Gfy Mechanics: I have leaking head gasket ok to fix with liquid sealant?
 

I have 2000 dodge durango, 5.9L 2WD, Coolant is leaking out of the exhaust, however oil is not mixing with coolant. I wondering that since its not leaking in the combustion chamber, to seal it with steel seal, k-seal or a similar product that you may have experience with. I dont really have the money to pay for a head job, and i love my truck. Any advice? :helpme

Use Chewing Gum...

Years ago I had a car that had this problem. I used one of those sealer products and for a few months it seemed to work pretty good. Eventually, however, the head gasket blew out completely, the car overheated and cracked the head.

I'm no mechanic, but just based on my experience and what I have been told, those things can work for a very short term, temp fix, but likely won't work as a long term solution.

what he said - it's cheaper to fix it now before it becomes really expensive

As stated, that is a temporary fix.

Yep definitely a temp fix.

Instead you should use crazy glue :D

Skim and new gasket.

Its a temp fix that's going to cost you more money in the long run. Once it blows and you warp the head you're going to have to pay even more for a machine shop to make it true again.

I'm not a mechanic either but it sounds like the sealant would react badly with the gasket itself when heated expands eventually cracking causing a pressure cooker effect with the block

This is a major issue. If you still want this vehicle to have a working engine I suggest you get the gasket replaced.

fuck it push it off a cliff and buy a new one

I just re-read your post. How is it possible for the coolant to be coming out of your exhaust pipe but not go through the combustion chamber?

I've seen people online put fine grit sandpaper on a perfectly flat surface (thick glass, pool table slate piece....) and run the warped head back and forth over it.

fixed a blown head gasket myself couple years ago with the help of a book & instructions online. But you have to be willing to put time in it. It's a huge job especially if you've never done it before - you gotta take apart half the engine. That's why it's so fucking expensive at garages.

I also had another car once which had about the same thing as yours - not blown yet and was still able to drive. So I tried that stuff and the problem became worse. After a couple weeks the car was completely fucked. So fix it, let it get fixed or (if it aint worth it) get rid of it.

Yea maybe for a weed whacker or go cart...

are you sure that's coolant leaking?

Yes :( had it at a garage they were trying to push air of the system after i replaced thermostat and radiator.

Because oil is not mixing with the coolant, so im assuming its just from coming from the cooling jacket.

if that's the case, and depending on the worth of the car, it might even be better fixing with the liquid sealant

id also be calling the local auto-wreckers, they might have the best tested option for you to try out

thats actually all i can afford right now :(

sounds like you may have a cracked head. ive replaced a few cracked heads in my time. its a pain in the ass :1orglaugh i think you can get a pressure test done to make sure. you see anything leaking under the hood?

Absolutely- do the pressure test.

See if you can find a used engine with verifiable mileage. That's often less expensive and easier than doing a head gasket. You've probably overheated it about ten times since you're stupid, anyway, and why do a head gasket on an engine that you can't trust now (even if it passes pressure testing)

If you can get your hands on a used one, then go ahead and try the magical fixes once you're sure you have an engine waiting to go into it.

Also- some vehicles, especially GM with two different metals, they call for tabs. Without them, shit like this happens even when nothing is fucked up. See if your pos calls for that shit.

How much coolant are you losing through the exhaust? Are you sure it's coolant? I mean, you are pretty stupid, it could be water which could be from condensation and shit ... Are you seeing any white smoke or just liquid?

Believe it or not, smell the coolant- if you smell exhaust gasses, it's pretty certain you need a head gasket. Look it at the oil- if it looks milky or weird or watery, there's another good sign

The gasket itself is cheap as hell the only specialized tool you really need is a torque wrench. Im sure you can pay someone a couple hundred to do it. Or hell just plug it up and trade it in somewhere asap, yea you might take a hit but at least maybe u can get into something that runs and is reliable.

Well, bad sign

If you find anyone that will do it for $200 you're amazing
Maybe some meth head - but they usually only take things APART :1orglaugh

I would only fix a bad head gasket with another head gasket or car.

Hahaha, it probably wont really be all THAT bad from a backyard mech. considering its a V8 its only one side.

Nothing leaking under the hood and its not overheating. Its actually running under temp.

Found this.. common problem and depending on how you look after your vehicle.. or the owner before you.. it may be time to start looking at other options. So perhaps the temp fix is the right one right now and it gives you a bit of time to start searching.

When the gasket goes, and u have to rebuild, redeck and tow your car youre going to wish you just replaced this right the first time. To each his own.

Here is what you do. Take your car to a garage, like PepBoys and ask them to diagnose what the issue is. Ask them for a quote to fix the problem. The key here is to find out HOW to fix it, so you will need to ask "yikes, so the flux capacitor broke, how do you fix that and how much does it cost? is there any other options?"

