I've been waiting all afternoon to go down and pick my car up from the garage. When I took it in, they were behind in their work and it's taken a few weeks to get it fixed. I took it in to have a header leak fixed that had just become noticeable, and on the way the clutch cable snapped, so I also had the cable replaced. Couldn't wait to get it back.

I called to make double sure it was ready. There was a hesitation on the other end of the line, and then I was told that my header leak is actually a blown head gasket and will cost 1400.00 to fix! IF the head is still okay! WTF!
This is a very reliable and honest shop. They said most of it is labor.

How serious is a blown head gasket? I was told the headwork would be about 80.00 to true the head up. Does this sound right? Then they said, unless things were really bad and they had to replace the entire head. Not sure what that would be. I probably put about twenty miles on the car after I noticed the leak. Once before this happened and it actually was a loose header. Could I have done much damage in this length of time? Will both head gaskets have to be replaced?

At first I thought, well okay, I don't really have the funds for this, so I'll do part of the work myself. Of course, then I remembered, unfortunately, oh yeah, I'm not a mechanic! I've never "dropped" a motor in my life, much less "pulled" a head! This is very depressing! Right now I'm just kinda stunned.

Bummer Joseph. Don't do anything till we talk tomorrow.
Curt

I thought blown head gaskets happened to water cooled cars...??

The builders on the forum say not to use the head gaskets for one - do a search.

Trueing the head would be a "flycut".

With an overhead lift and a rolling table, the engine can be dropped in 34 minutes - yeh, I was timed.

Removal of all the sheetmetal to get to the head would take a bit longer (1 hour).

first of all, if the motor was ever rebuild and done right, it doesn't have any head-gaskets anymore.
and that would be a good thing!

$1400 sounds a bit "pricy" for a shop that knows how to drop a 914 engine ...

Andy

Seems pricey to me also... that "may" include the ignition & clutch cable. I'm going to find out more details tomorrow.

What else could make a noise that sounds like a leaky header, or blown headgasket? Cracked head or...?

ah, what a classic!

The blown head gasket didn't happen without some excess heat.

Tear both heads off, freshen them with new exhaust valves and a flycut then reassemble the modern way.

Pelican has a good walk-through for dropping an engine here. Used it just this past weekend dropping Seanery's 2.0 L. The most important part is making sure you have the ability to raise the rear of the car high enough to be able to roll the engine out from under with whatever cart you have. Furniture movers seem to do the job nicely. I think Sean got his from Lowes for about $25. They look like this.

Yea, changing a blown head gasket is a pain in the because you dame near have to take the engine completely apart. But even with the labor time, it shouldn't be $1400!
Changing the head gasket is realitively simple if you have someone who know how to help you. (its easier if you have two people anyway.)
But I agree with some of the others about not even putting a new gasket on. I thought a head gasket was to keep the radiator fluid from mixing with the oil... hummm.....doesn't seem like the teener would have that problem ehh.
(I know, real corney)

$24.99. I had a taller cart that wouldn't have cleared.

Joeseph, get a couple friends and some beer. I think the only unique tool we needed was for the CVs. It was a 6 or 8mm 12 point allen. I'm replacing mine with 6 point allen's so the tool won't be necessary any more.

It took us about 3 or 4 hours, but we weren't moving quickly. (I gab too much)