Whats it cost to have the head gasket replaced

tvacom · 03-25-2008, 09:10 PM

I am looking at a used boxter 2001 5 speed and the owner tells me that it has a blown headgasket and he cant fix it. The dealer told him they wont do it but a new engine would be 9500 installed.
Why wont they do a head gasket? What will a shop charge to do it. What are the down falls?
Thanks
dave

tvacom · 03-26-2008, 08:43 PM

No one has experience with this?
thanks
dave

BT911 · 03-27-2008, 06:35 AM

is the car leaking coolant or oil? where is it blown? if's it leaking coolant, then the head gasket is blown more then likely the head or/and block is warped from over heating. and you can't machine the block.

JMatta · 03-27-2008, 01:50 PM

I think this is why the dealers always recommend a new motor. There are a couple firms rebuilding motors nowadays, but you need to factor in the cost of shipping (unless you're lucky enough to be near by). Can't remember the threads, but a search should yield some clues.

914helo · 03-29-2008, 03:11 PM

I'm not doubting you, just showing my ignorance. Why can't you machine the block? Is it just that it takes a special tool that not many places have? Thanks

tvacom · 03-29-2008, 07:55 PM

I went up and bought the car. Its in great shape. The seller said that it was blowing water vapors out the tailpipe after it pegged the temp. gauge. He said he pulled it right over and called a tow truck. To his knowledge oil and water didnt mix. He started it up and it sounds just like my other one. his mechanic said the water pump had been replaced at some point. I was told to get a compression test and that could tell me whether the head gasket went. The car looks amazing and I got it for 6500. so I think I could come out way ahead if it is something smaller like a water pump. If I need to put a used motor in I was told by a shop that for 6-7k they could install a 3.2 motor in it. The car is a 2001 with a 2.7 and 100k milage.

Porsche993toy · 03-30-2008, 07:31 PM

Dave,

I just sent you an email regarding the problem you are having.

Thanks

tvacom · 03-30-2008, 08:49 PM

what email did you send it to? I havent gotten anything
thanks
dave

disfin · 04-11-2008, 06:14 AM

well, we are waiting... what did you find out?

Porsche993toy · 04-11-2008, 07:45 AM

FYI--Dave's mail box was full at that time, therefore, the email was sent to his alternate email address. We exchanged info. and he is still working through his engine problem last I heard from him.

Thanks

tvacom · 04-20-2008, 04:08 PM

So here is the laundry list from the mechanic. I came out ahead. Knock on Wood.
Thermastat, Radiator Cap, Water Temp Sensor, Drive Belt, Coolant, spark plug orings, Ignition Switch, Oil Filter and Seal. The he changed coolant and oil. Cost with everything was around 1300.
Mechanic put 75 miles on it no problem and I have put another 300 miles on it. Passed the smog with Flying colors. Waiting on the title now. Car is in great shape. It is going up for sale this week. No over heating issues what so ever. Mechanic said that if former owner would have told him he was selling it he would have bought it for himself.
dave

JMatta · 04-21-2008, 04:19 AM

Did the mechanic assess what the problem was? The list you've provided sound like a bunch of maintenance items; was it just a belt that let go?

tvacom · 04-21-2008, 09:23 AM

No the belt was maintentance. While he was in there he noticed some cracks. It was the Thermastat and the radiotor cap that was causing my issues. Coolant was leaking through the cap. At first he thought it was the resovoir but he took it out and said that it had been replaced already and it held fine. So the cap was next.

JMatta · 04-21-2008, 10:08 AM

So am I to understand the "dealer" diagnosed this as a blown head gasket? Remind me to stay away from them, if so. We are very fortunate in the northern Illinois suburbs to have some excellent independent repair/race prep facilities. I wouldn't trust the dealer unless it was warranty work (and that is even questionable from past experience).

tvacom · 04-21-2008, 04:58 PM

The dealer did not diagnose as a blown head gasket. Another mechanic did that is more into aircooled 911 not boxsters. The former owner took his word as gold and contacted a dealer to see what a new motor would cost after the dealer and other mechanic told him it wasnt rebuildable. If the old owner would have gone a received another opinion he would have found out that it was a blown headgasket.
dave

BoxxerSix · 04-21-2008, 09:15 PM

You picked up an '01 boxster with 100K on the clock for $6500!!!

Dayum I am in the wrong region to buy these cars. Blown or not that's a steal. Even dead I would have bought it for parts alone at that price.

tvacom · 04-22-2008, 02:57 PM

I was lucky. A 1 in 1000 car purchase. Kinda makes up for some of the stupid ones in the past.
lol

Grant Lenahan · 04-27-2008, 05:32 AM

A porous, light and hard silica finish that is onyl thosandths of an inch thick.

Bore it and its gone.

Howwever, its so hard that re-finishing is rarely needed. Most failures are catastrophic and destroy the block, with, say the upper sall collapsing (some early models) or an intermediate shaft gumming up the works.

Grant

Quote:

Originally Posted by 914helo

I'm not doubting you, just showing my ignorance. Why can't you machine the block? Is it just that it takes a special tool that not many places have? Thanks