Then go on YouTube and find out how to fix this problem. Most things you can do for 1/10th or less the cost of a garage.

After they tell you, you tell them you are broke and going to ask your parents/friend/boyfriend for money and you'll be back later. They won't give a shit because they bank on people coming back. Plus those hourly employees at PepBoys don't give a shit about their employer, so if you don't come back, they could care less.

Have you tried this place?

You cant really get instructions from a pep boys mechanic on how to do a headgasket lol. Buy a factory service manual and set aside a weekend. Even still the heads could be cracked and you have no way of knowing. My SRT-8 jeep had a cracked head and not even a smidge of overheating ever occurred, and I put that truck through its paces.

Youtube: https://youtube.com/results?searc...be.YPMFBAMRiFg

hahaha :thumbsup awesome

That's a good point.. Probably be easier to find someone to work on a chevy or ford, though

Eh its simple no matter how you slice it all youre really doing is taking parts off the engine to reach the gasket. All engines function on the same basic principles and have the same moving parts. Especially on an american car, should be a cake walk. How many miles you got on that thing??

Ah
You're probably right
I'm so use to thinking about a head gasket as a huge awful task since they're so difficult on northstars

a.. cakewalk?

engines are the same, cars are different

well doesnt have to leak under the hood. its cracked or the gasket. your going to have to take it off. its going to cost see if you can find a hood mechanic :2 cents:

140k ...

All you're doing is unbolting pieces from the short block (alternator, coolant lines, intake plenum, fuel rails, head and putting a gasket in and rebolting it with a torque wrench in reverse order. Its very simple. All engines function on the same principles. If you can change a head gasket on a ford, u can do it on any other car. Hell if you can hold a wrench in your hand you can change a head gasket. So in short yes its easy...it is however very time consuming.

Visit forums that specialise in your make/model of vehicle, I bet you will find a good selection of ex-mechanics of the company that makes the vehicle working independently.
I needed a head gasket done in 2011 got the usual £1000 quote from a garage, went online and got an ex landrover guy to drive from Birmingham who did a bloody good job for £450 cash. He even spotted the faulty "new" radiator I'd had fitted !

unless the engine was put in a compartment too small... or made to 'fit', whereas 'repair' isn't a priority.

so while i agree with you that it should be very simple.. most of the time it's not. at all.

webmasters used to build cobra replicas in their garage (andy dunn). my how times have changed. anyway man, if its running cool like you say it is now drive it down to carmax and dump it asap. better yet, tow it 1 block from there and drive it onto the lot and tell them you're interested in selling and dont want to trade for anything. i assume you've got the title on hand. i've dumped plenty of cars off at carmax. they'll cut you a draft check that will clear in about 4 days or so.

Then May i suggest watching a video or looking at a picture of the engine bay, because its freaking huge hahah its a v8 truck its not a nissan 300zx. Yea you run into issues but theyre usually always fixed by a jack, a torch, or breaker bar..or a combo of all three lol. If youre not mechanically inclined and cant tell your ass from your elbow then yes it will be hard. This is a simple job in terms of mechanics. Id rather do this than install headers, now THATS hard. Either way a FSM will tell you exactly how to do it. Having the right tools helps a bunch as well.

sounds good

Good ol' carmax. Them is some nasty motherfuckers. Selling to them I guess you'll be okay but don't EVER buy there :winkwink:

Mechanic work fucking sucks, no matter how straight forward it is (or is supposed) to be.. It may not be the end of the world, but christ can it go bad on you fast.

I don't know shit about dodge but that guy in the youtube clip said they almost always have other cracks when they have a blown gasket... I still think just swapping a used engine in might be a good idea

Def agree with you that it sucks when you HAVE to do it, its fun when you do it on your own time. As for cracks, thats why you send the heads to a machine shop, they put it in a solution that cleans all the gunk out and shows where the cracks are. I think he should do what he can to get by and sell it. Get yourself a honda/toyota/nissan and itll last till 3-400k. Pref nissan because they use timing chains, no need to replace a belt and water pump every so often.

Nissan is a solid ass motherfucker of a vehicle. Tend to have problems with rings going at around 200k on many of their engines, but who cares, it's a solid motherfucker. Honda I heard had quality issues in a few recent years- but I love a honda... Toyota and Honda, you can't even go wrong with either, though. Except both of them have a problem making an auto that lasts.

I know exactly what you mean. When I had the money to make someone do all of my automobile repairs, I did a lot of what I could, myself. So much EASIER when you are doing something because you WANT to. Funny how that works.