Saturn head job

[57larry]

my daughter has a 2002 Saturn 3 door  4 cyl with 160,000 miles. The head gasket is blown or the head is cracked. Is it worth fixing? I don't know what to tell her, I can get a rebuilt head for around $400. A local shop wants $1600 to fix it and the car  bluebooks for $2300.

What do you guys think? thanks

[papastoyss]

That amount won't buy much of a car nowadays. If the rest of the car is decent condition, good tires, not a oil user, I would probably go for it.Bear in mind however, if the engine has been severely overheated the block could be warped or piston rings weakened to the point it will start using oil where it did not before. Good luck!

[wayne petty]

i have a quick test.. very similar to a cylinder leak down test.. for verifying the head gasket is leaking or the head is cracked..


if you have compressed air...  a compression tester that you can actually connect to the end of the shop air hose directly..
you will also need a remote starter switch..
some clear vinyl tubing..

remove the valve core from the end of the compression tester hose... try not to lose it..  they are only similar to tire cores.. they open at a much lower pressure..

remove Only 1 spark plug at a time..

insert the compression tester hose..  

bump the engine around till you get to TDC for that cylinder...

i usually use my radiator pressure tester adaptor with clear vinyl hose on it..  hung over the hood catch.. and part way filled  so you can see any changes in volume in the cooling system...

now... hook up the shop air...   does the coolant level change??? if so.. then you have verified a combustion leak..

warning.. the engine may SPIN when the air is hooked up.. so keep everything clear..

i have used this test a LOT of times...  i have also done it with the rocker arms off.. and the pistons at bottom dead center.. this checks the entire cylinder . head gasket and chamber...

it does NOT check exhaust ports for cracks...

the reason i use a compression tester hose with the core removed is the cylinder leak down tester hose has a fixed restriction in it..   limiting the airflow into the cylinder for testing. as it was designed for ring leak testing..


i seem to recall some specialized tools for these years... that you might need...

[tomslik]

That amount won't buy much of a car nowadays. If the rest of the car is decent condition, good tires, not a oil user, I would probably go for it.Bear in mind however, if the engine has been severely overheated the block could be warped or piston rings weakened to the point it will start using oil where it did not before. Good luck!

a saturn that DOESN'T use oil or smoke is a factory defect!


i sure wouldn't throw money at it my adivice would be to sell it, take the money you were going the spend on it and go buy a good car...

i'm NOT a fan of saturn as you might have guessed but it's for good reason...