2002 SL1 head gasket oil leak

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hubops - 27 Jul 2007 00:15 GMT

Almost out of powertrain warranty ; 90000 km ;
Saturn dealer says the head gasket is leaking oil.
I see no drips ; no significant usage between oil changes (5000 km)
It took the dealer 2 tries - with dye in the oil - to confirm a leak.
Any suggestions about the pros & cons of just leaving as is ?
I'm not entirely trusting the dealer.
I'm worried about creating more problems from a botched repair
... and no warranty for future fixes.
I had a Mazda truck with a head gasket leak that went 11 years and
about 300000 km and dripped nary a drop.
JT

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BläBlä - 27 Jul 2007 04:26 GMT

Are you sure they weren't talking about the Cam Cover?

> Almost out of powertrain warranty ; 90000 km ;
> Saturn dealer says the head gasket is leaking oil.
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> about 300000 km and dripped nary a drop.
> JT

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hubops - 27 Jul 2007 11:19 GMT

They needed the car all day - 5 hour repair ...
could that be cam cover ?
JT

>Are you sure they weren't talking about the Cam Cover?

>> Almost out of powertrain warranty ; 90000 km ;
>> Saturn dealer says the head gasket is leaking oil.
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>> about 300000 km and dripped nary a drop.
>> JT

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BläBlä - 27 Jul 2007 16:02 GMT

Nah thats sounds like the head but seems like the least likely place to
have a leak. If it doesnt leak a lot of oil (just seeps a little) I
would probably let that go unless its a loss of coolant or a loss of
compression. You might seek a second opinion on that. Upsales aren't
unheard of.

> They needed the car all day - 5 hour repair ...
> could that be cam cover ?
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> >> about 300000 km and dripped nary a drop.
> >> JT

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hubops - 27 Jul 2007 23:10 GMT

Thanks for your input - and your other posts in this newsgroup as
well - much appreciated.
If I trusted the dealership, it would be a no-brainer.
My lack of trust stems from only a few dealings with them -
eg they wanted to charge me $ 30. for looking for the first
dye-leak - when they already had the car up for an oil change.
I said "You gotta be kidding !" and they dropped the charge.
.. after consulting over it ...
If there was another Saturn dealer within an hour - I would be
trying that route .. unfortunately - no choice.
I'll maybe look for the leak myself - with a flashlight & mirror
perhaps - and see what I see ....
JT

>Nah thats sounds like the head but seems like the least likely place to
>have a leak. If it doesnt leak a lot of oil (just seeps a little) I
>would probably let that go unless its a loss of coolant or a loss of
>compression. You might seek a second opinion on that. Upsales aren't
>unheard of.

>> They needed the car all day - 5 hour repair ...
>> could that be cam cover ?
>> JT

>>>Are you sure they weren't talking about the Cam Cover?

>>>> Almost out of powertrain warranty ; 90000 km ;
>>>> Saturn dealer says the head gasket is leaking oil.
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>>>> about 300000 km and dripped nary a drop.
>>>> JT

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micven55 - 30 Aug 2007 17:24 GMT

I had a leak in my 2001 SL1 head gasket a 50000miles, the Saturn dealer
wanted $943 to replace it. My leak was visible so I know it was really
there. Two things could happen, the leak will stay the same for a long
time and you really don't need to do anything or the leak could get
progressively worse and the oil and water will cross contaminate at so
point, which can lead to engine failure if you don't catch it in time. My
choice was to just sell the car, it was getting to be time for a new one
anyway!!

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