Blown head gasket. Take to shop or no?

[shad0wsoda]

Hi all,
So im fairly sure i have a blown head gasket. I've looked around and have seen that people are paying about $1000-1500 to get it fixed at a shop. Im considering doing it myself but i know its a big job (i've heard its somewhere around 10 hrs?)
I was wondering if it's worth it to do it yourself or should i look around for a good, cheap shop? Thanks in advance.

 

[ericemery]

There is a lot to a head pull. You are going to end up pulling the timing belt (at least off the cam gears...) If you aren't comfortable doing a timing belt, I would take it to the shop.

If your timing belt is older, now is the time to change it. Same for oil pump/water pump/crank pulley.

If the head is warped at all from overheating, your going to the machine shop. (I would take it in and have it checked anyway, but thats just me.)

When you're putting it back together, you will need some new head bolts. (assuming yours were torque-to-yield) ARP studs are around a 100 bucks, and thats cheap insurance in my book.

 

[5150DSM]

Do it yourself and learn about your car in the process... That's kind of the whole point of owning a DSM (or any tuner car) Even if you don't plan on modding the car you'll thank yourself for increasing your knowledge and learning how to save tons of money by doing your own work. A simple search will point you in the right direction for what you need to do and how to do it. Start with a few of these threads and if you have specific questions along the way, post up and we will help you out.

DSM Forums - Search Results

 

[Isabelledc5]

Honestly, if you have a friend that can help you do it and/ or monitor what you do, I would do it yourself. If you don't, there could be a chance that you could really mess up, especially with the timing belt. My advice is to have a friend that has done several timing belts before with you. Do the timing belt and water pump while you're in there as well. I would get all new timing components, and make sure to swap to ARP head studs. Take the head to the machine shop and have them check it. If it is warped even 1/1000, have them deck it.

What headgasket are you looking to run? I would get an 85.5mm (stock EVO 3) Cometic MLS headgasket. If your block has been mirror finished before, you will need to do it again. If your block has never been touched before and still has the FACTORY finish on it, you can use the MLS Cometic HG.

 

[bluehaze420a]

If you do what Isabelledc5 is talking about then you have to get the block and head resurfaced which you don't want to if you don't have to. Take your head off and post up some pictures. You will want someone to tell you if you need the block surfaced or just the head. If its just the head then you can run a composite head gasket and not a mls head gasket which is more expensive and requires more machine work. There are how to threads that wisemen on this site have made which will give you all the details for what you need to do.

 

[RamenPride]

Hi all,
So im fairly sure i have a blown head gasket. I've looked around and have seen that people are paying about $1000-1500 to get it fixed at a shop. Im considering doing it myself but i know its a big job (i've heard its somewhere around 10 hrs?)
I was wondering if it's worth it to do it yourself or should i look around for a good, cheap shop? Thanks in advance.

If you're not in a rush, then get a manual and do it yourself (if you're mechanically inclined). It's really not that hard. Another option would be to find other DSM'ers in your area, I'm sure they would be more than willing to help you out.

 

[GSXtra]

As far as the timing, all you need to do is tape the belt to the cam gears then slide the gears off. Also just mark the belt just in case and you should be fine. That's what I did and it worked perfect for me, just a little idea to help you out

 

[clipto]

Hmm $55 head gasket, $200 timing kit and some elbow grease, $200ish in machine work, vs $1000+ to a mechanic that you you hope to "trust". It's personally up to you, if you have some friends or study enough online and I mean there's tons of info and people around even here on tuners that can help you get it done. If you got the time to do it and once you do it you know it's done right and can clean up everything and make it look nice in the engine then do it, if not then and something you need get done asap go see the mechanic. If you lived here we would do it for you for super cheap. Hell you could spend little more on arp head studs if you want maybe upgrade the lifters or what not. $1000 can go along way shoot you can get a fresh new head for cheaper then the cost just to fix just a head gasket at a shop.

 

[Isabelledc5]

If you do what Isabelledc5 is talking about then you have to get the block and head resurfaced which you don't want to if you don't have to. Take your head off and post up some pictures. You will want someone to tell you if you need the block surfaced or just the head. If its just the head then you can run a composite head gasket and not a mls head gasket which is more expensive and requires more machine work. There are how to threads that wisemen on this site have made which will give you all the details for what you need to do.

Correct. Partially. I have a factory finish on my short block, therefore all I did was machine the head and now I have a 4 layer Cometic MLS headgasket. As long as you have the factory finish, you will be fine. If your block has been machined one time, then you will need your block machined again for the 4 layer HG.

 

[phunny]

Correct. Partially. I have a factory finish on my short block, therefore all I did was machine the head and now I have a 4 layer Cometic MLS headgasket. As long as you have the factory finish, you will be fine. If your block has been machined one time, then you will need your block machined again for the 4 layer HG.

This is untrue

 

[DSM1491]

I say you should do it yourself. If you never try you will never learn. Its not too bad. Practice makes perfect. I dont really trust those "mechanics" they put on cheap parts and sometimes dont even do the job correctly. Just buy the right parts and do it yourself. Live and learn I always say.

 

[Outdorsman]

Do it yourself, it isn't that hard. I'm 18 and did it by myself over a week span because I was busy a lot. Having a friend to help is really helpful. I had my cousin assist me and we did it and got it running perfectly. Only thing I will say is get head studs and a composite HG will be fine. The timing belt was fairly easy, just don't start it till you are sure its in time.

 

[shad0wsoda]

Thanks on all the feedback guys. I think my dad and i are gonna try to knock it out over a weekend. I was hesitant to do it myself because im not sure if i have the time to do it, but now that i think about it i I'd rather not get a shop to do it and they end up messing something up. Thanks for all the info, im still a DSM noobie and appreciate all the help i can get. Ill keep everyone updated!

 

[nelliott500]

If you feel comfortable using tools and getting your hands dirty, you can definitely do it. Make sure you have a repair manual on hand. Just go at it with patience and try not to get frustrated. Pay attention to what you're doing and everything will be fine.