'00 GT Head gasket ?s

[Betrayer00GT]

So, blew a head gasket on my 2000 GT...

How much does a shop usually charge for that?

What do I need (in parts) to do it myself? Anything besdes the new gasket?

If I'm doing the head gasket, is there anything else to do at the same time I have it apart with an 85K mileage engine?

Thanks for any input you might have. Man, it's been a rough day.

 

[trinity_gt]

You sure you blew a head gasket?

Symptoms? Diagnoses?

Does the car have a blower?

Stock engine (i.e. has the head ever been off)?

 

[joshjwc9]

This, if the car is leaking coolant then, and it still has the intake manifold with a plastic crossover, that is the problem. Otherwise has the car seen a lack of coolant, nitrous or forced induction?

Head Gaskets in these cars really don't have any problems, especially ones with stock heads and stockish powerlevels. You'd be more likely to see a blown out plug than head gasket issues in these cars..ask me how I know!

 

[Betrayer00GT]

Well, the "blown head gasket" is just what it looked like to me 10min after it happened.

The car is stock, 10yrs old, with 85k on the odo. Heads have never been touched, and the coolant level was not low.

What I saw under the hood, 10min after it happened (9min 30sec after turning off the engine), was steam coming from the space under/behind the alternator, but from the passenger side. It also looked like water/steam had "exploded" out from that area and onto the hood, alternator, valve cover, etc. Right after checking under the hood, I started it again for 10-15seconds, just to check the tailpipe output. I started it, pushed the gas to get to about 2500rpm, ran back and saw maybe 3x more steam from the passenger tailpipe (h-pipe exhaust), then ran back and turned it off. It's sitting in the driveway, now.

Obviously I don't really KNOW what is wrong but want to be prepared and really appreciate help trying to figure it all out.

 

[mustang_montana]

id run a compression test first, if you dont have the tool you might be able to rent it from autozone. a shop can do that for you too if its easier, thatll help determine if its the headgasket. the intake manifold is easy enough to get off and check the coolant line that runs between the heads.

 

[joshjwc9]

First, look at the intake manifold. If there is a aluminum crossover it probably isn't cracked, but alot of '99's and 2000's had a plastic crossover, the same plastic than the runners are, cheap, abs thin stuff. Eventually alot of these cracked from the heat cycles. Replacements now have aluminum crossovers to withstand coolant temperature and heat cycles, and do not crack. Now, my vote is already for that. I just would like to point that out. More likely than not, if it is plastic, the manifold cracked somewhere letting the coolant piss out of there. But, do a compression test first to be sure..

 

[nancygrl]

If your car still has the intake with the plastic crossover, then this sounds exactly what happened when I had my 96 GT. It had the plastic crossover and was spraying the back of the alternator and then all over the place. Never seen such a mess.

+1 on getting the compression test done also just to be safe.