1994 Engine Question
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
From: front royal va
1994 Engine Question
My daughter has a 1994 vette, with 72,000 miles on it, yesterday she blew the top coolant hose and drove the car home about 8 miles. She told me it got hot???? I looked at it last night and it did not have any coolant in it. I had a Mech friend look at it today and he said it has a bad head gasket and possible head wrap.
My question is should I put the money into doing the head gasket and get the heads milled or should I invest in a rebuilt engine with a 3 yr 100,00 mile warranty. My concern is after I do the top part of the engine, will I have problems with the bottom?????
She loves the car and is Daddy's little girl.
tks, Don
update-Update-I filled it up, started it up and all that came out was black smoke. I decided to put a new engine in it. I am now in the process of installing it now. tks for all the good advise.
My question is should I put the money into doing the head gasket and get the heads milled or should I invest in a rebuilt engine with a 3 yr 100,00 mile warranty. My concern is after I do the top part of the engine, will I have problems with the bottom?????
She loves the car and is Daddy's little girl.
tks, Don
update-Update-I filled it up, started it up and all that came out was black smoke. I decided to put a new engine in it. I am now in the process of installing it now. tks for all the good advise.
Last edited by front royal vette; Jan 15, 2008 at 05:53 PM. Reason: Update
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 7
From: Metairie Louisiana
My daughter has a 1994 vette, with 72,000 miles on it, yesterday she blew the top coolant hose and drove the car home about 8 miles. She told me it got hot???? I looked at it last night and it did not have any coolant in it. I had a Mech friend look at it today and he said it has a bad head gasket and possible head wrap.
My question is should I put the money into doing the head gasket and get the heads milled or should I invest in a rebuilt engine with a 3 yr 100,00 mile warranty. My concern is after I do the top part of the engine, will I have problems with the bottom?????
She loves the car and is Daddy's little girl.
tks, Don
My question is should I put the money into doing the head gasket and get the heads milled or should I invest in a rebuilt engine with a 3 yr 100,00 mile warranty. My concern is after I do the top part of the engine, will I have problems with the bottom?????
She loves the car and is Daddy's little girl.
tks, Don
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,430
Likes: 2
My daughter has a 1994 vette, with 72,000 miles on it, yesterday she blew the top coolant hose and drove the car home about 8 miles. She told me it got hot???? I looked at it last night and it did not have any coolant in it. I had a Mech friend look at it today and he said it has a bad head gasket and possible head wrap.
My question is should I put the money into doing the head gasket and get the heads milled or should I invest in a rebuilt engine with a 3 yr 100,00 mile warranty. My concern is after I do the top part of the engine, will I have problems with the bottom?????
She loves the car and is Daddy's little girl.
tks, Don
My question is should I put the money into doing the head gasket and get the heads milled or should I invest in a rebuilt engine with a 3 yr 100,00 mile warranty. My concern is after I do the top part of the engine, will I have problems with the bottom?????
She loves the car and is Daddy's little girl.
tks, Don
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 5,841
Likes: 19
From: CLT, North Carolina
I would also be concerned the heads were annealed by the high heat. Heat treat would be lost, head would become dead soft on the deck and easily brinell which would allow a loss of head gasket clamp load in the region between center cylinders. In other words it may be hard to keep head gaskets on it after this. Head would have to be tested for hardness to determine if this happened. Most shops will look at you like you like you're nuts when you ask them about this though.
The short block would be the last to go depending upon how hot it got.
The short block would be the last to go depending upon how hot it got.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,621
Likes: 207
From: Orlando FL
As said, what signs is there of a bad head gasket. I would fill with water and run it in the driveway and watch it for 20 minutes and see what I got at this point. Unless there is other information you have not stated. What’s there to loose. If things look OK, drive it for a day then fill it with coolant.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,130
Likes: 2
From: seattle WA
Hope fully you or someone checked the oil for coolant...that's step #1.
If there is coolant in the oil...change it. There are a few tests to confirm whether or not the head gasket went, compression test etc. that needs to be done! Not sure where Greg got his information about hardness? Like him to elaborate, because in my experience it takes a hellava lot more than 250-350* to do that type of damage!
If it turns out to be a blown head gasket, and coolant in the oil there could be bearing damage....if not, have them pull the heads, have the surface checked (may need machining if it warped) good time for valve seals at this point, if the bottom end is OK, put it back together and enjoy.
If there is coolant in the oil...change it. There are a few tests to confirm whether or not the head gasket went, compression test etc. that needs to be done! Not sure where Greg got his information about hardness? Like him to elaborate, because in my experience it takes a hellava lot more than 250-350* to do that type of damage!
If it turns out to be a blown head gasket, and coolant in the oil there could be bearing damage....if not, have them pull the heads, have the surface checked (may need machining if it warped) good time for valve seals at this point, if the bottom end is OK, put it back together and enjoy.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 5,841
Likes: 19
From: CLT, North Carolina
From practical experience. Aluminum head castings are heat treated to establish a certain level of hardness which is needed to maintain clamp load at the deck on the head gaskets at the combustion sealing rings. When the head is softened by over heating the combustion seals can burrow into the aluminum causing a loss of clamp load and failure of the gasket. A good indicator this has happened will be seen when you pull the heads. If you see where the gasket rings have dug into the deck of the head particularily in the center of the gasket between the exhaust valves it will be in trouble. Truing the deck will not fix it if it has softened up. 300 degrees is enough to ruin the heads. It needs to be checked but no one ever thinks to do it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,130
Likes: 2
From: seattle WA
IF the car did reach 300* it would be real close to siezure mode! There'd be more problems than heads. JUST make sure there is NO coolant in the oil before you turn the key! Even synthectic oil is only good to 300*.
Advanced
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
From: Redding CA
I was told once that I had a blown head gasket by a shop here in town and they wanted $1,600 to fix....if the heads were good. Many thousands more if they were bad. I took the car home and did my own tests to find out the shop was wrong. I used a "Combustion Leak Tester". It will diagnose failed head gaskets, cracked cylinder heads, and cracked engine blocks. I did the test many times over and I am just fine. I had a bad water pump. That was a long time ago and I have put thousands of fun miles on since then. Cross your fingers....you may just need a hose and coolant. Which has also happened to me a different time. While your at it....change all hoses.
Pro
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 734
Likes: 0
From: Austin TX
So mainly just concerned of potentially damaged head/gasket.
Change the oil and check for discoloration/milky oil. Pull the plugs and look for any signs of coolant or wetness. If both of these don't turn up any signs of a blown head gasket I'd feel pretty comfortable filling it back up with coolant and starting it. Best part is while you're pulling the spark plugs it's a perfect opportunity to do a compression test yourself. If it were my car and I still had concern over weather or not it got too hot I'd do that.
If not, just checking the oil could be piece of mind enough to start it with my fingers crossed.
Change the oil and check for discoloration/milky oil. Pull the plugs and look for any signs of coolant or wetness. If both of these don't turn up any signs of a blown head gasket I'd feel pretty comfortable filling it back up with coolant and starting it. Best part is while you're pulling the spark plugs it's a perfect opportunity to do a compression test yourself. If it were my car and I still had concern over weather or not it got too hot I'd do that.
If not, just checking the oil could be piece of mind enough to start it with my fingers crossed.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 5,841
Likes: 19
From: CLT, North Carolina
You stated in the original post a mechanic friend looked at it and said it had failed a head gasket with a possible warped head. Did he just shrug his shoulders and guess that could have happened or did he actually check your engine to arrive at that conclusion? What kind of testing or inspection did he do?