Looking for any place ( close to Atlanta) that can do a head gasket job.

It's a 95 Maxima runs good, last tankful I got 375 miles.

It's got 176 K on it, so I don't want to spend an arm and a leg.

Any suggestions ????

Recently had the water pump, thermostat, and radiator replaced, due to pump going out and car overheating.

Now it's drinking approx 16oz of coolant, now and again, and runs hot when the coolant's missing.

No coolant in the oil dipstick, so I'm guessing it's blowing out of the exhaust.

For some unknown reason the heater blows plain air, if not ac air.

and I do smell coolant in the car. (may be heater core)

Any suggestions ????

Does this definitely sound like a head gasket, or should I pay $85 at the stealership, and let them tell me ???

 

just get a new motor

 

Well, that doesn't seem very helpful.

Anyway.

OP-I would definitely pay someone to take a look at it. For diagnosis, I prefer paying an extra $25/hr for the expertise of the dealership. That's just me. Your problem doesn't sound like a head gasket should be a confident conclusion. Usually, you would see some sign. Steam coupled with a sweet smell from the exhaust. Or rainbows in the engine oil. Something.
Maybe you can pinpoint the leak hiding in your heater system. It's plausible to have a leaking heater valve or core without it being an obvious puddle on the floor. I vote to go to a trustworthy garage or dealer. Whatever you do, please abstain from giving them your diagnosis. You may let in a pack of wolves. Good luck.

 

Post in the South East forum. And yes, it would have been cheaper to replace the motor. Assuming you can do the work. VQ's can be found for 200-400bucks.

 

For some. It's only cheaper if you can do the work. But read the original post. He had it replaced, not he replaced. And those items are simple items if you can do a motor. Plus, you don't change an engine because of a guess on a coolant leak. It doesn't matter how cheap you can buy it.

 

You must not realize how hard it is to take off the heads with the engine in the car.

 

Whether I do, or not is moot. I still don't see how you can tell someone to buy a new motor when he/she is leaking coolant. Maybe I'm not getting it. Explain, please.

 

You're right, you're not getting it. You can pay a shop to replace the entire motor and have it done for just about the same amount of money, except you come out of the deal with a low mileage motor instead of a 176k mile motor. Headgasket is an easy 10 hour job, motor is the same. It truly is easier and more cost effective to just yank the motor, whether or not you do it yourself.

 

At the risk of you guys sounding redundant... Oh, too late.
Address this please. There is no proof that it's a bad head gasket. That's what I don't understand. Did you even read my post?

 

DID YOU EVEN READ THE FEEDBACK????? VQ30's are so cheap, that the time and effort it would take to change the head gasket is STUPID, compared to replacing the entire engine. Low mileage means its going to last MUCH longer than your old one. If there is a problem with a head gasket, there are bound to be others. neal knows what he is talking about, so maybe you should listen to everybody else.


He is leaking coolant. Sweet. be a cheap-a$s and buy some RTV sealant and slather it over the spot. Pay no attention to the oil you now have in your coolant, and the coolant in your oil, and the complete flush of both of those systems you're now going to need.

 

This is hilarious. The issue you're all basing your posts on is that his/her head gasket is leaking. I'm asking why you would go to extremes when not even sure if that's the problem.
Me-"What am I going to do about this leaking coolant hose?"
Friend-"Change the motor. It's cheap"
Me-"That sounds good. I got 3 bills. Let's do it!"

I love you guys.

 

All everone is saying is that (and you can check this by yourself locally) if you're going to get a head gasket job done, its going to run you about the same as getting a new low mileage VQ motor. He'res an example from car parts.com

http://car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.c...erPage=1&iKey=

Definitely do your homework as things do change locally but, chances are..,

 

The name of the post is " Any good head gasket shops????"

Maybe thats where they got the idea. Open your eyes. Swapping the motor would be alot better than doing any head gasket work.

That being said, make sure it is diagnosed correctly before you do anything.

 

Well in his first post, he said it was a head gasket, so we all assumed that he knew that was the problem. Reading comprehension > you, a$sclown.

I understand that it may seem like overkill, but if it truly is a leaking head gasket, it will cause more problems than just replacing the gasket, like mixed fluids,etc. It's not always cut and dry with this type of thing, and for the sake of reliability and ease, engine replacement would be the better thing to do. (by the way, its not that hard of a project, anyone with the right tools can do it).

