brendangillespie
Active LVC Member
:slam Well, my on-again, off-again cooling system problem that I've been troubleshooting for a while has finally come to an end. I've found the problem. My head gaskets are shot. I wish I would have just taken the car to a shop in the first place, because after seeing how simple the test is to check if the head gaskets are shot, I could have avoided all the t/s'ing I've done so far (replacing the thermostat, water pump, temperature sensor; coolant flush, pressure check, burping the coolant system).
Woe is me! I have had this possibility in the far corner of my brain since this problem first started, so it's not that much of a shock. It still sucks though, realizing that I'm going to have to drop a butt-ton of money into this car to fix this. The mechanic at Firestone Service Center told me it would probably be around $1500-$1600 at a shop that does this kind of thing. I'm going to call around today and start getting estimates.
My question is, before I get this expensive work done, is it worth it? I've been told that if I continue to drive the car, it could have permanent damage done to the engine. The problem is, I've been driving this car for about 3 months now, having this on-again, off-again problem... I don't think the head gaskets are in extremely bad shape, just leaking slightly, because the only time I'm seeing white exhaust smoke is when I start the car after sitting awhile (it also start rough after sitting a while). What I'm sure is happening is that the cylinders are forcing pressure into my cooling system, and that's what making the coolant pressurized so much that it's flowing out of my reservoir tank. When it's sitting, just a little bit of coolant is seeping into the pistons/cylinders, which makes for a rough start after a day of sitting and a little bit of white exhaust smoke.
So, since I've been driving the car for about 3 months since the symptoms first started, does anyone think that I have permanent damage to the engine? I would hate to drop $2000 for new head gaskets and find out that the engine is all !#$3ed up inside. When I was driving the car, it ran smoothly, so it doesn't seem like there was any damage.
Thanks for any tips or info anyone can give me!! :feedback
Woe is me! I have had this possibility in the far corner of my brain since this problem first started, so it's not that much of a shock. It still sucks though, realizing that I'm going to have to drop a butt-ton of money into this car to fix this. The mechanic at Firestone Service Center told me it would probably be around $1500-$1600 at a shop that does this kind of thing. I'm going to call around today and start getting estimates.
My question is, before I get this expensive work done, is it worth it? I've been told that if I continue to drive the car, it could have permanent damage done to the engine. The problem is, I've been driving this car for about 3 months now, having this on-again, off-again problem... I don't think the head gaskets are in extremely bad shape, just leaking slightly, because the only time I'm seeing white exhaust smoke is when I start the car after sitting awhile (it also start rough after sitting a while). What I'm sure is happening is that the cylinders are forcing pressure into my cooling system, and that's what making the coolant pressurized so much that it's flowing out of my reservoir tank. When it's sitting, just a little bit of coolant is seeping into the pistons/cylinders, which makes for a rough start after a day of sitting and a little bit of white exhaust smoke.
So, since I've been driving the car for about 3 months since the symptoms first started, does anyone think that I have permanent damage to the engine? I would hate to drop $2000 for new head gaskets and find out that the engine is all !#$3ed up inside. When I was driving the car, it ran smoothly, so it doesn't seem like there was any damage.
Thanks for any tips or info anyone can give me!! :feedback