Headgasket blown!!

B

Burfy

Ex. Club Member
Well, I found out not too long ago I'm burning coolant... I've asked my m8 how much it'll cost for a head skim and replacing all the gaskets and whatnot and he said it'll run me 1,000 CAD (~450 pounds)... Unfortunately I can't afford that any time soon... SO! Is there any way I can prolong the life of the engine on a blown headgasket? It's got 296k KM on the clock, so it's served its purpose well... Other than changing the oil MUCH more frequently, how else can I make the engine last? Thanks

(Good timing for my car to be on its way out eh? I only have 2 posts left lol)
 
second hand engine from a scrap yard? would cost about £100-£200 for a good low milage complete engine here in the uk!
 
butta said:
second hand engine from a scrap yard? would cost about £100-£200 for a good low milage complete engine here in the uk!
Click to expand...

I doubt they'l be many spare K10 engines in scrap yards over in Canada!
 
There isn't any way of prolonging the life, if it's blown it will probably get worse and you run the risk of warping or softening your head. You could try torquing the head bolts to spec, as some may have come a little loose over the years. The price you have been quoted sounds a bit steep to me, I know you said it's a mate, but i would ring around for some more prices. Or do it yourself, a micra head gasket change is about as easy as it gets.
 
James is right...please join up....we've really got to know you pretty well over the last few months mate

It would be crap to see you go for the sake of a few quid
 
Arnold said:
I doubt they'l be many spare K10 engines in scrap yards over in Canada!
Click to expand...

I've only seen ONE Micra in a scrapyard... It was a 4-dr automatic tranny *sigh* ... As for the head going soft or becoming warped, I'm sure it already has :( Unfortunately I think more than one gasket has gone though... Sadly I don't have a place or time to do it myself... And besides, it's almost guaranteed that the head is going to need machining. Maybe once I get a spot or a second car I'll tinker with it... For the mean time I'll drive it until it makes really scary noises, or it just doesn't plain start lol... I was also thinking of donating it to my school's auto class and make it into a drag car (amazing hp/weight ratio)... Swap the engine with something ridiculous and let it fly... I don't want to scrap it though.. I'll find a home for it and fix it up one day... But in the mean time, I'll try torquing down the bolts as much as possible and hope it'll slow the leak... And I'll keep swapping the oil every couple weeks. Who knows... I might get another 6 months out of it... I'll save my pennies though :D

I'll stick around the forums... I guess making a new account to get my 100 posts back isn't allowed? Can I trim my previous(useless) posts to decrease the count? Either way, thanks a million for all the information... It's been very helpful!
 

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