ok today i found a 95 se 5speed for $500. it has a blown headgasket. how difficult is that to repair i am taking it to a mechanic but i just wanna know what i am getting myself into if i do purchase it

 

Depending on the condition on the rest of it you would still be ahead if you dumped the current engine and swapped in a lower milage VQ30DE ($300-$500).

 

iwould it be worth rebuilding the motor

 

no....there is alot of labor involve in HG replacement....like Freeway said u can find a J-yard motor cheaper than cost of repair

 

3.5 swap that dirty *^#%$

 

thats the 2000-02 motor isnt it. will the motor mounts be the same. what all would be necessary to do a swap

 

Man! I would jump on that deal quick!! What is the overall condition of the body, interior etc?? The 3.5 swap is not an easy task...I know there is at least a few Orgers that have done this....please correct me if I a wrong.

 

VQ35DE the 3.5L came in the 02-> current maximas. mounts are the same. there is a big thread in the all motor section about swapping in the 3.5

 

that might be a fun car to swap a 3.5L in. depending on the condition of the body and stuff, you could turn it around and nobody would ever suspect you paid $500 for it.

 

I'd buy it and try dumping a new motor in, if not parting it out should earn you a decent profit (headlamps + tail lights alone are 500)

 

if the rest of the car is good, u might as well pick it up and do a 3.5 swap, make ur car a fast SOB

 

i will put alot of thought in for that 3.5. he did say the interior need some help bit i was reading other threads and i saw i can use i35 seat and belive it or not my friend just wrecked his 98 i35 so i will swap out as much interior as i can

 

where is it? do you plan on buying it? If you dont plan on buying it, PM me some info on it.

A HG replacement involves, removing the intake plenum, valve covers, cams, the re moving the heads and replacing the head gasket. There are a lot of nuts and bolts to keep track of, as well as vaccum lines you'll want to remember where they went.

 

iam planning on buying it im just waiting on the guy to respond to me agian

 

how bad is the headgasket leak? does the car even run? if so you can try a cheap fix before buying a new motor etc.

 

car probably runs, but overheats like crazy. Once the headgasket is blown, there is no cheap fix. Changing a headgasket yourself is cheap, the head gaskets would cost you about $100 at the most, its just the labor thats involved. Your pretty much stripping the motor down to the block.

 

assuming there was no other major permanent damage and its nothing but the gasket leaking, there is something you can use that will seal it. it will cost you about $100 but cost a lot less than paying someone to change the head gasket (I was quoted about a grand to have the head gasket on a pontiac changed). I have used it myself. If you do try to repair it, make sure you find the initial cause of the headgasket failure. could have been a stuck thermostat but i am just guessing.

 

if your going to fix a problem, best bet is to fix it right.

 

yes im not going to try and fix it myself might as well get it done the 1st time

 

download the fsm. it will be your best friend

 

If the headgasket is blown it would probably be cheaper or maybe I should say more cost effective to replace the whole engine rather than going in and finding out something else is wrong in there. The labor cost to replace a headgasket is almost the same as putting in another engine. I think it would be wise to have a mechanic come along with you to take a look at the car. Since the car is undriveable who knows if the tranny, suspension, or the brakes even work. The cost to replace those other parts might offset the initial low cost of buying the car. However, I would love to buy that car since I want a spare parts car.

 

The head is most likely warped..that needs to be checked if you are going to re use the engine. But my advice is to not re use it! get a 00-01 motor still the 3.0 and swap it in. it is very easy. if you need to, pm me and I can walk you through it. you just need tools and to want to do it yourself.