Hey everyone, I'm new here and did some searching but there are numerous posts on the subject of head gaskets to go through.

Long story short:

I was desperate for a car and recently bought a 1996 Neon sedan with 140k miles for $2000. I had not done my homework on the Neons and was unaware of the head gasket problems they have. I did not observe any oil leak after the test drive, but after a couple of days it started leaking badly. The car's interior and exterior are in excellent condition and I'm thinking it might be worth fixing if the price of repair isn't too steep.

My question is this, what is a ballpark price for replacing the head gasket? Also, if the engine is toast now, do you think I'd be better off replacing the engine or cutting my losses and parting it out?

Thanks for the help!

Major

 

if it's just leaking oil what makes you think the head gasket is bad? can you tell where the leak is comming from? do you have any maint history, t-belt (100k life), water pump, ECT?

 

Well, I'm not sure where the oil is coming from because there is so much oil everywhere. Maybe I should not assume it's the head gasket.

I'm going to take it to a shop and have them look at it. I'm just trying to find out how bad the hit to the wallet might be if it is the head gasket. There are no service records on the car and the dealer from which I bought the car is no help. I just hope I didn't get screwed at this point.

Thanks for the input.

 

Look at your coolant, if it's muddy or oily looking then you have a blown HG. A new Mopar HG kit costs around $90 and then you could do it yourself. If you have a shop do it, then your at the mercy of the labor per HR charge.

 

Which probably isn't going to be cheap. I had a local shop fix this on my old civic, and I think it ran about $600-$700. Maybe I got taken, I really don't know.

 

Import parts will be more than domestic, that may have been the biggest difference.

 

9 out of ten times when the eng is covered in oil it is the valve cover gasket, which is a simple job you can do at home. if your coolant looks OK to you, you have no overheating problems, and the car runs ok, get a second opinion if the shop says it's a head gasket.

if it is the head gasket and the eng hasn't melted from the overheating call around to some shops and see how they charge for jobs. all shops have manuals that tell them how long a job should take. some go by however looonnngg it takes them to do the job. others go by the book (if the book says 1.5hrs thats what you get charged no matter how long it takes). with a head gasket it is not the parts so much as the labor that gets you. hope this helps, good luck.

 

Thanks for all the info everyone. I'll check out the coolant and all of that when I have the chance. Meanwhile, it's back on the bike until I get the Neon fixed.

Major

 

OK...after finally being able to get under the hood of the Neon, I'm pretty sure the head gasket is ok.

I checked the oil and coolant and they looked fine. I cannot tell exactly where the leak is coming from, but it's not the valve cover. Since I was already there, I replaced the valve cover gasket anyway as well as a couple of hoses that needed replacing. That narrows it down to an engine seal, if I am guessing correctly. For the engine seal, I will have to take it to a shop. My days as a car mechanic are over.



Thanks for the help. Once I get this issue fixed, I know I'll love the car and will want to participate more on these forums.

[sm=yeahsmile.gif]

 

Some other typical leaks are:

*Camshaft position sensor
*Rear Main Seal
*Valve Cover Gasket
*Oil pressure sending unit