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advice for blown head gasket

3K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  nath 
#1 ·
hey guys,
i noticed another thread on headgaskets but didnt wanna highjack the thread

after my suspicions had been confirmed, yes my EA has a blown head gasket

what is the best way to go about getting it fixed?
what would u guys consider a good price?

a family friend who is a mechanic quoted me $850 down from a usual $1250

is this good or should i start looking elsewhere?
by the way, yes a cylinder head has cracked


cheers, alex
 
#2 ·
Depends on exactly what they are doing. Mechanic I have been seeing for my work quoted me 500 to do the job, incl new head bolts. So the prices you got both seem high. Even Ford would probably do the job for $650ish... Oh and while you got the head off you may as well get some porting and stuff done. Can't hurt...

Oh and the word seems to be to use AU head bolts, at the very least get new bolts fitted.
 
#3 ·
When i had my EA, funnily enough i had a blown head too, quite common.
It cost around $600 for a reconditioned head and all the labour to fix it, if i were you i'd look around a little more.
 
#4 ·
BTW, if you know anyone that knows a bit about mechanics, get them to go to the local wreckers, most likely be able to salvage a good EA head from there, and prolly a few other good parts while they are at it.

This way u'll save even more $$.

Cheers and good luck

Nath
 
#5 ·
if it is just a blown head gasket do it ya self the gasket is like $40 retail at the most i pay 25 each :) it ain't hard to do at all
 
#6 ·
hmm i made the biggest mistake of all...when mine blew I said f&^k it..took it to a mechanics and let them deal with it...never again!

I paid $2000 all up....included new head, gaskets, flush radiator, every hose was replaced and a few other things were done that i cant remember.

For that price i could have brought another engine and done heaps of mods..or even brought a XR6 engine and dumped that in...still spewing I didn't aswell!
 
#7 ·
cthawes said:
if it is just a blown head gasket do it ya self the gasket is like $40 retail at the most i pay 25 each :) it ain't hard to do at all
I know the topic states 'head gasket, but at the end of his post he said 'by the way, yes a cylinder head has cracked' so prolly be the head as well, unfortunately it could have been an easy fix.

Nath
 
#8 ·
hey guys,

i looked around today lookn for some better prices and got quoted $800 for the basic head gasket, and they have to get in there to see if theres any damage to the head, although the other mechanic alredy said the head was damaged, but im not sure if you can determine that without looking at the head??

im seeing if i can get a mates dad to getit done cheaper, at this stage i think i can only stand to be ripped off by mechanics??

cheers, alex
 
#9 ·
XMU2drescue said:
hey guys,

i looked around today lookn for some better prices and got quoted $800 for the basic head gasket, and they have to get in there to see if theres any damage to the head, although the other mechanic alredy said the head was damaged, but im not sure if you can determine that without looking at the head??

im seeing if i can get a mates dad to getit done cheaper, at this stage i think i can only stand to be ripped off by mechanics??

cheers, alex
G'day XMU2drescue, being quoted $800 for a $40 head gasket is absolute bollocks, please ask your mates dad before before handing any money over.

Good Luck

Nath.
 
#10 ·
Those prices aren't bad. In fact they are pretty good. You gotta consider the following points when fixing head gaskets:

*What made the head gasket go? It's probably a really good time to get the radiator pulled out, dismantled, rodded, etc to ensure that it's in perfect nick, cos half the time these are filled with casting sand and mud. Mine was 25% filled from the bottom.

*Don't put it back on without giving the head a recondition or at least getting the deck machined. You'll only be doing the job again if you don't and its not flat. And also as its cracked and most likely corroded around the no.6 cylinder water port, you'll have to get it welded. Also any head from the wreckers unless you know its been redone, get it recoed too. Should only cost around $250.

*Use new head bolts. It's only $35 from Repco for a new set of Astral head bolts and these are the newer AU style bolts with heavier heads.

