I just bought a 2001 chevy cavalier for 2 thousand dollars found out I needed to replace the engine because the head gasket is blown and if I replace the head gasket for about 2k it would put pressure on the bottom of the engine and could crack the bottom of the engine. So I may need a whole new engine and the guy recommends it over the new head gasket. The car has a 154k miles on it. What is your take on this and what should I do?
2001 chevy cavalier 154k miles needing new or rebuilt engine, needing advice....
- Thread starter Dwade81
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Every Road Leads Home
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I'd look into having a junk yard engine tossed in. A friend of the family just bought a Jeep Liberty with a blown engine for short money. Then found a junk yard engine with 64k on it for $700 and a guy on craigslist put it in for $600. Though $1300 may be more than you want to sink into it.
I'd also check into seeing if there is any recourse with where you purchased it. I had a transmission blow on a ranger I bought a few weeks after the purchase and although there was no legal recourse, the seller said he'd split the cost of a rebuild with me.
I'd also check into seeing if there is any recourse with where you purchased it. I had a transmission blow on a ranger I bought a few weeks after the purchase and although there was no legal recourse, the seller said he'd split the cost of a rebuild with me.
Trebor English
Well-known member
I recently had a similar situation. I used Bar's head gasket repair. If the engine runs and there is exhaust in the coolant this might work. It worked for me. It was less than $50.
The product web page is http://barsleaks.com/product/blown-head-gasket-repair/
The product web page is http://barsleaks.com/product/blown-head-gasket-repair/
Every Road Leads Home said:
I took the car to a few mechanics they all said with the car having 154k miles it wasn't worth the money for a new engine which would cost about 3k after labor. then the tranny was about to go out too. so it just wasn't worth it.
Say didn't you just buy that car? I think whoever sold it to you had to know there was some serious problems. Do you think they might give all or part of your money back? I'm gonna tell you the same thing I'd tell my Son or Grandsons.......Honey, I think they saw you coming. Some people are just crooks. I hope things work out for you.
I know it's really hard to save money or buy a car when it takes nearly every penny you get just to keep a roof over your head. My 1st SSD checks were $680 a month. I took my back pay and paid $3,500 for my Ranger and paid down on a little house in SD where I had lived before.
Maybe you have a friend or some family that you could share a place with for a month or 2 to try and save some money. I know it's getting hot where you are. Is there any way you could camp somewhere to save money?
Jewellann
I know it's really hard to save money or buy a car when it takes nearly every penny you get just to keep a roof over your head. My 1st SSD checks were $680 a month. I took my back pay and paid $3,500 for my Ranger and paid down on a little house in SD where I had lived before.
Maybe you have a friend or some family that you could share a place with for a month or 2 to try and save some money. I know it's getting hot where you are. Is there any way you could camp somewhere to save money?
Jewellann
Txjaybird said:
I found other people who he screwed over too and yes I just bought the pos car that at the time nothing seemed wrong. and i can save my check 3 months straight then have to pay rent every 4 months. but i wont be able to find anything under 5k that won't be a lemon or need thousands of dollars of work.
bardo said:
The leak is going into the top of the engine block a new head gasket would make the seal tighter and make the piston combustion stronger and put more pressure on the engine block then what the engine is used too and push the water leak to the bottom of the engine and basically cause a bigger issue.
so....you have a cracked block? and you're saying putting a new head gasket on would return it to normal compression ratios and further crack the block?
still not following
a blown head gasket lets water pass through between the block and the head. it will also let coolant get into the cylinder and will misfire (something that should've been obvious right up front) and turn the oil white. replacing it will not crack anything unless there's already a crack.... maybe. and to know that you'd have to tear the engine down.
vehicles blow head gaskets all the time
still not following
a blown head gasket lets water pass through between the block and the head. it will also let coolant get into the cylinder and will misfire (something that should've been obvious right up front) and turn the oil white. replacing it will not crack anything unless there's already a crack.... maybe. and to know that you'd have to tear the engine down.
vehicles blow head gaskets all the time
bardo said:
They said there was a crack in the engine block at the bottom and fixing the head gasket will push the leak from the reservoir through to the bottom of the engine block and will add pressure and make the crack bigger and cause more issues and the car isn't worth investing another 3k plus dollars into not with it already having 154k miles on the tranny and engine and everything being original. This is what I was told by several mechanics who looked at it yesterday. not just by one.
highdesertranger
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first off without pulling the motor and totally disassembling it, there is no way of knowing there is a crack in the block. with the engine assembled all you can tell is that there is a leak. a leak does not mean a crack. the most common place to leak is the head gasket. the next most common leak is a corroded water passage. the third most common place is a cracked head. finally the least common leak is a cracked block.
I am not saying that the car was worth fixing, what I am saying you ever fed you that BS about the block being cracked and that it would cost 3k to fix was not being honest with you. in fact I would never go back to that place. highdesertranger
I am not saying that the car was worth fixing, what I am saying you ever fed you that BS about the block being cracked and that it would cost 3k to fix was not being honest with you. in fact I would never go back to that place. highdesertranger
highdesertranger said:
It was taken to 4 mechanics around my area all 4 told me the same thing. honestly i figured it was bs but its to late i sold it for about 800. and wanting to try to get a minivan like a dodge grand caravan. even with a head gasket it would costed about a thousand. 947 to be exact. that many miles i felt it wasn't worth it. just gotta save again than find a good caravan for around 3k.
highdesertranger
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you got a bunch of dishonest mechanics in your area. like I said there is NO WAY to tell if a block is cracked without disassembly of the engine. highdesertranger
highdesertranger said:
Yeah I know, I dropped it off to them and 2 to 3 hours later they called me back. I didn't stick around to wait because they didn't know when they could gotten to it. said it could been the next hour or the next day. my entire area of texas is bs people who run dishonest companies.
