. Paid $1,000, $1,500 and $2,500 for them. Still have the last one. 

Labor is a killer on these, it's not an easy job and usually takes lots of tools. DH worked as a mechanic for lots of years, and has done this many times. Now son is learning how to do his own work. It works great when you've got someone to help you out if you get in a jam, or knows a few "tricks" that you need to be aware of to make things go much easier. 

Son just replaced a clutch for a friend. Shop quoted about $2,500 for the job - parts cost under $200. This involved removing everything from the engine so it could be moved and the tranny dropped. Actually dealing with the clutch was the easy part, but getting to it, and putting everythign back together was the hard part.

Cathy


----------



## foxtrapper (Dec 23, 2003)

Banged up body, blown head gasket, etc. It's not worth that kind of investment. Now, if you or your son has the tools and inclination to take the job on yourself, it could be worth doing then. Cost of doing it yourself could be as low as about $40 for a couple of gaskets.


----------



## clovis (May 13, 2002)

PyroDon said:


> 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


I THINK THIS IS A WONDERFUL IDEA!!!!!!!

He will need a torque wrench to properly tighten the head back down. They are a bit pricey...less than $75 new, and ebay would be cheaper.

I am afraid if the head has gotten hot, it could be warped. That is the down side to having him fix it.

Clove


----------



## clovis (May 13, 2002)

Another thought...

Do not call a junkyard!!!!

Part this car out on ebay, and scrap what is left. 

*Don't forget about the catalylitic converter. They are bringing a small fortune on ebay.*

Tail lights, mirrors, seats, carpet, interior door parts, rims, instrument clusters, engine parts, alternators, radiators, grill, emblems, radios, glove box doors, throttle body, trunk carpet, whole doors, trunk lids, speakers, marker light lenses, bumper covers front and rear, air conditioner parts, especially the condenser, engine pullies, power window motors and switches, oil pan, oil plug, jack, spare, head light housings, transmission sileniods and associated electronic parts (these Honda tranny parts are VERY expensive) etc. 

All the above parts and more should sell well on ebay, with little effort.

List some of the parts as 'buy it now'. These would be the parts that someone might need immediately to get a car running. The other parts, I would list as auctions. 

Your local library should have several books about this car, which will help repair it, or at least to take it apart.

I am constantly searching for used car parts on ebay.

As far as scrap is concerned, I think my local recycler was paying 65 cents for alum heads with steel...if I remember right.

I would never, never call a junk yard until I sold what I could.

And just to think....he will learn *life lessons* about selling, car repair, diagnosing auto problems, etc.

Think of the thousands he will save over a life time after learning how to fix his own car, and not to be ripped off by a mechanic!!!!!!

And the cash he earns can be used towards another car. 

Clove


----------



## sbin (Sep 11, 2007)

Here is a Honda forum thread on changing head gasket with lots of pic

http://hondaswap.com/general-tech-articles/how-change-head-gasket-lots-pics-71528/

A few $$ on a good shop manual and some time spent reading goes a long way.The job is easy with a few tools and some mechanical apptitude.It is worth a try, worst case the car doesn't run again and you are sort of there already :help:


----------



## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Yeah, the car isn't running and we had to have it towed to the shop. 

My son is 26 and lives three and a half hours away from me. He has NO mechanical aptitude. The best he can do is change his own oil. He lives in an apartment complex and has no place to work on a car, or any tools with which to do so. 

The car has been totalled once, rebuilt and resold with a rebuilt title. We bought it from my BIL who drove it doing his salesman job in various states. We're talking MEGA mileage. BIL has wrecked it twice. When I say it has way over 100,000 miles on it, I'm really saying I have no idea the mileage...it may be over 200,000 by now. 

You've all given us a lot to think about, but my son is in a tight spot. He starts a new job next week and doesn't have a vehicle now. I have no way to get the car back to my place so I could parcel out parts. He's going to talk to his Dad tonight about it. Hopefully his Dad can loan him some money.


----------



## clovis (May 13, 2002)

If he is that hard up, cut the converter off and sell it on ebay. Many of them are bringing well over $100.

After reading your last post, the car is not worth fixing, IMHO.

Clove


----------



## WisJim (Jan 14, 2004)

Around our place, my son would probably order a used engine from one of the places that imports low mileage engines from Japan, and put it in. His Honda Civic is getting close to 300,000 miles, and he drives it all over the country--Wisconsin to New York or Vermont or Montana or Oregon, for example. A shop manual or 2, a set of tools, and a place to work isn't that expensive, compared to the option of driving newer cars and paying someone else to maintain them.

But, if you decide to get rid of it, either part it out, selling parts on eBay or Craig's list, or at least advertise the car for a couple of hundred dollars on Craigs list, instead of selling it to the junk yard.


