I blew a head gasket. Yay.

Checked the oil, it's perfect-no discoloration (coolant) and it's right on the full line on the dipstick.

Checked the coolant, it's low(cuz i was burning it for a mile or so), but there isn't any oil in there.

It looks like I only blew a head gasket, and no serious damage was done.

For JUST replacing both head gaskets (nothing else-no machining the heads) what is a ballpark figure for a shop to do it?

Thanks

 

I say at least $280, but more than likely more. Alot less if you go with a hole in the wall shop or backyard mechanic.

 

$280??? That's it?! I hope so, some people I talked to said about a grand w/o machining the heads. Thanks for the reply

 

My brother's car was going to cost him cost to a thousand and that was a honda accord. He did the work himself except paying $100 to have it machined. With all that labor involved removing everything, I cant imagine only paying $280. GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

Depending on where you go, it could cost up to 1500$. Some shops that don't have buisness may do it for 800-1200$.

It's not a fun job to replace these things so it will cost you.

I recommend doing it yourself but if thats not an option then prepare to pay.

~Jim~

 

I've had it quoted with severals shops around here, I get the same answer

"Camaro huh? Don't those things have half the motor under the windshield?"

"Yup"

"Ya those things are a pain, your looking at 1500-1900"

 

Yup, I just got a couple estimates from around town and the average is about $1,200. Luckily I know a mechanic who works from his own shop. $750 he said he would do it for. He is a big f-body fan, he's got a few of them himself so he has good experience working on them. Looks like I got lucky

 

WOW.....I was way off, hell that's as much as ported heads and cam
I do my own work on the car, I don't like anyone messing with my car, but there are a couple of hole in the wall shops that will do it for that much (here anyways).

 

I just put ported heads on my car, MAJOR pain in the ***. wouldn't have been so bad if my passenger's side long tube didnt have to come out!

 

id take a shot in the nutz with a potato gun insted of removing the heads with engine in the car.$280 if the guy needs crack badly, and then again you might not want to trust a guy who smokes that **** with your car. i blew my headgasket with a 100 dry shot last weekend, and no oil in the water, just being burned,i fixed it with liquid bars stop leak, i didnt think it was going to work, but it did.im not going to spray it with that stuff in there, but it did seal it up.just make sure to flush the radiator . i put a running water hose in the rad cap and let the engine run for about a hour.just dont turn the water up to high or your opti will get wet.flush untill the water comes out clear.i then siphoned out alittle water from the radiator and added the liquid stop leak.i didnt pull any spark plugs or wires like the instructions.mine was burning a gallon every 20 miles and it sealed it up 100%, id try it,for $10 bucks it cant hurt!worked for me,like i said i dont expect a permanent fix,but it might just get you by untill you can save up for the repair.it was the liquid stuff in a silver bottle made by bars.the biscuts dont work as well.got it at autozone.

 

All you who make the "no oil in the water" reference. How could oil get into the coolant via blown head gasket?
Think about it for a minute...
And $280? I don't think so. Don't even trust someone to do it for that price. Hell I wouldn't trust anyone at all no matter the price in this day and age.
"Legitimate" shops charge anywhere from 70 to 100 an hour and it's a full day job (if not longer).

 

When mine blewn a local reputable speed shop which does a lot of F-body work said it was going to be around $850 just for labor. Add parts and I'd say it'll be close to $950.

Do it yourself if at all possible.

 

Priceless! I may have to use that one in conversation someday.

 

lol, bars leak.

 

same thing happened to mine, i used the bars leak and it sealed up it right up, just the same....