blown headgasket

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Tom Reingold - 24 Feb 2005 22:28 GMT

My car is a 1995 9000CS with 171,000 miles on it. I just blew the
headgasket. It will cost about $1,000 to get it all fixed, provided
there are no surprises like a cracked head. My mechanic says he only
sees cracked heads from running long and hard while overheated, which I
haven't done.

So it's an old car, not worth much, but certainly worth a heck of a lot
less with a blown headgasket. I was thinking of selling soon and now
this happens.

What would you do?

If I get it fixed, I'm sort of committed to keeping the car at least
another year. Or maybe not.

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Tom Reingold
Noo Joizy

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Charles C. - 25 Feb 2005 00:12 GMT

> My car is a 1995 9000CS with 171,000 miles on it. I just blew the
> headgasket. It will cost about $1,000 to get it all fixed, provided
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> If I get it fixed, I'm sort of committed to keeping the car at least
> another year. Or maybe not.

What dollars is that? Australlian, Canadian, US. (This geographical
correctness catches on after a while ... really it is for the exchange rate)

If USD ... it sounds expensive. What will the mechanic do for that much
(sorry my experience from heads ... and cracked ones :-) ... is from
c900s). I don't know if there are peculiarities to the 9000 head ...
but in my simple mind it is a set of gaskets, given the mileage a
skimming (refasing) of the head (new oil and coolant) + labour. You
could recondition the head but that is another story.

Regards
Charles

(And then I do the translation and if it is 2USD to 1GBP a couple of
hundred dollards too expensive perhaps).

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Pooh Bear - 25 Feb 2005 00:58 GMT

> > My car is a 1995 9000CS with 171,000 miles on it. I just blew the
> > headgasket. It will cost about $1,000 to get it all fixed, provided
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
> skimming (refasing) of the head (new oil and coolant) + labour. You
> could recondition the head but that is another story.

I happened to ask the mechanic I use about head gaskets on a 9000 some time
back.

Because you have to remove the timing chain, there's all the dismantling /
reassembly to be done there including all the belts etc...

Quite a few hours of labour.

Graham

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yaofengchen@gmail.com - 25 Feb 2005 13:20 GMT

Where in Noo Joizy are you located? I have a 94cs recently wrecked in
the front end. The car is declared total by insurance but is
driveable. It has a good engine at 140k miles (176k odo, I replaced
the engine at 105k with a 69k one). It may be cheaper to replace the
engine.

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Tom Reingold - 25 Feb 2005 22:09 GMT

> Where in Noo Joizy are you located? I have a 94cs recently wrecked in
> the front end. The car is declared total by insurance but is
> driveable. It has a good engine at 140k miles (176k odo, I replaced
> the engine at 105k with a 69k one). It may be cheaper to replace the
> engine.

I live in Maplewood. The car is in Warren. Where are you? You really
think it's realistic for me to buy the engine from you?

For you folks in other countries, Noo Joizy is a joke for "New Jersey"
which is one of the 50 states. I am in the New York City metropolitan area.

I am assuming that the $1,000 for the job is reasonable. That's not my
question.

I see the "blue book" value is about $3,000, if it were in good shape,
which it is not any more.

I could:

1. fix it and sell it. I was really close to selling it anyway.

2. fix it and keep it for another year or so.

3. sell it as is. I can't get much for it, if anything.

3. donate it as is. I might get a big tax break for it, because the
donation might be based on blue blok value, regardless of condition. But
I won't get the money for another year.

If I am going to get rid of it, it means I am in a hurry to buy a new
(used) car. That's a bad position to be in. I am less likely to get a
good price for the car I buy. In that case, it may not matter that I'm
throwing a bit of money away to get it fixed. Does that make any sense?

Tom

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Tom Reingold
Noo Joizy

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Dexter J - 25 Feb 2005 23:41 GMT

Salutations:

>> Where in Noo Joizy are you located? I have a 94cs recently wrecked in
>> the front end. The car is declared total by insurance but is
[quoted text clipped - 33 lines]
>
> Tom

Brother Tom - very sorry to read you are having troubles. That 9000 seemed
like a solid ride.

