Head gasket coolant leak???

93 Corolla DX wagon 1.8 L.

I just had a mechanic who was doing an oil change and trans oil change for me, tell me that we have a coolant leak from the head gasket and it could cost $2100 to fix it. Huh?

Is this for real or should I get a second opinion?

That would be more than the car is worth.

Reply to
Sarah Houston
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Did the mechanic say why he thought there was a leak?

Has the car had overheated, had lots of white exhaust or steam coming out of the tail pipe or a sweet smell coming out of the tail pipe?

Are there any symptoms or problems with the car?

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

As Jeff mentioned, when coolant leaks due to a bad head gasket usually gives symptoms. Another is that the engine oil will look like a coffee milkshake.

Head gasket leaks on your vintage Corolla are not that common, unless the engine has been overheated. If the engine has never been overheated, get a second opinion.

Reply to
Ray O

$2100 sounds way too steep for a head gasket. Should be in the $700-800 range assuming no other damage to the engine.

There are three common failure modes for the coolant path at the head gasket.

  1. coolant can leak from the coolant passages directly to the outside (this is what your mechanic is suggesting)
  2. to oil passages - this results in milky oil when you check the oil dipstick
  3. or to a cylinder - then you have white smoke coming out of the exhaust.

(of course, bad things go both ways, so oil and gas can get into the radiator, etc)

#1, in minor cases also called seepage, is common even on later Toyota V6 engines. Some defective V6 head gaskets during those years have been recalled. But I don't think that's the case with the 1.8L.

See head gasket, Fig 19, on Autozone's online repair guide:

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Reply to
johngdole

He claims they saw it around the back of the engine and "it's leaking pretty good".

Only we see nothing in the driveway or anywhere else we park.

And I noticed that while one place was too booked up to do my oil & tranny oil change yesterday, this place was not busy, they got me right in and did it right away. Lookin' for expensive work?

No. The coolant has looked low though.

Slightly longer time before the heat starts coming up in this cold weather. But the coolant being low can do that.

It may be a very slow pinhole leak, maybe a drop a day?

The bottom line is, we can't afford $2200 to fix it, the car is simply not worth that much anymore, and we could buy a lot of coolant for that money anyway. If it gets much worse, we may just have to get another car.

But I asked him why the head gasket would suddenly start leaking and he said maybe they dry out over the years.

But did they still use cork gaskets in the 93 models? I though everything was going to synthetic rubber by then.

This has been the most reliable car we've ever owned, I just hope that something as silly as a $30 gasket doesn't kill it for us.

Reply to
Sarah Houston

Ok, thanks.

No it hasn't been overheated, it's been fine.

Reply to
Sarah Houston

Thanks. I may just have to keep an eye on it from now on, get a second opinion and maybe try to find someone who can fix it for a lot less money?

Reply to
Sarah Houston

Headgaskets, when you visit a shop, tend to be rather expensive. The dealer will be prohibitively expensive in this case. You might find a competent local shop to do the work for much cheaper but I would still expect a $500-1000+ tab but you never know.

Perhaps call around and see what places around you offer. There is a shop in the Phoenix, Oregon area that is cool enough to let you make payments. That's kind of rare though.

Reply to
mrsteveo

I don't know. Usually, when a head gasket goes, the water leakes either into the oil or into the cylinders.

I think I would start by taking it to a different mechanic and get a second opinion. And fill the coolant resevoir, too, and make sure it doesn't go down too low.

Reply to
Jeff

This is a fairly easy replacement. Even a Tech school could do it. If you want to wait (you don't...)

Find another mechanic and ask them how much just to replace the HG. Unfortunately, you don't mention mileage. Over 200,000, I'd do the headgasket and bolts and call it a day. Your mechanic sounds like he wants to do the gasket, seals, etc, etc. While that's all nice on a car

Reply to
Hachiroku

They want $6-1000 to replace TWO headgaskets on my Subys! A single head on a simple car like this should be at most $800 with seals, etc.

Reply to
Hachiroku

If it's only a "seepage" problem just keep an eye on it. Make sure the coolant level is sufficient and maybe squeeze the upper radiator hose (or open the cap when the engine is cool) to make sure there is coolant in the radiator. Leaking head gaskets could leave the reservoir full while draining the coolant out of the radiator.

