Hi all,

I really need help with working out my options with this.

Recently my van ('92 Grand Caravan AWD 3.3L) which i have here in Canada started overheating badly.
I took it to the local Chrysler dealership which then diagnosed it as a blown head gasket which they fixed (and charged me ~$1200AU for).

They have just called me back and said after changing the head gaskets, the coolant is still bubbling a little so they suspect its a cracked head or block but cannot say which (so they are guessing).

Does this sound right to you guys??

Every car ive had before has always bubbled a little at the radiator and has never caused a problem.

If they van runs smooth and doesnt overheat, can i consider the bubbling to be a non-problem and consider it to be reliable?

My plan is to go on a 2 month tour around Canada and the USA in this van in 3 weeks time so i want to make as sure its going to make the distance.

Any ideas?

 

My first question to them is if they replaced the head gasket after and over heating problem did they check they head? If it had been over heated there could be a chance that the head warped or is uneven and not mating to the gasket correctly. The aluminum heads in today cars are under alot ot tension when torqued down. Also ask them if they put any dye in the system and pressure checked it to see where it is leaking from. there is diagnostic step they can take they shouldn't be throw darts at a dart board trying to figure it out.

 

...also, if the head cracked or warped from overheating, wouldn't there be signs of oil in the coolant or vice versa?

 

They said they "visually" checked the head for cracks.
I think for $1200 they should be a little more sure than that...

Well ill see what they say tomorrow.
Im going to ask them to compression test and TeeKay (sp?) test.

 

Well, unfortunately, you can't visually see hairline cracks that well. They can visually check for warping with a straight edge but that's only a portion the inspection. I agree that for $1200 can/us/au/or even euro, they would have done more than just visually inspect. Sounds fishy to me.

 

Well i took it to a Chrysler dealership thinking i would prefer to pay a little more to make sure they do the work properly.
Sounds like that was a mistake.

 

Every shop will have its flaw somewhere. Silver is right you cant always see a crack in the head. The crack could always be some where that you cant visualy see it. As for coolant and oil mixing alot of the time this may hold true but doesnt hold true in 100 percent of the time.

 

Thanks for the help guys.
Im going to walk down to the shop today, see what they recommend and try to get a real idea of what they have done.

 

Well it does appear to be a cracked head.
They are going to remove the heads again and send them off to be crack tested.... with no extra labor costs.

 

Sorry to hear that. You don't sound too upset that it took them a second look to find out though, so I will be for you [:@][:@]

Good thing they aren't charging you again, since they didn't see it the first time and that it was found before your trip.