Basically I would shop around your head gasket job because it's really not
a big thing in and of itself and shouldn't cost that much. However, I
would have them tear it down and confirm some important conditions before
buying parts and giving them the go-ahead to repair.

The gasket is probably just age - but could also be the harbinger of
things to come - and therein lays the trouble.

There are a couple of really serious reasons for a head gasket to go:
blow-by at the rings and corrosion in the water channels (pressurizing
others) being two. A non-fatally cracked head can do it by slightly
warping under pressure against the gasket.

However, the 16 valve engine will consume a head gasket just by use alone.
So - what you need to find out is what the pistons, barrels and decks look
like before you make the deeper call.

If it turns out you are in the market, I happen to have a peach NG900 I'm
trying to flog for $4,200 CND (like what - $3,500 USD?) that I'm over
extended in. It's not perfect, but it's good. Be glad to meet you in New
Hampshire with it if you end up having to put a round between your 9000's
lamps.

Cheers and good luck. I think Quasimotor's has a decent write-up on head
gasket failures on the 9000 and their possible causes. Well worth a look
over for clues I feel.

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James Sweet - 26 Feb 2005 02:53 GMT

> > Where in Noo Joizy are you located? I have a 94cs recently wrecked in
> > the front end. The car is declared total by insurance but is
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> I see the "blue book" value is about $3,000, if it were in good shape,
> which it is not any more.

If you sell the car, with that money plus the $1k you could spend to fix the
car you have, could you get a car you liked better? In the end only you can
make that decision.

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The Malt Hound - 28 Feb 2005 16:23 GMT

> If you sell the car, with that money plus the $1k you could spend to
> fix the
> car you have, could you get a car you liked better? In the end only
> you can
> make that decision.

That car with a blown head gasket would fetch about $200 at a scrap
yard, after you paid someone to haul it there. You might find someone
to buy it that intends to repair the car and drive it (or sell it at a
profit), but they are going to want it just as cheaply as the scrap
guys...

Find a cheap(er) indy mechanic to do the headgasket. Then either sell
the car for what it's worth (probably a couple thousand tops) or go
buy whatever you want.

-Fred W

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Tom Reingold - 11 Mar 2005 16:10 GMT

> That car with a blown head gasket would fetch about $200 at a scrap
> yard, after you paid someone to haul it there. You might find someone
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> -Fred W

The car developed enough niggling problems (like the radio) that I
decided to sell it. I also decided to have it fixed. The mechanic
promised to do a good job, so I'm not ripping off the buyer.

I've been driving a 2000 Subaru Legacy L wagon since last week. It has
42,000 miles on it. There are some things I like better about it, and
some things are not as good. Overall, I'm happy. I guess I won't be
hanging out in this newsgroup much any more. Saabira (that was her name,
which is Arabic for "patience") was my third Saab and probably my last.

Thanks for all your help.

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Tom Reingold
Noo Joizy

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yaofengchen@gmail.com - 26 Feb 2005 13:58 GMT

you bring the car to me, I can replace the engine for one grand for
you. I removed the drivetrain of my wrecked 94cs no less than three
times. Is that realistic enough?

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The Malt Hound - 25 Feb 2005 17:59 GMT

That does sound a bit steep for this job, but it all depends on the
shop's labor rates, because that is really what you will be paying
for. The actual cost of the gaskets, etc are minimal.

That said, you could do what I did when my daughter's '93 9000cse blew
it's gasket at 120k miles (a mere youth). Make it a project and do
the deed yourself! Of course this assumes that you actually *like*
doing auto work and have the tools and a garage to do it in...

I got it done in a few weeknight evenings, putzing around after work.
It is kind of a big job, what with removing the timing cover and all,
but that just increases the sense of accomplishment when you get it
all put back together and there are no "leftovers". ;-)

Oh, also, we had another car around that she could drive while I took
my time with the repairs.

-Fred W

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