Blown Head Gasket

[goldiesmom]

Just took my car to the radiator shop because my car seemed to be burning a lot of antifreeze. They told me that the head gasket was blown. I had a blown head gasket last year which another mechanic repaired. After the repair, the hot/cold needle always seemed to climb high when the car was idling. I took it back to the mechanic who said that it was normal. It wasn't normal. My car never acted like this before. The mechanic told me that as long as the engine fan comes on to cool off the car, it was ok.

Now, the one year warranty has expired. It expired in June. I can't afford to have this work done again--improperly. Is it possible that the mechanic did not do the job right? I knew that something was wrong because the needle would climb too high when the car was idling. I would have to constantly turn on the air conditioner to let that fan cool down the engine.:cry:

 

[Samurai_Blue]

i dont believe he did it right. needle should just climb at a steady rate. try and see if he can do something about it. headgaskets shouldnt blow under normal circumstances.

 

[SpooledupRacing]

sounds like could have been a bad thermostat or many other things.. cranked head, bad gasket, clog in the system, improper antifreeze mixture, bad radiator, lots of stuff could have caused it.

 

[goldiesmom]

i dont believe he did it right. needle should just climb at a steady rate. try and see if he can do something about it. headgaskets shouldnt blow under normal circumstances.

Thanks. I thought that needle should stay steady too. I'm going to try to get them to repair it. I don't think they really know what they're doing . . .

 

[goldiesmom]

sounds like could have been a bad thermostat or many other things.. cranked head, bad gasket, clog in the system, improper antifreeze mixture, bad radiator, lots of stuff could have caused it.

The Acura dealership installed my thermostat before I took it to another mechanic to do the Head Gasket. This mechanic also installed a new radiator. Then, I learned that they didn't properly attach the by-pass hose so I was losing coolant. I then took it back to the Acura dealer who corrected the by-pass hose problem. I don't really know where to turn now--this is just so upsetting. Thanks for your feedback--I appreciate it.

 

[dc2GS-R]

The car should be able to keep itself cool at idle. If it is the headgasket, and they won't fix it for free, then I wouldn't give them another dime. At that point I would run a compression check yourself to verify it is the headgasket then go from there

 

[SpooledupRacing]

At that point I would run a compression check yourself to verify it is the headgasket then go from there

Honestly time to start doing some self diagnosis..

 

[Samurai_Blue]

The car should be able to keep itself cool at idle. If it is the headgasket, and they won't fix it for free, then I wouldn't give them another dime. At that point I would run a compression check yourself to verify it is the headgasket then go from there

i agree with kyle, the compression test you can do at home with you and a friend or something. its a $30 thing at autozone. good investment.

 

[goldiesmom]

The car should be able to keep itself cool at idle. If it is the headgasket, and they won't fix it for free, then I wouldn't give them another dime. At that point I would run a compression check yourself to verify it is the headgasket then go from there

Thanks. I just had the radiator shop do a compression check and they said that it was the head gasket. This shop is reputable--they didn't charge me for it, but they don't do head gasket repairs. I took it to another shop last summer that replaced the head gasket and the radiator (incorrectly, I'm guessing.). I'm going to call the head gasket shop to see if they will fix the problem. My warranty was for 12 months or 12,000 miles. It's been 14 months, but only 10,000 miles since they did the work. Hopefully, they will stand by their work. If not, I'll never give them another dime!

 

[goldiesmom]

Honestly time to start doing some self diagnosis..

?

 

[Samurai_Blue]

?

doing compression tests yourself etc.

 

[SpooledupRacing]

if I remember right you said the dealer did your radiator. I cant see how the acura dealer will send out a car that is not running right.

and how do u go to a shop that does not work on gasket repairs?

 

[SpooledupRacing]

doing compression tests yourself etc.

THANK YOU!

compression tests, leak down tests, self diagnosis by running codes etc.. Get a haynes or Chiltons repair manual.

 

[goldiesmom]

doing compression tests yourself etc.

Oh, thanks. Yes, I guess that I need to learn how to be more hands-on with this car. I really only know how to check my fluids . . .

 

[goldiesmom]

THANK YOU!

compression tests, leak down tests, self diagnosis by running codes etc.. Get a haynes or Chiltons repair manual.

Yeah, I have the Haynes manual and I've been reading it and using it to diagnose some issues. I'm no mechanic though, I just like to keep my car in good shape. Maybe I should invest in some tools and go at it though? Hah!