guineapiggie101 0 #1 June 10, 2011 Is it bad to drive a car with a blown head gasket? I have a 2000 Honda Civic with almost 300K miles on it. Car overheats a lot and I know there are issues with the head gasket (there is oil in the coolant reserve). I plan on getting a new car in the next 2 months. I drive a lot, about 300 miles a week. My hope is to drive it as long as I can since doing major repairs on this car is not worth it (due to age and how many miles are on the car). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 8 #2 June 10, 2011 Yes... it is bad. You can try to suck it up and drive it till it dies, but you won't see it coming. Coolant can get into a cylinder and hydrolock it, and at best, bend a connecting rod. If it's all you have to work with, and you're junking the car anyways, go for it, just don't dog it too much or try to push it."I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
guineapiggie101 0 #3 June 10, 2011 QuoteYes... it is bad. You can try to suck it up and drive it till it dies, but you won't see it coming. Coolant can get into a cylinder and hydrolock it, and at best, bend a connecting rod. If it's all you have to work with, and you're junking the car anyways, go for it, just don't dog it too much or try to push it. That's what worries me, esp since I do a lot of highway driving. I keep the coolant filled and I always keep an eye on the temp gauge. My week consists of local driving during the weekdays and I drive up north about 2-3 hours, most weekends. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #4 June 10, 2011 Quote That's what worries me, esp since I do a lot of highway driving. I keep the coolant filled and I always keep an eye on the temp gauge. That doesn't matter in this case. What happens is that water doesn't compress. One of the reasons why a car motor works is that it compresses the fuel and air mixture prior to detonation. The head gasket keeps water out of the combustion chamber, so at some point that cylinder will try to compress water and fail. Sometimes it fails spectacularly, sometimes it just stops workings. However, it is guaranteed to stop when you are furthest from home...on the day your forgot your phone...in the rain...on the freeway...with a car full of screaming kids...--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 8 #5 June 10, 2011 Trying to remember where I hydro locked my Nova... wasn't TOO far from home I think. New head, connecting rod and piston... didn't even take the engine out, and I was rollin again! "I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
guineapiggie101 0 #6 June 10, 2011 Nice. Did you do the work yourself? Once this car dies, I'm getting a new car. I just don't want it to die on me unexpectedly on the expressway with me doing 85 mph. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldwomanc6 52 #7 June 10, 2011 Been there, done that By my self, in the middle of the desert, pre phone days. Don't recommend it! lisa WSCR 594 FB 1023 CBDB 9 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 8 #8 June 10, 2011 Quote Nice. Did you do the work yourself? Once this car dies, I'm getting a new car. I just don't want it to die on me unexpectedly on the expressway with me doing 85 mph. Yeah, did all the work on it myself. In retrospect, it would've been cheaper and quicker to pay someone... but then I wouldn't know how to work on a car! Keep in mind, it might not be a blown gasket but a cracked head. That's what I ended up with. Either way is a bad thing to have."I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #9 June 10, 2011 Quote I just don't want it to die on me unexpectedly on the expressway with me doing 85 mph. That's pretty much what WILL happen, you wont get a three day warning or anything, it wil just go lame on you.You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
guineapiggie101 0 #10 June 10, 2011 Quote Been there, done that By my self, in the middle of the desert, pre phone days. Don't recommend it! I'm the queen of doing late night driving on dark, lonely highways. Thanks for reminding me to always keep my cell with me, along with a flashlightI REALLY HATE car shopping, hence why I've put this off for a long time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #11 June 10, 2011 It's taking a a pretty big risk, like others said, it can let go at any time. At night in the middle of nowhere, or on the freeway in the middle of 100 other cars all going 75mph. Neither one is a good time to have your motor 'grenade'. Look into the cost of replacing the head gasket. Shop around and see what the lowest price you can find, then compare it to what you can sell the car for when you get a new one. Trade in is out of the question. With 300k, you're not going to get more than $100 out of the dealer on trade, and they probably won't even give you that. They'll inflate some other charge by $100, then knock $100 off the bottom line and mark it 'trade in'. But, if you have a solid, running car, and it's a new-ish Honda (10 years old is newish, a 1990 Civic would be another story) that gets good milage, that has to be worth at least $800 to $1000. If you can get the head gasket fixed for less than that, you'll be ahead money after you sell the car, and out of 'harms way' while you drive it. Another point is that if you wait until it dies, even if it's nice enough to die at the end of your driveway one evening, now you have to buy a car right away. No matter if they go on sale in two weeks, or the dealer needs week to get the color/model you want, you need one right away. By fixing your current car, and making it reliable again, you remove the pressure to buy and allow yourself the benefit of not byuing under pressure. You can shop around, haggle for prices, walk off the lot a few times to make a point, all while driving 'old reliable'. Then, once you make your purchase, put 'old reliable' on Craigslist for free, and sell her off to some high-school kid who needs basic transportation to and from school and the mall. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wsd 0 #12 June 10, 2011 It is worse than bad, you could even seize the motor and cause a fatal accident. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