*It is a job that requires a few hours labour (even more so if a head bolt has been snapped off - and quite likely) and so expect about $300 of any quote to be labour.

*You'll at least have a warranty against it in case something goes wrong. And it can - look for the thread started by Bindi.

I did have a thread around somewhere where I listed all my costs that it cost me and I did it all myself, except the head reconditioning. It came to somewhere around $500 in total, thats including new coolant, oil, plugs, thermostat, gaskets, etc.

Dan..

Axeman82 said:
Got my head gasket and car put back together again today...

Parts and prices were...

Head machining and welding $210.00
ACL Monotorque VRS kit $169.00
2 camshaft end seals $9.50
Timing chain filter $15.00
Battery terminal $4.89
Dayton thermostat $26.99
Astral head bolts $32.06
Nulon long life coolant $34.99
Shell helix 15W/50 $25.99
Oil filter $4.50
Fan belt $15.50
Spark plugs $18.99
thermostat block gasket $2.50

Total $569.91
 
#11 ·
i dont have any issues with my radiator as it is brand spankin new, it was replaced under a month ago so i doubt id be having many issues with it, unless the head gasket may have done something to it in the mean time??

my mates dad says he can send it off to the head reconditioning place and if he ends up doing it for me, i can go round and get the head bolts for it. so yeh if im gonna get it done it will probably be done by my mates dad hopefully

will i have to buy all the abovementioned parts that was just mentioned?

cheers, alex
 
#12 ·
Hope this isn't to much of a thread hi-jack
Can the AU gasket's be used on the E-series falcons? It would be useful due to the fact they are made out of steel(less likely to blow) and are thinner (increase comp). Would they have to be modified or can it just not be done?
 
#13 ·
Head machining and welding $210.00 - well this one is obvious
ACL Monotorque VRS kit $169.00 - this contains all the gaskets you'll need to put it back together and the valve seals for the reconditioining
2 camshaft end seals $9.50 - only need if the old ones are ditched :-(
Timing chain filter $15.00 - not needed, mine was cracked, etc
Battery terminal $4.89 - not needed LOL..
Dayton thermostat $26.99 - not needed but i'd recommend a new thermostat if not changed for a while
Astral head bolts $32.06 - needed
Nulon long life coolant $34.99 - if changing the coolant otherwise catch the old stuff
Shell helix 15W/50 $25.99 - if you have water in the oil then yes
Oil filter $4.50 - as above
Fan belt $15.50 - not needed
Spark plugs $18.99 - depends on the condition of your old ones and if they are water affected
thermostat block gasket $2.50 - if it comes off with the manifold, then yes.


of course these are just what i paid. you'll probably get better/worse prices on some parts.

but get other opinions before you fork over the dosh..

Dan..
 
#14 ·
turboute said:
Hope this isn't to much of a thread hi-jack
Can the AU gasket's be used on the E-series falcons? It would be useful due to the fact they are made out of steel(less likely to blow) and are thinner (increase comp). Would they have to be modified or can it just not be done?
Apparently they fit. Don't know personally. Usually the head corrodes and is the major problem, not just that the gasket blows. But I didn't go down that path simply cos it was cheaper to get the VRS kit rather than all the seperate gaskets plus the AU one.

Dan..
 
#15 ·
hey guys,

i was ringing around places to see the best price for the head gasket repairs, and i came across this place who say they can install an EB 4.0l in my car with 6 months warranty for $1200

is this any good? price wise that is?
this place is in macarthur near campbelltown (im in sydney) and apparently theyre "the falcon specialists"
any thoughts?

cheers guys
 
#16 ·
My advice, go for the EB 4.0l, much better engine IMO, and 6 months warranty for only $1200 installed is a good price, u can't go wrong :) (as long as it doesn't extend $1200)

You'll prolly get lots of people saying if ur going to engine swap go for something even better, but theres nothing wrong with a good condition EB engine:)

Good luck

Nath
 
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