[DickWallace]

I got oil in my coolant but no coolant in my oil. I'm over heating like a mofo. Is this worth fixing? I got quoted $1200 for a shop to do it. How hard is it to do this myself? Could it be a cracked head? I'm so pissed. I'm relying on my ex's car for transportation right now, it hurts!

[Loki]

Where are you? If you're in CT, I'll do it for 600! Lol

You need to fix it, though..

[Stang6899]

Same. I'll do it for $600 if you're in washington.

[DickWallace]

I'd take you up on that offer if I were. I'm in KY.

[Loki]

Damn, I'm looking for side jobs right now.. Lol

Anyway, you definitely need to get it fixed. Your car is gonna run like shit. & if you risk driving it, you could warp or crack the heads or whatever else. Blah blah, just get it fixed! lol

[goren813]

Not an easy or quick job to do yourself. Esp. if you don't know the basics. I've been undertaking this for the past couple of weeks. Working full time and not having the car at my place makes it difficult. There's a reason shops charge thousands of dollars for a head gasket replacement.

[goren813]

Look to spend $400-500 doing it yourself.

[Loki]

^ It's really not that bad on these cars. Pretty easy, IMO.. Especially when you compare it to some of the FWD cars or mid-engine cars. fml, I hate those things!

[goren813]

Oh yeah I'd choose rear wheel drive anyday to work on, and esp. on a motor that's in a shell that has other models with bigger engines like we work with. Nice having extra room that a v8 normally fills up.

I just wouldn't suggest a head gasket fix for a novice mechanic. If you've got to ask basic questions on how to remove something, you may not want to try it. But the best way to learn is through experience. Just wouldn't want to do somethin to permantly damage the car by undertaking a project like this. Most people are terrified by the thought of half their engine sitting outside of the car.

Funny story: Was at work, been driving my boss's extra car (Thank the heavens for that) a coworker saw me get out of it (Pontiac Gran Prix - 1999 hey, another 3.8L sixxer) and he asked where my Mustang was. I opened the trunk and said "That's my Mustang" as the heads and intakes were sitting there fresh from the machine shop. Sighhh.

[Loki]

^ Lol, I actually get excited when I see my engine half apart. Just means something good is coming!

But you're right. It's probably not something somebody should undertake if they're not too sure about it. A simple mistake like dropping a head or torquing head bolts wrong could be devastating. I've taken my own top end apart 3 times, so I'm confident I can get it done it just a couple hours now. If that. Lol

The reason I'm scared to get into a shop is because there are so many different styles of cars and engine bays, every one is different. I've only done 2 fwd head jobs in my life, and both were a PITA! But I guess being in a shop, you'd learn how to do them faster over time..

[DickWallace]

I'm leaning towards doing it myself. I've got a couple of friends who've done it before. Here's my next question: A few mechanics said that because there's oil in my coolant, but no coolant in my oil, it could be a crack in my block or something more severe than a cracked head or blown head gasket. Thoughts?

[Stang6899]

Originally Posted by DickWallace A few mechanics said that because there's oil in my coolant, but no coolant in my oil, it could be a crack in my block or something more severe than a cracked head or blown head gasket. Thoughts?

I vote bullshit.

[Stang6899]

Originally Posted by goren813 Look to spend $400-500 doing it yourself.

How r u spending $400-500 doing it yourself?

[goren813]

Machine shop to have heads and intakes cleaned and machined = 220
Gasket kit / head bolts = 240
Spark plugs / plug wires / cam synchro / temp sensor / oil / coolant / oil filter = 200

*Plug wires never been replaced, cam synchro been squealing for months, easy to change now. Total price = 660. Take the wires and cam synchro off that and you still have 540.

[Stang6899]

Meh I bought a gasket kit for like $100 and nothing else...And its been driving great for quite a while now.

[goren813]

Well I'm one to cover all the bases. I figured get it all cleaned up since it was off anyway. 150k there was some carbon build up of course. And the cheapest I saw the gasket kit (this is the engine gasket kit not just head gaskets) was $115 on ebay, I spent 185 at advance just to have everything i needed.

[Loki]

The advance gasket set has a shitload of stuff you really don't need.. I used it because I had a JY engine & didn't trust the gaskets, but for a running engine with a blown gasket, I probably wouldn't.. & you can check for warpage yourself. & cleaning heads isn't any harder than cleaning your room. Lol, just be careful

[cassbongard]

what part of Kentucky are you from? I'm right on the border of Tn and KY in Oak Grove. I took on this project a few months back and it took us about two and a half days but we cleaned everything up like new did a valve job and luckily didnt have to have heads machines there was zero warpage. So if you are somewhere near here and need a hand shoot me a message

[DickWallace]

Oh man, I'm further up north near Ft. Knox. Something else I noticed, i flushed my coolant today to find it was filled with jelly like beads that were rusty in color. Is this solidified oil or something? Since I flushed it, ironically I've had no problems. I may have been mistaken this jelly stuff for oil.