Drivability - bad head

[Kindred]

My festiva is currently my only car. As I said in the engine forum, I just blew my head. I don't know if it's the gasket or the head itself, but from what I can see so far (the shop where I was working on the car was about to close when it went) it looks like it's leaking from right under the starter. The car smokes like mad and left a nice little trail of fluid when I drove it 40ft to its current resting place in the shop parking lot. I'm wondering if it's practical -- actually, I want to know if it's possible to attempt to limp this thing to/from work for the next few days. I have about a 3 mile commute, which adds up to about a 10-15 minute drive in tucson traffic. From what I understand about engines, the pressure generated by a busted head can take one of my rods and plant it firmly into the side of my block.

[mattswabb]

I've always been told never to drive or run an engine when there is coolant in the oil. Been told that the coolant will destroy the bearings. My daily diver (corsica) had a bad head gasket prior to me owning it. The owner drove it about 10 miles to get it repaired with no problems. The oil was only slightly milky.

One thing to consider is just replacing the engine. The cost of a head gasket kit from autozone is $88. You may be able to find a motor for that much, even a b6. I'll bet the amount of work is about the same. I would think I could swap an identical engine in the time I could do a head gasket. You could get the head off and find that it is warped then the costs go up fast.

matt

[Kindred]

I would just buy a B6 and throw it in, but the problem with that is I don't know what to expect from an engine that costs only a few hundred bucks at most. For all I know I could drive the thing for only two months before it goes. I have to travel out of state for medical reasons next month, so I only have about 200 bucks to spend on this thing. I would do it myself, but I don't trust myself with timing. There's too much expensive shit you can break when you start fucking with timing, and I have no experience with it.

[mattswabb]

If your not doing it yourself then expect a shop to charge around the $400 range. I guess a good mechanic could do it in 4-5 hours and shop time of $50-75 per hour plus parts (gaskets, fluids). Look around for someone that does mechanical work on the side and you may get a better price.

Setting the timing is the easiest part of the repair. Removing the head, cleaning, inspecting, and assembly takes the most time.

matt

[Kindred]

My fear is that I will set the #1 valves to the open position at TDC or something equally stupid, that's why I won't want to touch it.

[jeffdjeffd]

setting timong

Setting timing IS really easy. Haynes manual has a pretty foolproof explanation.

The hardest part of this for me was getting all of the old gasket off the block. Any hints on this? Ways to keep the coolant passages and cylinders from getting stuff in them? I stuffed rags and tape in the holes and vacuumed afterward.
jeff

[Silv3rBull3t]

...

That's what I had to do too.. I don't think there is a more efficient way except stuff up the passages while you scrape off the old gasket and then vacuum it all out before you put on the new one... And the timing is simple on a SOHC car and if you need the Hayne's manual's directions I can scan them for you.. -Kyle

[aithanmier]

are you sure it's the head thats blown? i see no way that oil would be coming out from below the started if it was a blown head gasket, sounds like a rear main seal to me. do you have the crankcase milkshake? this should be a fairly easy repair to do yourself and you'll save alot of money. remove the head and disassemble it, then send it to the machine shop to be magnafluxed and checked for warpage. if it is warped have them machine it. this still shouldn't be very expensive, maybe 70 bucks. reassemble the head, clean both gasket surfaces and then reinstall the head. use new head bolts if required (I'm not sure on the festiva) then set the timing and your good to go. if it's the rear main seal then it's a little more complex as you'll have to remove the engine (not really a problem if you have a cherry picker, if not rent one) unhook the tranny, remove the clutch and pressure plate and then the flywheel to get to the rear crank seal.

[Kindred]

It was definately the head. I checked again before I ripped it apart, and there was shit bubbling out of the rear driver's side corner where the head mates with the engine and I was spitting coolant out my exhaust. What's odd is the cylinders pressure checked good (145psi) and there wasn't any visible damage on the gasket. At any rate, I pulled it apart yesterday and the head's being machined. I should have it all thrown back together today if everything goes well.

[aithanmier]

you may pick up some lost hp too, your compression will be going up a bit. :lol:

[Kindred]

lol, it's going up quite a bit. Might gain a whopping 2hp! :lol: They had to drill off .005" because the head was badly warped exactly where it was leaking. All I have left to do is throw on the intake manifold, then back into the car it goes. Unless I run into a major roadblock, I should know if the problem's fixed tomorrow.

[aithanmier]

lol every 2 hp count you know!

[Kindred]

Got everthing back together. The car runs better than before. It does feel like it has a hair more power, but that might just be because I haven't driven it in a week. No more leaks, no more smoke. Just one question though, how long will it take for the residual water to burn itself out of the oil system? It looks like I've still got a bit of water in there, and I'm waiting for it to work its way out...or do I have to have the thing flushed or something equivalent?