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Originally Posted by gmercoleza
Thanks G for the confirmation. I just now recall reading about your very similar head gasket experience. Can I ask how long you drove on it before it became unmanageable? Did you ever detect coolant in the oil?
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By the time I got this fixed, I was leaving what looked like a pint of oil on the ground wherever I parked. I planned to live with it until the summer, when i was going to tackle it and my ailing tranny. I was not getting any oil in the coolant, but I started to lose a lot of coolant in shorter and shorter intervals, until I had to fill the tank each day. The heater hose burst, which is when I had the car towed to my indie for the head gasket.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmercoleza
I am going to call and get some quotes, but there is the possibility that I may end up doing the work for him. In the past, when I have done cylinder heads, there were a lot of other things that I did at the same time because they were much easier to get to while the head was out. These included hoses, connectors, water pump, front cover, valve guides and seals, etc. especially if these parts were original. Since you have gone through this already, what would you recommend be done while the head is out? Also, can you tell me if you removed the manifolds or if you left them intact and removed the whole assembly with a hoist?
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As you can see from the earlier pic, lots of stuff accessible with the top end off the engine. I would recommend replacing anything and everything that looks suspect, and that is exactly what my indie did. My coolant pump was fine, but he did replace the tensioner, fuel injector seals, and plugs. Of course, the busted heater hose was replaced. There were a few other little things replaced, but I have to go back and look at the list.
I wasn't there when the indie pulled the head, but he took the exhaust and intake assembly completely off (again, see pics). My intake manifold was cracked, and you wouldn't have seen the damage if it was just left in the engine bay.
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Originally Posted by gmercoleza
One last thing - I fear the wiring harness and other delicate parts may not survive the procedure. Although the deteriorating wiring harness issues were supposedly resolved by 1995, I checked his out and it appears that years of heat have dried it out and made it brittle. There are a few wires in fact that I swear I can crack the insulation if I bend them enough. Did you run into any issues with your harness? Any electrical gremlins after the job?
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No issues with the harness, although the indie looked at it and thought maybe in two or three years, it would need replacement.
My radio apparently was away from the battery too long, and wouldn't boot up after the code was entered. So I'm shopping for a new one.
Just yesterday, I noticed my oil pressure needle pegging upon startup...so I guess I lost the oil pressure sender...AGAIN!
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmercoleza
Do you mind me asking how much you paid to get it done? Also, which indie (you can PM me if you prefer)?
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The total cost of the repair was $2300 ($300 for the new manifold).
My indie is Don Borland of MB Haus 817-498-0075