1999/ head gasket?

DSWAYMEYER

MEMBER
1999 CHEVROLET VENTURE

I have a 1999 Chevy Venture with about 96,000 miles on it. In the last year or so, I have had the water pump replaced (twice), the coolant sensor replaced, the thermostat replaced and previous to that my intake valve replaced. This was all due to the fact that my car temperature gauge was going into the red causing the temp warning light to come on, then the gauge would come right back down but then the low coolant light would come on intermittently. I have also complained of a clunking sound during turns which they never heard & I have had a rough idle when starting the car in the last couple months- they replace the spark plugs which didn't quite make it go away but it seemed a little better. The various fixes only ever lasted about a month or two. We did travel about 1000 miles for a vacation last summer with the low coolant light only coming on driving the last 10 mile stretch.
Anyway, now I am being told that I have a blown head gasket & it may cost $2000. I feel like they caused the bad gasket by not diagnosing properly. Could I be right? I had the car in a month ago and it wasn't acting up for them so they sent me on my way.

3 Replies

MERLIN2021

MECHANIC
17,250 POSTS

Is this the same garage that replace an intake valve? The head had to have come off for that repair. Are you losing water? Adding coolant? Or is the coolant level OK? You may have a bad temperature sending unit! Get a second opinion if this is the same garage that did the valve job! Then tell them to fix it or go to court. The head should have been sent to a machine shop to be checked, and planed flat if needed!

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Friday, November 16th, 2007 AT 2:19 PM

DSWAYMEYER

MEMBER
2 POSTS

Yes, same garage that replaced the intake valve and the other problems all seemed to follow, albeit slowly.
I am not losing water that I know of. They have overfilled my coolant tank every time I'm in so I have lost coolant only due to overflow as far as I know. My coolant never really seems low despite the low coolant light coming on.
They also replaced my temperature sending unit around the same time as the coolant sensor (not the thermostat as I said earlier. Couldn't remember what it was called).
Thanks.

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Tuesday, November 20th, 2007 AT 10:02 AM

ROCKWOOD84

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103 POSTS

Either the shop only pulled and replaced the head and gasket for the head with the bad intake valve or they didn't do the job correct. You mention the low coolant light coming on. The sensor is 3" below the radiator cap and when the coolant is below the sensor it will lght the low coolant light. Is you temp gauge still flutuating allover. If so then the intakes are leaking. The head gaskets will make it run hot if they are bad. Take the oil fill cap off and see if there is a whitish film inside it if there is then the intakes are leaking. When intake gaskets fist start toleak they willloose just a little coolant at first then more as the leak gets worse. Get someone else not the shopthat did the work before and get them to document what they find and if it is the intakes then take the shop that did the work on the head to court and they will have to fix it or pay another shop to fix it. Plus they will have topay court cost

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Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 AT 1:28 PM