guineapiggie101 0 #14 June 10, 2011 Dave, thanks for the advice. I never thought about looking at it that way. I'll take the car in and have it looked at and see how much it will cost to replace the head gasket, and go from there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #15 June 10, 2011 QuoteI'll take the car in and have it looked at Cool, but stay away from the dealerships, and any fancy garages unless they know you well. You're not looking for 'top shelf' service here, you're looking to get back on the road for the bottom dollar. Fancy shops or repair chains will sell you one type of job, but a little private shop just on the other side of the tracks may be what you're looking for this time around. All you need is the bare bones job, with little to no thought beyond 90 days or a few thousand miles. Take your husband or father with you, some places will take advantage of a single women bringing a car in alone. Tell them you just need it for a couple more months until you buy a new car. The guys at the garage might even know of someone in need of a cheap car, so you might find a buyer at the same time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
warpedskydiver 0 #16 June 10, 2011 That new Passat is awfully nice. I saw the Jetta with a ground effects kit on it and it was very sharp as well Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
guineapiggie101 0 #17 June 10, 2011 Next car I get will be another Honda Civic or Accord. This car has lasted for quite awhile. Although the Passat looks nice too. If I wanted to splurge, I'd get something like an Audi or BMW, but I'm practical when it comes to cars. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
warpedskydiver 0 #18 June 10, 2011 I love my Audi but it loves my wallet. Still waiting to have the cash for a 3k repair. Awesome car and a love/hate relationaship Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
guineapiggie101 0 #19 June 10, 2011 QuoteI love my Audi but it loves my wallet. Still waiting to have the cash for a 3k repair. Awesome car and a love/hate relationaship what year Audi do you have? The A6 and A7's look really cool. Yeah, luxury cars are expensive to repair. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
warpedskydiver 0 #20 June 10, 2011 2000 A6 Quattro 2.7T is a biturbo and very nice, very fast. It feels so good to drive it that it makes other cars feel like a POS. Over 180K on it and it got a cracked F pipe and the pressure dropped so it at one of the cams (4 of them) That takes pulling off the front end, dropping the subframe and pulling the engine and transmission, then repairing it, then putting it all back together. If it were not for the subframe I would have done this in my driveway. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
guineapiggie101 0 #21 June 10, 2011 Yikes, that's a lot of work. But if you do it yourself, you can save a boatload of money. Davelepka, the people I take my car to, are pretty reliable and cheap. I hate dealing with dealerships. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #22 June 10, 2011 Quote That new Passat is awfully nice. I saw the Jetta with a ground effects kit on it and it was very sharp as well I have a 2010 Jetta Sportwagen that I think is the coolest thing since nachos. Then again, I have a thing about VWs...--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hcsvader 1 #23 June 10, 2011 DUDE, run some head gasket sealant thru it and see if it helps. I have repaire 2 blown head gaskets, one severe! with gasket sealant (sodium silicate) It works as a good temp fix! Add the stuff to your coolant. Might recommend flushing the coolant first if it has oil in it. Run the engine in park until it heats up for about half an hour. might need to repeat this a few times to get a proper seal in the leak. I had a ford ranger that would hydrolock after sitting for 5 minutes and managed to keep it running using a gasket sealant.Have you seen my pants? it"s a rough life, Livin' the dream >:) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 8 #24 June 10, 2011 QuoteI had a ford ranger that would hydrolock after sitting for 5 minutes and managed to keep it running using a gasket sealant. If it was truely hydrolocked, you would've bent a connecting rod, destroyed the piston or broke the head gasket in half."I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hcsvader 1 #25 June 10, 2011 hydrolocked in that coolant would leak into the top of the piston while it was still.Have you seen my pants? it"s a rough life, Livin' the dream >:) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
