Hey everyone, I have been having overheating issues on my automatic 2009 Toyota Corolla and finally got a diagnosis and I have a blown head gasket causing exhaust causes to be in the cooling system. So now the mechanic I talked to is suggesting to replace the engine rather than fixing the head gasket saying that the changing the head gasket it tedious on Toyota Corollas as well as overheating may have caused other problems to the engine. So I agreed sure and got a quote for 3800 to replace with a used engine with 110,000 miles on it. I’m just wondering your guys take on this since the car costed me 5000 dollars back in 2020 and since I’m a freshman college student 3800 is basically all I have but if it sounds reasonable to y’all I will do it since I need a car to drive to work and far places throughout the year. Plus it’s cheaper than buying a new car. Thank you!
Baloney! Find another mechanic who will do what you want -
Remove and rebuild the head, or just get a rebuilt head from O'Reilly, AutoZone, NAPA, etc.
Install the rebuilt head with a new gaskets (head, intake, exhaust) and ARP studs. That shouldn't cost half of what you were quoted for a used engine that's probably no better or worse than what you already have.
So, I called the place I went to and turns out they don’t do head gasket replacements. So they may have just told me to replace engine to still get my business. I’m looking around for other mechanics but just want to confirm with you Doc since you’ve helped me multiple times. My car has no oil missing, no milky oil, car runs great, no codes, just pushing combustion gas into cooling system cause air in system. Could you give your opinion on whether or not a head gasket replacement will fix my issue? Thank you.
I can't see a head gasket costing $3800. Yet that sound real cheap for an engine swap. How hot did you let the engine get? How is the oil consumption? Your taking a chance with a junkyard engine. You might be getting someone else's headache.
I have been having overheating problems for about 6 months but it never got too hot, just a little above what is normal. Usually didn't get hot until 40 minutes of driving, which I rarely did since this was being used just to work and around town. However over the past few months, its progressively gotten worse. Like just short of getting into the H area of temp gauge when on highway. No oil consumption. No tell tale signs of head gasket failure other than block head tester showing combustion gases in cooling system. I asked about changing the head gasket but was informed that doing that may not fix my problem. I appreciate your quick response and support.
Could you give your opinion on whether or not a head gasket replacement will fix my issue?
There's no way to really know until you get into it. Aside from the head gasket itself, a warped or cracked cylinder head is a possibility. In some cases the block can even be damaged but that is unlikely if it was not severely overheated.
You might try this before you pop for $3800 - might work, might not, but worth a try
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3suQy44G_B0
This is only a temporary fix at best. @glen_stet
You said "just pushing combustion gas into cooling system cause air in system." Is it combustion gases or air? Get a test kit at an auto parts store and test it yourself. If exhaust gases are getting in the cooling system it'll change the color of the fluid. If that's the case, you have a leaking head gasket, period. Some day soon the car will start up and blow white smoke and have a very rough idle, if it idles at all. When that happens, you won't be driving it anymore.
https://www.harborfreight.com/combustion-leak-detector-64814.html
Most large auto parts stores will loan you one of these kits for a small deposit. Then you will know for certain what you want to do.
A rebuilt head for your engine is about $800 at O'Reilly's with a warranty, for example. Add about $200 for gaskets and head bolts and $1K labor for about $2K-$2500 for the job. A machine shop will charge about $500 to rebuild your head. You also need to find the reason it overheated, probably a bad thermostat, water pump, radiator cap, etc.