[sasilverbullet]

<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/sad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Big bummer, bad day for a start turning all to s**t!



I decided to take the car to the p-car shop to have them figure out where the leak was...



Started car, drove for a few blocks, white smoke started pouring out of the exhaust. I only had about two miles to go so I just kept an eye on the temp gauge and drove slowly to the shop.



<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/sad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/sad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/sad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/sad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Oh well...



Now the big question, should I try and tackle changing the head gasket myself?



Anyone know about how much in parts and supplies I'll spend doing it myself?



I don't have an estimate from the shop yet...



And tomorrow is the Porschedillo in Austin!!!!



Signed,

Porscheless in San Antonio

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[6spcab]

[quote name='sasilverbullet' date='Sep 30 2005, 08:03 AM']<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/sad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />  Big bummer, bad day for a start turning all to s**t!



I decided to take the car to the p-car shop to have them figure out where the leak was...



Started car, drove for a few blocks, white smoke started pouring out of the exhaust.  I only had about two miles to go so I just kept an eye on the temp gauge and drove slowly to the shop.



<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/sad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />  <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/sad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />  <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/sad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />  <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/sad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Oh well...



Now the big question, should I try and tackle changing the head gasket myself?



Anyone know about how much in parts and supplies I'll spend doing it myself?



I don't have an estimate from the shop yet...



And tomorrow is the Porschedillo in Austin!!!!



Signed,

Porscheless in San Antonio

[right][post="10513"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Head gaskets on these cars are almost a maintenance item as far as I am concerned.

As long as the temps did not get too hot your head should not have been damaged. However it is possible that all of that coolant washed the bore(s) down in the block and possible lack of lubrication could lead to scuffing though it has been my experience that these blocks are pretty stout.

Good head job including valve job around $200-$300 including checking and possibly decking the surface. out of spec parts such as valves, springs,etc. would be extra $$.



Gaskets-$200-$250



+ misc items. Fairly simple job taking less than a day for the skilled and longer for first timers.



Toughest part for me has always been the exhaust bolts. Always a pain to get to but certainly feasible. Soak them really good 24hrs beforehand with some WD.

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[flash]

yikes - i would not have continued driving - a blown head gasket can quickly lead to a warped head



if you're pulling the head, it's smart to do a valve job - variocam too if you're in that mileage zone your cames should be checked carefully, and probably replace the chain



big job, but even the shops only ding you for about 3 grand

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[sasilverbullet]

I'm an experienced wrench-head and my neighbor has a fully outfitted 6 car garage with a lift that I can use. He has every tool you can imagine, including a Mac tool truck full of new ones! (he sells them for a living), and he's a nice guy to boot!



So I'm looking for suggestions on how hard it is to pull the head. I remember seeing a "how to pull the cam" picture tutorial recently and it looked pretty difficult. The big thing I'm concerned with is having the right tools to pull the odd items, plus I don't have a belt tension gauge.

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[sasilverbullet]

Oh, and did I mention the money to pay the shop is a big problem right now...

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[bob blackwell]

Give it a try Michael. It sounds like you have a good situation to do the work close to home. The belt tension guage can be rented from Zims and possibly other places nearer to San Antonio. Take your time and you will get a lot of satisfaction from the experience. Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

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[flash]

man do i miss those days

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[BruceWard]

Michael,



Talk to Raj on Rennlist. He has the knowledge and tools to get you back on the road. I am sure that you can fix this with the right tools and advice for a much lower cost than letting the shop do it and learn a lot at the same time.

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[sasilverbullet]

Well, too late now! I already told the shop to go ahead with the repair. They said about $1K for head gasket only, around $1600 if they have to do some valve/head work. I thought that was reasonable because I don't have much time to work on it.



But, the shop wanted me to ask if anyone here had some recommendations about a better head gasket to install instead of the stock one. The shop says the part number for my head gasket is the same as a stock 944!



Any ideas?????

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[Cloud9...68]

Oh Nooooo! I was looking forward to meeting you at Porschedillo tomorrow. Good luck with the repairs...

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[sasilverbullet]

Don't worry, I attend quite a few Austin gatherings! I'm weird too...

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