Blown Neo head gasket - Next steps?

[V28VX37]

Fix yours on the cheap and drive it till it won't drive no more. Probably a long time away.

One ballpark quote came back at 5.5k so 'on the cheap' might not happen... that's with a full reco.

Probably cheaper to replace the whole engine but not keen on having to go to VicRoads to update numbers.

[admS15]

Fark man, thats steep.

[BlackBox]

That's ridiculous.. Darren Lewis was $1.5k for full reco and basic port and oil restrictors

[V28VX37]

That's ridiculous.. Darren Lewis was $1.5k for full reco and basic port and oil restrictors

Is that with labour to pull head off and put it back on, including all parts & new head gasket and studs?

I got a similar price from another shop for a full reco but that's just the reco only, excluding the above.

[KiwiRS4T]

Ask around for a shop or a member who can take the head off - should only be a couple of hour's work. Clean the mating faces and if the block is fine and the head in fine or only a little bit out and the valves look ok then skim the head on a flat surface with sandpaper and bolt it up with new head gasket and studs. It should be perfectly fine for the next 100,000 and cost not a lot.

[BlackBox]

Is that with labour to pull head off and put it back on, including all parts & new head gasket and studs?

I got a similar price from another shop for a full reco but that's just the reco only, excluding the above.

Nuh sorry mate that was just head work - pulled it off myself.

[AngryRB]

I got my head reconditioned and faced for $770 up here in Qld 

[Griffin]

I'd look into a full service with head job, hand massaged ports and have the surface tickled while you are at it. Just find a flat bed for a better result.

[GTSBoy]

19 minutes ago, Griffin said:

I'd look into a full service with head job, hand massaged ports and have the surface tickled while you are at it. Just find a flat bed for a better result.

Nearly every part of that sounds dirty.

[StevenCJR31]

Could be a few things causing this.. ..if (and only if) it has blown HG then you need to find out why it blew in the first place

[admS15]

5.5k is absolutely ridiculous and absurd. What are they rebuilding it with? Gold plated valves and guides. Assuming 1k-1200 for head reco, 5-600 for gaskets and studs. That makes 1800. So are they saying 3700 in labour cost.  Lol. I suggest you get quotes from a different mechanic/workshop and maybe start looking at smaller (not big named places) and specify you don't want head reco unless it is absolutely necessary.

Question, are you willing to get your hands dirty, you could potentially save thousands.

 

option 1. Remove hot and cold sides and have towed to shop. Save $ on labor.

option 2. As above minus tow to shop and try enlist the help of a local SAU member to help you remove the head. Then take it to head shop for inspection/skim $80-100. Clean, re assemble with new gasket and studs.

option 3. Pay the ridiculous 5.5k (I would rather go jump in a lake)

Option 4. Burn it. Lol

 

Where abouts are you located? 

[V28VX37]

5.5k is absolutely ridiculous and absurd. What are they rebuilding it with? Gold plated valves and guides. Assuming 1k-1200 for head reco, 5-600 for gaskets and studs. That makes 1800. So are they saying 3700 in labour cost.  Lol. I suggest you get quotes from a different mechanic/workshop and maybe start looking at smaller (not big named places) and specify you don't want head reco unless it is absolutely necessary.
Question, are you willing to get your hands dirty, you could potentially save thousands.
 


option 1. Remove hot and cold sides and have towed to shop. Save $ on labor.


option 2. As above minus tow to shop and try enlist the help of a local SAU member to help you remove the head. Then take it to head shop for inspection/skim $80-100. Clean, re assemble with new gasket and studs.


option 3. Pay the ridiculous 5.5k (I would rather go jump in a lake)


Option 4. Burn it. Lol
 
Where abouts are you located? 

Thanks Bill

That was just a ballpark quite from one workshop, I am still waiting on two more. I will most likely take it to my normal place for a more detailed assessment, want to be 100% certain it's the gasket before ripping off the head.

Going to a smaller workshop might be an idea, would need to find a reputable one though and one that is not ridiculously busy. I'm in the inner North near Essendon so north and west tend to work better than south-east.

I am happy to do some of the work myself but will need a full diagnosis first by someone who actually knows what they're doing. I was looking up DIY engine swap instructions last night, now that'd be a fun project for a month

[GTSBoy]

$5.5k would have had to have been a bottom end recon as well.

[V28VX37]

$5.5k would have had to have been a bottom end recon as well.

Nope just the head with all parts and labour, drive in drive out.

[admS15]

Ok. Lets see what the other 2 quotes come in at and take it from there. I have a very good local mechanic that I trust and would recommend but is in the south east. If you get no joy from these other guys, I may just call him and get a ballpark figure for you.

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

DIY it man, local cylinder shop here charged one of the trak-life cars $270 to lightly skim the head and install new valve springs.. we took off and supplied the head to them with valve seals, springs.

 

[Scott Black]

For significantly less than the 5k quote you.got im getting a full service. Some porting on the exhaust side. Chemically clean, repair cam tunnel, surface grind, vct feed port drilled, valve Springs installed, then an engine block decked to 0 deck height. Bored, mains closed and honed, crank collar fitted. Crank crack tested and grind. And a few other bits and peices

[Scott Black]

Yet that's just the machining work on my new motor I'll be building it.
However as a workshop prob around 300ish for the head to be cleaned up, 300ish for a vrs and wouldn't be more than 800 in labour, so yeah anything over 1.5 and your getting seriously ripped

[V28VX37]

Thanks guys.

Second quote is in the 2.5-3k range. The headwork including reco is sub 1k, plus parts. A lot of the cost is still labour so would be substantially cheaper if I pulled it out myself but I do want it done right.

Here's the current plan:

1. Pressure test oil/water exchanger to rule that out.
2. Leakdown test to confirm it's the HG.
3. Pull out head, inspect & measure. Skim and reco only if necessary.
4. Inspect & measure bottom end. If major issues skip head work and replace engine.
5. Install head with new HG (I'll see what type they recommend) and new studs. 

Earliest I can book it in is in about a week.

Maybe a cheap my-loss-your-gain well built 25/30 stroker pops up in the classifieds in the meantime lol (as if)

[GTSBoy]

There's a few things that I would do if I got the engine into that many pieces.  Better valve springs is one of them.  Some thought put into the oil pump/drive would be another.  Worth a thought while it is accessible.