Now if it WAS a leaking coolant hose, and he had mentioned it to be that, i'm sure nobody here would have mentioned an engine swap, they would have told him to get new hoses, because they tend to go bad over time.

 

be cheaper and easier to buy a junkyard motor and swap it...but get the real problem diagnosed properly before u decide

 

After thoroughly reading your post, I hope my suggestions and advice were of some help to you. And remember, always take what responses you get with a grain of salt. You could get some bad advice based on assumptions. Good luck.

 

Thanks to you all for the good advice.

Tomorrow, I'm going to the dealer to get the diagnosis.

You all, are right, in not jumping to conclusions, but I can't help it.

My wife was sitting across town waiting on AAA to give her a tow home, the car had overheated, Water pump bust.

I had told her to carefully undo the radiator cap (with plenty of rags) and she poured water in the radiator.

Half an our later, she's still waiting on the tow truck, (saying that it's a real hot day, AND HOW SHE"S GOT THE CAR ON AND THE AC RUNNING.)

Once we got the car home, I poured coolant in an almost empty radiator, and it poured right out on the parking lot, from behind the alternator (water pump).

Like I said in the orig post, clear oil, white smoke occassionally.

Got 375 miles to my last tank of gas.

It's got a knock sensor code, and just last couple of days problems starting, sometimes. fluctuates when idling.

Anyway, will find out what the problem is !!!

IF I do need a motor, PLEASE all of you help, cos I would not know where to begin.

Thanks Again, & I'll keep you all posted

 

Where did he say he is now leaking coolant? He said he WAS leaking coolant before the water pump replacement. Now he said the coolant is just disappearing. After having overheated the car severely as he described, it is a reasonable assumption that he has a warped head and thus a leaking headgasket. Based on his assessment of the problem and on the title and content of his post, he is assuming that he has a blown headgasket. I, and others, are responding to his desire to replace the headgasket. It is wiser to replace the entire engine than replace a headgasket.

All you're saying is to make sure the headgasket is blown before you go replacing either it or the engine, which is sound advice. It is also something that any reasonable person would do before replacing an engine or headgasket. That is not the issue which I am addressing. I am addressing the simple fact that if he is going to replace the headgasket, it is easier to just swap the whole engine. Any preliminary determination of the actual problem should be left up to those with access to the car in question, i.e. the original poster and his chosen mechanic and should go without saying. That is why I (and I would assume the others in this thread) didn't address it.

 

I concur.

 

bro have u ever done a headgasket on a doch car???? if not dont talk... second of all if ur constantly overheating a motor like that there is damage dont to to it.... i work on cars so please dont tell me different.. a new motor WILL cost cheaper than repairing a headgasket....

 

a bit OT, but did you get your turbo car back up and running yet? did you replace your engine or are you going to keep running it till it blows?

 

This is getting just plain out of control. Anybody else wanna jump on the bandwagon? Your question doesn't even merit a response. Your final statement is just a regurgitation of a statement everyone else has made which I never denied. Not once. Keep up. And thanks for the attention.

BTW. Isn't about time for this thread to be locked?

 

No it isnt.

 

Finally, had it diagnosed at the dealer today.

It IS a head gasket.

They said that once they pressurized, the radiator, coolant is leaking into the cylinder, getting burnt and blowing right out of the tail pipe.

Which is why I can't see coolant in the oil. They said not necessarily does coolant go into the oil.

They pulled one of the plugs and found coolant on there.

What SUX is that, I could have pulled the plugs and seen the coolant on there, myself.

Well anyway, just wanted to share the info, so those of you that didn't know this simple check, now know.

Thanks again, to all of you for your useful suggestions

Sorry if I caused grief to anyone, did not mean to.

ps I've Decided to change out the motor, but will leave that for another thread.

Thanks Again, without you all, I most likely would have panicked and sold the car, for next to nothing.

 

Sorry to hear your head gasket is bad! You might try posting for motor swap help in the Southeast forum. Someone might be able to assist you in either replacing it for you, or pointing you to a good shop to save you some $$$.
Just a suggestion!

 

^^

 

Glad to see your diag went so easy. Hindsight is always 20/20 after paying for it, but at least you have a definitive answer. Also, glad to see you taking the advice of others and changing the entire motor now that you confidently know it's the head gasket. I wish you many more miles of trouble free driving.