How long does it take to repair a head gasket?
You don’t repair a head gasket, you replace it.Once I had a rally car - a bit of a ratty old junker if the truth be told - that had a 2.3 litre overhead cam engine. It was a bit like this, only this one is way nicer:Anyway I was heading off to do a rally on some Friday night. On the Thursday, the day before, I took it out for a blast around the lanes to shake down any last-minute faults, and blew the head gasket. It was too late to do anything about it that night, so next morning, I got up at the crack of dawn, stripped the engine down to the point of having the head off (it was OHC, so that involved also removing the cambox, timing belts, etc. plus the exhaust manifold, inlet manifold and carburettors) By then it was almost 9am, so I drove to the nearest big town - 25 miles away - to get a replacement head gasket set. 25 miles back, and by 10am had the head all cleaned and ready to be reassembled. Engine back together and running by 12pm, I then had to drive it 250 miles to where the rally started. It all went smoothly and I made it with plenty of time to spare.So the answer to your question, for me, on that occasion, for this car, was about 6 hours, including an hour to fetch the parts. Sometimes what you need, apart from the basic skills, which in my case don’t amount to all that much, is a great big incentive!As I recall, the rally ended in disaster, but that’s another story.
How long would it take to repair a blown head gasket?
I have a 1997 nissan hardbody pickup with the 2.4L 4cyl engine. When I bought the truck, it had a blown headgasket. When I get the money Im going to buy an engine rebuild kit for it, but I was wondering how long it would take to get rebuilt in the shop.
How long does it take to repair a head gasket?
Depending on the vehicle, and the skill of the person doing the work, it will take somewhere between 4-10 hours to do the job. When the head is off, it is a good idea to have it checked at a machine shop to be sure that it is not cracked or warped. You will have to allow at least a day and most likely several for that to be done.
How long does it take to replace a head gasket?
Its about a 10 hour job.So about two days with all the parts ready to be installed.It may take an extra day for the cylinder head to be machined
Can you drive your car with a blown head gasket?
WILL your car run with a blown head gasket? Quite often, the answer is yes, but poorly. Should you drive it with that blown head gasket? The answer to that is a resounding NO! If you haven’t leaked enough coolant into the oil pan to destroy the lower end already, continuing to drive with a blown head gasket and adding coolant certainly will. Get that car to a shop, have the head pulled and checked for surface and have the block surface checked as well. If you have one of those engines with the lovely aluminium head, chances are pretty good you will have to replace that, as they don’t surface grind all that well. If the block is off true as well, simply say it is time for another engine, and probably a radiator as well.
How hard is it to change a blown head gasket?
You are so much safer leaving this to the pros. You save yourself damage and money. If you do not know PRECISELY what you are doing, ESPECIALLY when it comes to your timing belt. you could find yourself spending more money on more valves, and valve heads, and the other major components that go along with that. It's a rough, time consuming tedious job. and damn near impossible if you do not know what you are doing. NOW it is not completely impossible to do it yourself. just EXTREMELY risky, and hard. No matter what the book says. the books can be a good guide. but the hands on part of that is what will be the challenge. I know you want to save money but find someone who knows what they're doing and can help you and guide you through the process... Good luck... and call a local automotive shop for advice on that... they will tell you what I just told you.
Can you still drive a car with a blown head gasket?
No you cannot drive a car with a blown head gasket,and the repair is quite costly, and there could be more problems you don't know about... The machine shop will be about 220.00, misc needed parts 50.00, the gasket set about 140.00 the labor... jeeez try about 600.00+ just guessing...and thats only if the head gasket is bad, you could have problems with the heads...they could have cracks, they might be warped... jeez... sounds to me if your a student and need to drive for 6 hours, you should look for something else...
Is it too hard to replace a blown head gasket for 2 people with an above average car knowledge and the right tools?
There is likely a reason that the head gasket has blown and simple hand-tools, 4 hands and a new gasket will probably not cure the under-lying issue.In general a blown head-gasket is caused by the cylinder head warping due to overheating; the warping (the cylinder-head actually bends!) loosens the seal the head-gasket provides - you can’t just sand it flat and put it back on (you could but you’ll probably be wasting your time). The head(s) needs to be assessed and if they aren’t irreparably damaged (i.e. cracked and / or too buckled) they will probably need to be machined flat by a mechanical engineering shop (or someone with one of these surfacing machines below - good used machines are usually in the region £2000)Then you can re-fit the head which if you follow the preparations and instructions to the letter is a feasible task for two capable humans (don’t crush / cut your fingers - the head is usually sharp edged and awkward to manipulate due to size and / or weight).If your budget is “limitless” and / or time is limited buy a new head(s) as a head-skim will take minimum of a few hours (providing the workshop has the available machinery and operator(s)) and at a later date negotiate selling / reconditioning the old head. If you make a habit of blowing head-gaskets a spare head may be very useful…