But yeah that's probably a head gasket. And yeah they're a *****. But 800$ is kinda high. It takes like 6 hours if you r good an hurrying and the gasket set is $30. Hah
Idk about u, but I make $20 an hour, I'll change the gasket my self.
I naturally don't trust mechanics.
What wa it doing like why'd you take it to a shop? Cuz it could be 1 of 5 $5 sensors, lol.
Regardless, a blown head gasket is the easiest automotive diagnostic thing. All you do is pop open your coolant reservoir. If the liquid is dirty and brown, it's a head gasket.
It's never the head or the block unless u super overheat. And even then, rings, rods, comon. The head gasket is there so u don't blow the head.
It certainly could have more serious damage then just the gasket. Cracked head, scored pistons from overheating etc. And there is no way to know for sure until they get the engine apart and have a look inside, and that's a fair chunk of the $800 bill in labour.
If it all looks good, they slap in a new gasket, put it all back together and off you go. Modern engines you usual;ly need to change some other seals, spend a bit more time setting up the cams etc and may also need to replace the head bolts (single use bolts)
But if they open it up and see an unholy mess, then replacing the engine is a better option. Because they don't know, they warn you of both possibilities.
Imagine how shocked you would be if they told you $800, then said sorry, it's now $1500 cos we had to replace the engine?
If the head gasket is blown,misfires occur due to the coolant fouled spark plugs and the compression loss between the two adjacent cylinders where the gasket is blown.Wet spark plugs,steamy white smoke from tailpipe,coolant level inside radiator rises up/goes back down/rises/falls/rises/falls constantly,compression loss between two adjacent cylinders,and the oil on the dipstick looks like a milkshake consistency.I would do a compression test for all cylinders.Example::lets say you've got a 6 cylinder.
#1-140psi
#2-140psi
#3-140psi
#4-90psi
#5-90psi
#6-140psi
This means the head gasket is blown if cylinder #4/#5 are beside each other.Lets say compression is 90psi in #4/5 and its only 100psi in the remaining cylinders,the rings are probably worn so another engine would be a better choice over a head gasket repair.A leakdown test will pinpoint whether you've got a blown head gasket,worn rings,valves that aren't seating,etc instead of guessing what's wrong.A leakdown tester is only $75
News Flash! There is no way in heck you can buy a BRAND NEW Honda engine from the dealership for $1,500!
You should have gone to a Honda Dealer to begin with. Your "shop" has no clue what they're doing without testing to find out what is really wrong with the motor.
Without knowing the symptoms before it died, It's hard to tell. There are many things that will cause a car to shut off.
It could be either way. It is pretty heard to say for sure before the engine is taken apart. I think they are unsure just how bad things are and are preparing you for the worst. Just in case.
it just depends. If the block has water in it it could have messed up one of the pistons. its possible
hello,
I have a 2008 Honda Civic lx automatic and this past week my car died and I took it to a shop where they told me that my head gasket was bad and it was causing my engine to misfire (engine turns on and shakes then dies after a minute) ... They quoted me 800 for a head gasket but then they started saying that the engine could be bad and that now I needed a whole new engine which will be 1500 with labor .. Could this be true? I don't know much about cars but if I just replace the head gasket will that fix it all or is it better to have a complete new engine ? Any help is appreciated
