Head Gasket bad, needs replacement

[CoastalDefender]

My Dude says I've got a bad head gasket, he's going to open it up and check for a cracked head.

He also ballparked me $600USD. Is this reasonable? I was thinking more like $200.

[burn_your_money]

DIY, it's not that hard.

$200 would cover parts if you are doing the t-belt and tensioner at the same time at shop prices.

[hamradio]

You bought the rabbit with the screwed up wiring, correct?  

Really, a head gasket isn't *that*  bad or costly of a job to do.  Gasket is about 17 bucks, depending on your head bolts, you might be able to reuse them, or if not, 10 or 15 bucks for some new head bolts, IIRC.

[CoastalDefender]

You bought the rabbit with the screwed up wiring, correct?  

That be me.

He "tested" the car by bypassing the wiring and attempting to start it with a cart he has setup for non-vehicle wiring startups.

He said it was throwing coolant into the (Something, can't remember what. Was driving while talking to him). Results were the head gasket was bad.

With that said, I'm hesitant to do it myself because-
I've never done anything major to a vehicle before, and more can go wrong
I don't have the tools or area to do it. (muddy driveway is as good as it gets for me)
I have zero idea of how to go about doing it (not a big deal, but still something to worry about).


So considering those factors, I'm super-inclined to get it fixed professionally.


Also, he's going to check and see if the head is cracked, and I've no idea how to go about doing that myself.

[Possum79]

If i remember right the heads crack between the valves and is usually visible?

Or am I mistaken?

[burn_your_money]

You are correct, that is the most common place however you can't really tell for sure if they have entered the coolant passages or gone too deep.

[Quantum TD]

Just a few words of caution on head repair:

1) 90% of all diesel heads with over 100k on them probably need new exhaust valves. This is a tip I picked up from Jack Ewald at VWdieselparts.net, and every head I've set out has needed them. Whether or not you planned on doing a valve job, now might be a good time to do it. Chances are, the guides need to be replaced, as do the seals. Just a thought.

2) As burn your money noted, the cracks between the valves are not the end of the world, unless they go into the chamber

3) Make sure to find out what your ''dude" plans on doing to the head for the gasket job. Chances are very good that your head is warped. You cannot simply put on a new head gasket (the usual assumption is a 'thicker' one) on the motor and expect it to be alright. If the head is lightly warped, you can probably get away with a resurface. This must be done one of two ways: profession grinder (not a belt sander), or milled with the pre-chamber pucks removed.

If the head is severely warped, say 7 thousandths or more, you need to have the head straightened. The warp does not just affect the head surface on an OHC engine. The warp extends all the way up to the cam journals. Now, the motor may run fine, but you end up wearing the journals, the cam and the lifters when you resurface instead of straighten. Even with straightening, you may have to resurface and line-bore the cam journals to relieve the stress on the cam.

So, it's a simple job, but there are levels of knowledge that most people are unaware of. When I do a head job, the labor and parts on the head alone cost about $400-600 (for outside work). That does not include the labor to remove and install it.

So, $600 is not a bad price, but it depends on what he's planning on doing. If he thinks he can clean the head, put on a new gasket and you're home free: then I'd go running.
Just a thought.

[CoastalDefender]

Just a few words of caution on head repair:

1) 90% of all diesel heads with over 100k on them probably need new exhaust valves. This is a tip I picked up from Jack Ewald at VWdieselparts.net, and every head I've set out has needed them. Whether or not you planned on doing a valve job, now might be a good time to do it. Chances are, the guides need to be replaced, as do the seals. Just a thought.

2) As burn your money noted, the cracks between the valves are not the end of the world, unless they go into the chamber

3) Make sure to find out what your ''dude" plans on doing to the head for the gasket job. Chances are very good that your head is warped. You cannot simply put on a new head gasket (the usual assumption is a 'thicker' one) on the motor and expect it to be alright. If the head is lightly warped, you can probably get away with a resurface. THis must be done one of two ways: profession grinder (not a belt sander), or milled with the pre-chamber pucks removed.

If the head is severely warped, say 7 thousandths or more, you need to have the head straightened. The warp does not just affect the head surface on an OHC engine. The warp extends all the way up to the cam journals. Now, the motor may run fine, but you end up wearing the journals, the cam and the lifters when you resurface instead of straighten. Even with straightening, you may have to resruface and line-bore the cam journals to relieve the stress on the cam.

So, it's a simple job, but there are levels of knowledge that most people are unaware of. When I do a head job, the labor and parts on the head alone cost about $400-600 (for outside work). That does not include the labor to remove and install it.

So, $600 is not a bad price, but it depends on what he's planning on doing. If he thinks he can clean the head, put on a new gasket and you're home free: then I'd go running. You'd be better off sending your head to Frank at Franks TDIs (http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?s=d6fc95607e3c7ec3750796efd657bca6&t=175661&highlight=warped+head), and doing the job yourself. The only special tools you'd need would be a torque wrench, a 12 point socket for the head bolts (or an allen if you've got an early engine), and a set of timing lock tools (you can use simple shop tools instead).

Just a thought.

Okay, printed this out and asked him over the phone today. He said "yeah, that's the proper way to do a head-job, and why I quoted you ballpark $600".