----------



## gunsmithgirl (Sep 28, 2003)

This is probably too late if you've already had it towed but you could also check into a Vo-Tech School program. Here in auto-mechanics you bring your car in for the kids to fix so they can learn and all you pay for is parts and a little extra for power/ect. normally real cheap though. I have never took any of my vehciles to one but I know a guy who teaches it here and I know he makes sure the kids do a good job, because he wants them to learn how to do it right.


----------



## foxtrapper (Dec 23, 2003)

Based on what you've said, for your son, junking the car and getting another is the best choice, imo.


----------



## chickenmommy (Aug 24, 2004)

Pony said:


> 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!


I'm with you on that question! My PT Cruiser is at the mechanics right now getting an engine installed. Overheated and warped the engine.


----------



## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

Resell the car, in "as is" condition letting potential buyers know exactly what is wrong with the car. Places like kijiji and craigslist are great ways to get rid of unwanted items, including cars.

For those folks who cannot repair their own vehicles, the extreme high cost of having someone else repair it will certainly influence the decisions they make.


----------



## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

One of the advantages of some of the Japanese vehicles is the availability of "JDM" engines - Japanese Domestic Market. Basically, laws in Japan prevent them from using older engines, so they cut the engines out of the vehicles and sell them in North American. Not only are the prices of these engines very reasonable, but the engines themselves have very low mileage - as the Japanese don't drive much - many of these engines have less than 50,000 miles. 

Another advantage is that most parts are still on the engine, since they just literally cut the wires, torch the driveshafts and mounts, etc. Meaning that alternators, water pumps and even belts are still there. Many rebuilt engines here are just the engine, you have to install all the other parts from your engine.



Pony said:


> 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!


----------



## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

OntarioMan said:


> One of the advantages of some of the Japanese vehicles is the availability of "JDM" engines - Japanese Domestic Market. Basically, laws in Japan prevent them from using older engines, so they cut the engines out of the vehicles and sell them in North American. Not only are the prices of these engines very reasonable, but the engines themselves have very low mileage - as the Japanese don't drive much - many of these engines have less than 50,000 miles.
> 
> Another advantage is that most parts are still on the engine, since they just literally cut the wires, torch the driveshafts and mounts, etc. Meaning that alternators, water pumps and even belts are still there. Many rebuilt engines here are just the engine, you have to install all the other parts from your engine.



Since my vehicles are AMC (even the Cherokee has loads of AMC parts) I don't have the option of a Japanese engine. But we are going to install a Nissan diesel into the 7, but we pulled that from an International Scout. 

You're right about the parts still being attached to the engine. We just pulled the drive train right out of the Scout, parted out what we could, and dragged the rest to the metal scrappers. Came out about even on the deal. (Further off-topic: If anyone wants the half-cab for a 1980 Scout, we have one.)

Pony!


----------



## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

Another place to advertise that car, would be on hondacivicforum.com . There's alot of members who also have accords. 

When I got my JDM it there were no extra parts on it. This was ok though as it made it lighter for shipping, and I already had some parts left over from the blown engine. It probably depends on who you buy from.


----------



## Selena (Jun 25, 2005)

Well I put $1000 into my 1998 Accord and drove it another 65K miles.


----------



## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

I should have said "any vehicle with a Japanese engine" - since many north American built vehicles use Japanese engines. The geo/chevy metro, Ford Festiva, Plymouth Colt, etc. etc. (I'm sure there are many others using Toyota, Suzuki, Mazda, etc. engines).



OntarioMan said:


> One of the advantages of some of the Japanese vehicles is the availability of "JDM" engines - Japanese Domestic Market. Basically, laws in Japan prevent them from using older engines, so they cut the engines out of the vehicles....


----------



## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Well, we found him a '99 Mazda 626 LX with 132,000 miles for $3600. The mechanic said he wouldn't buy the Honda because it would cost HIM to much to just get it running again. He said it could sit on his lot for a few days and he would check around to see if anyone he knew wanted it, but we'll probably be selling it for scrap to be hauled off.


----------



## DrippingSprings (Sep 22, 2004)

1000????? Jesus who is doing that work? He is committing adultery with the screwing he is giving you. 

The head gasket set for that one is around 100 bucks. Machining the head surface 50 at most. Can be done in about three hours tops. I have seen it done labor parts etc for less than 500 more than a million times. Id the head is cracked you can buy a used one at Pull A Part near Birmingham for about 100 dollars.


----------



## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

DrippingSprings, turns out there was a whole lot more wrong with the car. I kind of figured that was the case, which is why I didn't want to make a decision until I talked to the mechanic myself face to face.


----------

