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grand prix question


kirks5oh

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guys,

 

i've got a '90 pontiac grand prix (3.1 v6, non-turbo) that decided to blow a head gasket today. anybody ever change one of these?? how hard is it?? can it be done with the motor in the car??

 

my automotive repair ability is above average, but by NO means professional

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guys,

 

i've got a '90 pontiac grand prix (3.1 v6, non-turbo) that decided to blow a head gasket today. anybody ever change one of these?? how hard is it?? can it be done with the motor in the car??

 

my automotive repair ability is above average, but by NO means professional

 

Kirk call Ericzo6. I think he has had his apart acouple times.

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thanks guys. the car is old ('90), has 145k miles on it, and the wife has threatened multiple times to junk it--this might put her over the top. head gasket kits including bolts are around $50, so i'm just going to go for it, and probably not machine the heads or anything like that. i'm sure the rear-facing head will be a bit difficult, but i'm in no time crunch as we have an extra car for daily driving in addition to my wife's explorer.

 

i don't really need the car, but i'm attached to it, and wanted to give it to my grandfather this summer.

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I would get the heads, checked out to see if they warped when then motor overheated, just my preference might not be yours, but it could save you from doing the headgaskets again

 

 

i would normally do this as well, but this is a 17 year old junker that the wife doesn't want a single penny more sunk into. the head gaskets are cheap, i can do this over the course of a couple weeks, and if it doesn't work, just junk the car. i just sank money into the car to change the front/rear brakes, the muffler, and both CV joints.

 

if the new headgaskets don't work, or the piston rings are fried, or a bearing gets spun, i will junk the car with no hesitation

 

kirk

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i can do the rear gasket in 3 hours flat, both in about 5 - 6 hours.

 

but then ive done a ton of them.

 

are you sure its the head gasket? if its coolant in the oil then its just the intake gasket.

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i can do the rear gasket in 3 hours flat, both in about 5 - 6 hours.

 

but then ive done a ton of them.

 

are you sure its the head gasket? if its coolant in the oil then its just the intake gasket.

 

 

 

good question, i guess i'll find out as i tear the car down. i was driving on the freeway, and then all of the suddend the car studdered hard. i couldn't get power, and then the car stalled. i looked at the temp guage and it was pegged. there was no coolant in the reservoir. pulled the oil dipstick, and there was the telltale milky combination that means coolant in the oil.

 

i was able to start the car last night for a brief second to get it into the driveway. it seemed to run kind of rough??

 

i'm assuming it should be obvious once i take the lower intake off, if that is the culprit????

 

thanks for your help

 

kirk

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i got the upper intake and a lot of other shit off the car, i should be getting the lower intake off the car monday. i can't decide whether or not to do the head gaskets if i find a leaky lower intake gasket. more news to come.
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when you pullthe lower off, if the intake gaskets have spilt at the coolant passages, then theres where /how you got coolant in the oil. i see the 3.1/3.4 in all the time with this issue. most shops diag it as a blown head gasket. and if a rod isnt hammering. very well possible the the head gasket may or maynot be ok. if you find the intake gasket is blown out, then i would just replace it, put it mostly back together, and then pressure test the cooling system. if you lose pressure then more then likely popped a head gasket.
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when you pullthe lower off, if the intake gaskets have spilt at the coolant passages, then theres where /how you got coolant in the oil. i see the 3.1/3.4 in all the time with this issue. most shops diag it as a blown head gasket. and if a rod isnt hammering. very well possible the the head gasket may or maynot be ok. if you find the intake gasket is blown out, then i would just replace it, put it mostly back together, and then pressure test the cooling system. if you lose pressure then more then likely popped a head gasket.

 

did a 3100 this morning. but just to be fair we did have a bunch of head gaskets come in in the 3400's and all of them had a cracked head. for the year and millage on it since you already have it tore down you might as well play it safe rather than sorry and replace the head gaskets rather than put it back together and still have a problem.

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did a 3100 this morning. but just to be fair we did have a bunch of head gaskets come in in the 3400's and all of them had a cracked head. for the year and millage on it since you already have it tore down you might as well play it safe rather than sorry and replace the head gaskets rather than put it back together and still have a problem.

 

 

 

that's what i was thinking. i'm giving this car one last chance. i love the car, bought it for $3k in 2000, with 75k miles from an old lady, and it has been awesome. i just bought a head gasket kit $50, and the bolts $25, as well as plugs $15, and some gasket maker for the edge of the lower intake.

 

i just know its going to be a bitch to get the rear exhaust manifold/head off the car, and i'm not sure how to get ALL of the oil/coolant mix out of the car.

 

thanks for the help guys

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did a 3100 this morning. but just to be fair we did have a bunch of head gaskets come in in the 3400's and all of them had a cracked head. for the year and millage on it since you already have it tore down you might as well play it safe rather than sorry and replace the head gaskets rather than put it back together and still have a problem.

 

 

the earlyer 3.1s didnt have a issue with it. but for the age it would be a good idea. and me and you both know the earlyer 3.1 are a little tuffer to work on then the later 3.4.

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make sure you mark all the pushrods when you pull them out if you put them back in wrong all the long ones will break

 

its pretty cheap to have the heads cleaned and pressure tested when they are off also with that kind of mileage you might want to relap the valves and change the valve seals (its already apart and its cheap insurance)

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make sure you mark all the pushrods when you pull them out if you put them back in wrong all the long ones will break

 

its pretty cheap to have the heads cleaned and pressure tested when they are off also with that kind of mileage you might want to relap the valves and change the valve seals (its already apart and its cheap insurance)

 

 

yep, i understand the intake and exhaust ones are slightly diff lengths. i know its probably cheap to have the heads re-sealed, but the wife gets pissed with the thought of me spending another red cent on that car. funny, how i spend tons on the cobra and she doesn't bat an eye.

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update::::::::::::::

 

the car is up and running. pretty sure its going to be ok, i'm still doing some hot cycles on the car to make sure the coolant level stabilizes out. i will be changing the oil again on this car after 100 miles or so.

 

i don't know how some of you guys can do this job in 5-6 hours. it was a bitch. my heads ended up not being warped at all, so i just got new seals installed. anyways, i appreciate everyone's help

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