Blown Head Gasket

Tiny
BAMAPLAYBOY
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  • CHEVROLET CAMARO
I have a blown head gasket on my 1997 chevy camaro (3800 v6) It has about 180,000 miles. I know I didnt let the engine get very hot at all, hopefully sparing me a cracked or warped head. My question is, is it plausable to just replace the gasket and not have the heads worked because i'm on a VERY tight budget right now and this is my only car.
Thursday, September 13th, 2007 AT 8:03 PM

6 Replies

Tiny
SERVICE WRITER
  • MECHANIC
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Ya like to gamble?


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/30961_bet_2.jpg



Maybe you'll get lucky....

Maybe you'll spend the money all for naught.

I wouldn't think of not sending the head to the machine shop for a surfacing and a pressure check or magnafluxing myself.

ARE you sure it is definitly a head gasket?
The 3800 are more known for a bad upper air intake manifold going bad.
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Thursday, September 13th, 2007 AT 8:17 PM
Tiny
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I'm PRETTY sure. Water in the oil filling tube but not on the dipstick, bubbling in the radiator, but really no smoke from the exaust and negligible amounts/if any of water from the exaust. I'm no expert but I think it is. Could the manifold cause these? Just saw no water on the upper part of the engine. Only from below where the head is and it got on my plugs and probably fouled them out as I had the flashing service engine light that lets me know that. Thanks for the quick reply.
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Thursday, September 13th, 2007 AT 10:31 PM
Tiny
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I'm with you, sounds like the headgasket :cry:

Get that oil otta there before the lower end of the engine goes bad. Obviously don't drive it.

Get er done.
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Friday, September 14th, 2007 AT 6:05 AM
Tiny
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I'm the guy with the 97 camaro. Just wondering if anyone knows the name of the part that has hoses leading out and into the heater core. This is where one of the hoses blew that caused this whole predicament to start. Just need the part name. Thanks for all the answers I've gotten so far!
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Friday, September 14th, 2007 AT 2:22 PM
Tiny
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A picture will help. Without seeing it it is tough and That particular set up isn't familiar, and they aren't all the same.
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Saturday, September 15th, 2007 AT 6:50 AM
Tiny
DUSTYCAMARO
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The part your looking for is called a heater valve (or thermo valve). I'm guessing when you're gasket blew, it caused your engine to get so hot, that the coolant began to warp the valve, no longer enabling it to open and close properly.

The same thing just happened to my car, and my mechanic recommended that I just get a new engine seeing as the cost for labor would be about the same as just replacing the gaskets and getting the heads checked.
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Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007 AT 10:45 AM

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