1998 Cavalier head gasket swap??

[Anonymous_User]

A co-worker has a '98 Cavalier with a bad head gasket. Wants it gone. I can have the car for nothing. I'll either crush it or flip it.

Anyone know how difficult the headgasket is to replace?




disclaimer: I haven't seen the car. I don't know which 4-cyl is in it. I don't know who diagnosed the head gasket problem.

[turbovanman²]

Need to know which engine, my crystal ball broke today,

[Anonymous_User]

Need to know which engine, my crystal ball broke today,

Well, it's either a 2.2 or 2.4 Not really much choice in a '98.

[turbovanman²]

Well, it's either a 2.2 or 2.4 Not really much choice in a '98.

2.2 is easy, no timing belt or chain, the 2.4, not so much. If its a head gasket gone, I am betting 2.4.

[Anonymous_User]

Any slip-n-slide possibilities?

[turbovanman²]

Any slip-n-slide possibilities?

2.2 yes, 2.4, not a chance.

[RoadWarrior222]

If the rest of the car is in good enough shape that it's worth ~$200 in parts and supplies and 2 days of your time, then go for it. If it has any rust, needs brakes or anything else, it's not gonna be worth getting into, unless you have lax inspections and just want something to drive around. If it was in "great" condition, under about 130K miles, and was fully inspected and emissions tested it would fetch about $1500 CDN around here (About the bottom price for any clean and certified ready to drive car) any rust, tatty paint or interior or high mileage and even certified it's down to about $900, uncertified in that condition, anywhere between $200 and $600.

So if you're looking at mileage on the high side, tatty paint, and needing brakes, suspension or much other stuff for inspection then it's probably not worth messing with. If motors go for $150 or cheaper at your local yards, then taking a day to swap one might be a better plan if you've got the hoist.

Some info from autozone's repair guide (hope link works)
http://www.autozone.com/addVehicleId...00c1528003cc03

[Anonymous_User]

If the rest of the car is in good enough shape that it's worth ~$200 in parts and supplies and 2 days of your time, then go for it. If it has any rust, needs brakes or anything else, it's not gonna be worth getting into, unless you have lax inspections and just want something to drive around. If it was in "great" condition, under about 130K miles, and was fully inspected and emissions tested it would fetch about $1500 CDN around here (About the bottom price for any clean and certified ready to drive car) any rust, tatty paint or interior or high mileage and even certified it's down to about $900, uncertified in that condition, anywhere between $200 and $600.

So if you're looking at mileage on the high side, tatty paint, and needing brakes, suspension or much other stuff for inspection then it's probably not worth messing with. If motors go for $150 or cheaper at your local yards, then taking a day to swap one might be a better plan if you've got the hoist.

Some info from autozone's repair guide (hope link works)
http://www.autozone.com/addVehicleId...00c1528003cc03

If I can't flip it for a few $$$, I'll pass. At the least, I can grab it and haul it to the crusher for $100. Read the AZ guide, but it is IDENTICAL between 2.2 and 2.4

[Anonymous_User]

Well, I'll be towing this one home tomorrow.

Turns out my co-worker knows of the car, doesn't own it. Owned by an 18 yr old hottie... er... girl. The car is immaculate. Well, there is a dent in the front fender where her BF got mad at her and ran his dirt bike into the car. ????

Has the 2.2 engine. Auto trans. Spotless car inside and out.

She said it "got that hot thingy once"
"Overheated?"
"Yeah, that's it. My step dad said its probably the head gasket, but he never looked at it. I just bought a new car."

I offered her $150 and she said that would be fine.

I tried to start the car, it wants to start but doesn't. Sounds like the battery is low, but I felt it should have started. Hasn't been started in months.

I'll haul it home tomorrow and if I can get it running this weekend = profit. If not, I'll sell it as is for $500 or at least get my $$ back at the j-yard.

KBB private party value in "good" condition is $2015 without choosing any options.

[ShadowBrad]

Headgasket on the 2.2 is easy as pie to change. Just did one on a 99 Sunfire for a friend of mine a week ago. Only problem that I've ran into is that the heads on those things are extremely fragile. I've done headgaskets on a few 2.2 GM engines between 91 and 99 and every one of them needed the head replaced due to warping or cracking.

[black86glhs]

Agreed, 2.2 is a cake walk. Just pull the head bolts, lift it far enough to pull the gasket out and slide the new one in. It is damn near that easy. Obviously, the best way would be to pull the head and have it surfaced. However, we are talking a flip.

[Anonymous_User]

Car is in the garage.

Body is great. Some clear coat issue on the top, but I think I can take car of that. The couple of dents put in it by the BF should pop right out.

First thing was a compression test. 75-75-75-125 Hmmmm.... MAJOR head gasket failure????

No anti-freeze in the car as expected. Put a gallon or so in it. Started the car and it blew the antifreeze out the overflow (no cap on it at the time). Definitely headgasket or cracked head. Will tear down on Friday or Saturday.

Should I slip-n-slide a new gasket and cross my fingers or should I pull the head and inspect? If the heads are fragile, a slip-n-slide may be a wasted effort.

[supercrackerbox]

If/when you decide to flip it, shoot me a PM. I might be interested.

[Anonymous_User]

Cars running!

Headgasket shot. Head was flat. Mechanic I trust told me to overtorque the bolts by 30 ft/lb. I went over spec by 15 instead.

Headgasket, exhaust mani gasket, valve cover gasket, head bolts, oil, filter, coolant. Oh, and radiator hose had a hole in it. Total cost of car so far: $307

Car runs and drives GREAT. Needs a deep cleaning.

Brake and ABS light are on. ABS does NOT work. Gonna have to look into that.

Another light on dash says ETS Off. WTF is that????

Also has a road noise from front. Could be tire, axle, brake, bearing. Very minor, but it annoys me.

Oh, and the paint issue I mentioned is just simply filth. The car was not taken care of much at all.

At the $$ I have in it, I might just have to keep it as a commuter. Would drastically reduce my fuel costs, but I'd have to accept driving a freakin bowtie.

[supercrackerbox]

Eh, these days we all have to make sacrifices. Think of it as less miles and wear and tear on the Dodges.

[RoadWarrior222]

ABS on cavaliers is most often real scary, might be disconnected deliberately.

Noise from front, check the splash shields over the drive shafts aren't falling off and dragging on them.

[Evilancer]

ETS off means that the traction control system is turned off. On my sunfire there is a switch on the shifter to turn it on and off, but I'm pretty sure the Cavaliers never got a switch to turn it off, Ive driven a few Z24's and they never had the switch. Check to make sure the e-brake is off all the way, I know when it is on it turns it off also. The problem with the ETS and the ABS could go hand in hand also, as the traction control system monitors the wheel speed sensors to know when to turn itself on, could be as easy as a fuse or relay.

Jon

[black86glhs]

If you have a front end noise and ABS light on, I am leaning towards it needing a hub assembly. Getting the codes out of it will be a big help. The extension harnesses can go bad and cause this too.

[turbovanman²]

ETS is disabled when it has an ABS problem.

If you have a whumpa noise from the front, rotate the tires, if its still there, its a wheel bearing. The ABS sensor on the front is seperate to the hub.