COolant leaking...is this a head gasket problem??

[nikhajar202]

Hey 202ers,
so my car is leaking a tiny bit of coolant everyday and the low coolant indicator will turn on every 2 weeks and needs refill...
so today i went to a workshop and they said that it was a BAD HEAD GASKET...they quoted me $1100 to change the whole gasket,machine the head and do a valve job...
Is this expensive or its just average price?
And I've always thought that bad head gasket always leaks oil,not coolant?
Please help me in this with your opinions...

Cheers!

[manny]

First of all, when in doubt, get a second opinion.
Secondly, the price quoted for everything is not too bad.
Ask them if there is any kind of warranty with it. ;)

[alphanumeric]

source the leak and find out where its coming from!! ask the mechanic to tell u where its comin from and have him point it out to you just to make sure its the head gasket.


a true story of mine is.. I had this 1992 2.3 190e. it was leaking collant alot.. I looked under the car where the puddles were and it was coming from where the engine meets the transmission.. which could indicate it was a blown head gasket. but I took it to my mechanic and he said it was the heater core. he told me it would cost 800bux to fix it.. because he would have to take out the whole dash board which is a big job. he re-routed the heater hoses and bypassed the heater core and it stopped the leak. and I had no heater.. I knew it was not hte heater core. call it a gut feeling. so I hooked my heater up myself again and sourced the leak. it turned out to be a heater valve which was a 25$ part at the dealership!!! and took 10min to replace with a flathead screw driver.

[nikhajar202]

hmm...while the car was lifted up at the shop, I definitely saw coolant flowing thru where the engine meets the tranny like u said...so do you think its a head gasket?? oh yeah and i definitely want a second opinion....MAN why did this shit happened while im in the midst of modding the car??!!:(
Cheers

[Ashkan's C280]

just got to give up and do a complete na build, bore to 2.5 thicker head gasket, all the stops, add another 5k for a complete build and you're golden

[manny]

Originally posted by Ashkan's C280
just got to give up and do a complete na build, bore to 2.5 thicker head gasket, all the stops, add another 5k for a complete build and you're golden

WTF?
Do you have ANY idea what you're talking about ? :rolleyes:
Never mind......I already know the answer....NO.

[Ashkan's C280]

http://www.club202.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=160&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

[SLAMMED_C]

With a head gasket that leaks coolant.. it will in almost all cases leak inside the engine.. from a water jacket to the cylinder.... and you will see this by smoke coming out of the tail pipe (white colour I think)
so I really cant see it leaking outside the engine.. especially between the block and the transmisison.
you may want to have a look at it yourself and get another opinion.

[nikhajar202]

yup...what ur saying makes good sense and I'll sure will get more opinions on the car...i hope its nothing major and cost tons of $$ :(...thanks members for ur opinions