Again, $2100 is way too steep for just the head gasket replacement. $700-800 is probably more reasonable for shops, and it would be hard to go below $500 because discount parts online will cost about $200 (see below). And if you add valve stem seals, timing belt, water pump, crank seal, drive belt etc, the price goes up.

An engine swap may come under $1000-1200?? But if your car was babied then why gamble with a junk yard engine even with a warranty?

A minimum you'll typically need for a head gasket replacement:

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prices, and yes I'm a Fel-Pro fan)

Head gasket FEL-PRO Part # 9955PT $65.79 (Beck Arnley will work at $31.79) Intake manifold gasket FEL-PRO Part # MS95516 $12.69 Exhaust manifold gasket FEL-PRO Part # MS94129 $13.13 Camshaft oil seal FEL-PRO Part # TCS45592 $3.27 Valve cover seal FEL-PRO Part # VS50440R $20.79 Head bolt set CORTECO Part # 27125 $38.79 Exhaust flange gaskets $2 each Coolant Oil and filter

Reply to
johngdole

In another post, you mentioned that your mechanic suggested that the head gasket may have "dried out." Head gaskets do not dry out, and a suggestion like that is an indication that the mechanic is not knowledgeable about motors or a liar. In either case, I definitely recommend that you take it to another shop for another opinion.

As I mentioned, head gasket leaks in your vintage Corolla are not very common, and since the car has not been overheated, and you have not mentioned any of the most common symptoms of a head gasket leak other than some seepage, I would look for another source for the leak, like a heater hose, which is much simpler and less expensive to fix.

Reply to
Ray O

Lots of good info in this thread. What you might want to try first is adding a tube of Bars Leaks Golden Seal Powder to the radiator. On occasion it has alleviated similar problems in older Cadillacs. GM actually used top specify the use of a similar product to forestall such problems. Available in auto parts stores for about $3 or $4. Worth a shot, I think, before breaking out the tools. This is what it looks like

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Reply to
NickySantoro

I would take it to another mechanic first for a second opinion. You really don't want to add that to your radiator if you don't have to.

It could clog things up.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

I'm with Jeff on this one. The only time I would try any kind of stop-leak additive is when you already know for sure where the leak is and you are willing to risk trashing the engine and cooling system, or if you are in the middle of nowhere in a life-or-death situation.

Reply to
Ray O

It absolutely does not. Check your facts.

Reply to
NickySantoro

You're putting millions of particles into the radiator so that it will clog up leaks. There is no reason why it can't clog up other parts of the system.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

Guys...guys...

I bought some Bar's head gasket sealant. Of course, the darn thing couldn't have waited till warmer weather...

I called K&W, since they also have a similar product; even though I have the Bar's I wanted a second opinion (OK, you're ugly, too...).

Here's what the woman who I spoke with told me:

"...the cooling system has to be absolutely free of anti-freeze. If there is ANY anti-freeze left in the engine or radiator, it will gel on contact and harden. Also, if there is any rust or scale it will partially block the passage..."

SO, I got some Prestone Rust and Scale remover, AND some Prestone radiator flush. I'll run the R&S remover, then the flush. She also said, "There can't be ANY coolant left. If the water is coming out yellow, it still has enough anti-freeze to cause problems. The water coming out of the system has to be absolutely CLEAR. If it is yellow after flushing, flush it again!"

So, I'll do the R&S remover, flush with water, do the Flush, flush with water, and then flush again if I have to.

I'll let you know what happens...

Reply to
Hachiroku

Thanks.

One time, an oil change shop left the radiator cap off when they checked the fluids. This was in summer. We weren't driving much at the time. Then by December, the heater wasn't working so well, it needed until the engine was all the way warmed up, to heat the car. It was freezing us until the engine was up to temp.

So I looked under the hood and found the cap loose and it was low on coolant. It wasn't overheating, it was just low enough to where it was freezing us until the engine came up to temp. I filled it and replaced the cap and it was fine ever after.

I'm wondering if these places that do oil changes AND repairs, are playing that trick, then telling people the head gasket is leaking coolant, to make work for themselves?

Reply to
Sarah Houston

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