rachelnine

Hi.
I'm completely clueless and thanks for letting me post here. I don't even know if I have right forum thread/topic, so my apologies in advance.

I own a 1999 Jeep Cherokee Limited 4.0 2WD. 97,000 miles.

We bought this used 3 months ago, for my 17 year old daughter

Today, a cracked radiator hose was replaced. We were told the car had overheated before (how the mechanic knew this he had worked on this car with the previous owner) and he told us that the previous owner was told it needed a new head gasket (of course the previous owner neglected to tell me this).

The mechanic did a "chemical block test" that showed positive for either cylinder head or gasket damage, the color changed from blue to green liquid. BY THE WAY. There is NO white smoke, NO leaks, or "sweet smell". No signs of trouble.

My question to you wondrous people and experts here at this Jeep forum, is my "estimate" reasonable?

Labor $594
Machine Shop $200 (at least)- WTH is a machine shop needed anyhow?
Head Gasket Set $336.98
Head Bolts $69.36
Coolant $23
Thermostat $15
Total: $1238.34

I live in Long Beach, CA. If any of you know an honest and reputable mechanic I sure would appreciate you letting me know.

I am female (obviously, cluelessand not having to deal with this before would love your help).

Thank you so much in advance.

ol"blue

Sounds like you may have ran across a less than honest "mechanic". JMO. How does the Jeep run after the hose was replaced? Any high temp readings? Does it idle smooth or rough, high or low RPMs?

rachelnine

As indicated, no white smoke, runs fine with new hose, temp is all good. Not owning a jeep before it seems like the RPM's are fine.

G_P

The machine shop fee is to have the head planed/resurfaced. It may not even be needed.

If the jeep is running fine and not mysteriously loosing coolant or oil and not overheating after the Hose was replaced then I would think that the head and gasket are fine.

ol"blue

To me it doesn't sound as though you need the repairs suggested. If you did however, that estimate isn't too far out of range for a shop doing a head gasket repair.
I would let it cool down overnight and check the radiator and oil in the morning to verify they are at the correct levels and look as they should, not a "milk shake" looking substance. If all seems okay, drive it yourself a couple of days to make sure all is well.
I'm sure others here will chime in with better advice than I can give.

Dan

rachelnine

Thank you both for your replies.

I'll keep checking back for more replies since this is no dire emergency it can wait a week or so if needed (it's not overheating and no leaks or smoke).

I was hoping someone will chime in and say the estimate is way out of range.

Really, $1200 bucks for a new head gasket? sheesh

jd4x426

just keep checking your coolant and oil levels and look for the milky substance in your oil as said b4 doesnt sound like the head gasket is the problem here and as for the price sounds about right maybe a little high but you are from california not sure how the prices are out there

Jamie57

That gasket set seems a bit hight to me. Got a complete engine rebuild kit from fleabay for about $50.
The machine shop service is good. Cost me $500 CDN about $400 US to have my head done. Thats a complete rebuild valves etc. not just to plane the head straight.
Do you really need new head bolts? reused mine and 25k later still no leaks.
I'm thinking it's about $300 high. I'm sure you can find a better price. It also depends on their shop rate. How much they charge per hour to work on a vehicle. If you have a shop on a main street his rent is going to be very expensive compared to the guy that has a shop in an industrial area away from traffic

rachelnine

Hi,
Spoke to a mechanic who works on jeeps only, from his house..
$1000 ..

So he said. "If the car is NOT overheating, NO smoking, NO leaks, NO sweet smell" (which it has none of), he said to drive it for 2 months and if no overheating occurs, then my head is fine."

My question to you experts, do you agree with him? I guess my concerns is I don't want to do any damage to the engine, and not get something fixed right now that doesn't possibly need it!


I agree with him but, how about you guys? He seems very trustworthy and used to work as the head mechanic for "THE JEEP DOCTORS" .. I found him on the internet here: http://losangeles.citysearch.com/review/62931

EndlessMtnFab

I would ask a shop to perform a " Leak down " test.


That will pin-point a leakage (if there is one) ... how much it's leaking ... and where it's leaking from.


Might have to pay an hour's labor to have a shop do it. But it's much cheaper than any head gasket replacement.


The machining of the head is needed because the inline engine is very long and prone to warping. The price for the gasket kit seems very high to me. IIRC (been a while) you can get ONE reuse out of the head bolts before needing replacement. I'd have to check the service manual to be sure. But 70 bucks isn't terrible and may be a condition for having a warranty for the work performed.



Joe

mike37

x2

Collin

Take his advice! If it doesn't look like a duck, walk like a duck, or sound like a duck, it's probably not a duck. Just wait and keep an eye out for anything unusual. If nothing happens the head is fine, since problems don't magically disappear.

If it turns out the shop was trying to rip you off, feel free to leave a bad review for them in any of the several online yellow pages equivalents that are out there. I love reading bad reviews online.

Are you by any chance a girl? The first shop may have seen you coming and been out to make a quick buck.

EndlessMtnFab

Hey ... time to up your prescription !!


See below (if you can read it)





Seriously tho ... it seems like less & less people are taking time to read either the entire post or entire thread anymore. Am I the only one noticing this ?



Joe

ol"blue

No Joe, I've also noticed a lot of people seem to just add their comments at the end of the thread without reading prior posts and considering the statements made by others.
Dan

rachelnine

Thanks boys .. yes, I'm 100% all female LOL