What Is Usually The Price To Pull The Head Off Of The Engine Of A 1997 Mazda Truck

Will driving with a oil leak in the valve cover gasket hurt the engine? If so, how can this be prevented?

Is it an oil leak or an oil seep? Does oil run down the side of the engine leaving a clean trail as oil drips on the ground? Or does it just form a nasty, mucky oil-dirt combination that slowly builds?If it's actually a leak, get it fixed now. You can lose sufficient oil to starve the engine and cause premature wear or even failure. On top of that, you have an oil slick being left wherever you go, oil is probably dripping on the exhaust causing nasty fumes (not to mention a potential fire hazard) and you are having to spend money on oil that is just going to hit the ground. Not to mention it's not exactly good for those plants by your driveway to have oil washing into them.If it's a seep, don't ignore it. Get it fixed. If you have to wait a week or 2 for financial reasons, that's understandable, but don't push it out too far as it can develop into a leak. In addition, the dirt, cottonwood fluff, dandelion seeds, etc that can get stuck in the slime will do a few detrimental things. For one, it insulates your engine raising operating temperature a bit. Most cars engine oil relies on the side of the block and the oil pan to radiate heat away. Remember, oil functions as a lubricant, cleaner, and coolant! If the block and pan are caked over in grime, it is harder for the oil to transfer it's heat through the pan and into the air. This grime can also pose a serious fire hazard. Not fun.

What is the average cost to replace your car engine?

I've replaced numerous engines in everything from an inexpensive Chevy Chevette to a Grand Prix V8 in a BMW X5 AWD and a V12 in a McLaren F1, and everything in between. Engine replacement costs can vary wildly depending on application, the donor engine and who does the work. For most Japanese cars, there are frequently used Japanese engines available with low mileage. These are imported from Japan and are recovered from their aggressive auto recycling program. If you have a late-model Japanese car, this is usually the most economic and reasonable way to go, and most can be done for around $2000 out the door.For European luxury cars, the prices usually exceed the cost of the vehicle, so scrapping the car is unfortunately the best option, from a financial point of view. For most American cars, it's best to locate a good, low-mileage engine at a wrecking yard and have an independent mechanic do the installation. If your local wrecker doesn't have your specific engine, they can search using a parts "hotline." There are also engine rebuilders out there in larger metropolitan areas who can rebuild your existing engine from start to finish. You just leave the car and pick it up a few days later. However check these vendors carefully with the BBB and Yelp! to make sure they have a good reputation. Also, the additional service level may cost you more than you'd expect. I also recommend taking pictures of your car before you leave it with them to make sure it's returned to you in undamaged condition.

How do I fix an engine that seized because of no oil?

Since you are even asking this question in the first place, I’m assuming that you are perhaps not aware of what it means to seize an engine from oil starvation. When you starve an engine of oil, things start to weld together. This is why engines seize. Things can even weld together to such a degree that the engine (or at least certain parts of it) is literally not repairable. I have seen, for instance, cams that are welded to heads to such a degree that the only option is to throw them away and replace. The same can go for crankshafts or even pistons in cylinders.Regardless, even in the best cases, an engine rebuild is in order. Given that most (if not all) rotating and sliding surfaces in the engine are likely damaged, you will probably be replacing all bearings, pistons, rings, camshaft, rockers/lifters, and oil pump (among other things). You will need to rebore the block and probably regrind the crank. And if the engine is an overhead cam engine with machined surfaces in the head for the cam(s), you will likely be replacing the head(s). Needless to say, this is going to be a very expensive, laborious, and time consuming process. And it may or may not be worth it. Oftentimes, unless there is something REALLY special about the engine (like a rare engine, numbers matching classic car, etc), replacement is a better option. Rebuilding may also be a good option if you want to upgrade the engine internals for performance reasons. But even in this instance, you must carefully consider whether the engine is damaged beyond reasonable repair. It might be better here to start with another longblock.When it comes to replacement, there are a few options. You can often purchase low mileage engines imported from Japan for a fairly low cost. For Japanese cars, this is a GREAT option. Alternately, you can almost certainly pick up a used engine from a salvage yard or private party on craigslist for FAR less than it would cost to rebuild your current engine. Buying a rebuilt engine is another option. This is more expensive than the previous two options. But an engine from a reputable rebuilder can be in basically new condition and last a long time.

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.

What does it mean if there's oil in my radiator?

Means you have a leak between the oil system and the cooling system. Probably means you also have coolant antifreeze in your oil... check the dipstick for water contamination. That's a worse problem.This is bad and is a sign that the walls between the coolant and lubrication system have corroded through (from depleted coolant - too old) or your engine block is cracked from freezing or severe overheating.  Both oil and coolant travel through passageways in the block and the walls between them can be thin.  Another possibility is a head gasket failure.This is not a totally uncommon ocurrence I have heard, and to fix Head gasket is not too bad but the corrosion or cracked block will likely be expensive. Continuing to drive this way will eventually destroy the engine totally (it's not that far from there now, even though it may be running). The watery oil will foam and be ineffective. the metal parts will rust and eventually the engine will seize as the hole gets bigger and the leak worse.