Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulDash
Thanks guys! Glad I asked.
That does make me think that maybe I shouldn't be jumping the gun and letting him dismantle the engine without really confirming what's wrong.
To answer your questions:
- It's going to be hard to get a second opinion as he's the only P-car specialist in the region. Next closest would be the official dealer.
- The price is not too low (I'm thinking too high) for pulling out the motor and taking off the heads. The hourly rate they have here is about $40, mind you.
- The car is a MY'99 with 160k KM on it. Received no history from the previous owner so I'm assuming that no work has been done on the car. Since getting it in September, I've replaced the clutch slave cylinder, power steering fluid, all filters, engine oil, coolant, spark plugs (without the o-rings or tubes), one of the O2 sensors, and accessory belt.
- Mike, what "other issues" would I see? It's not a major leak and I have been smelling burnt oil if I rev high and drive it hard.
If I understand you all correctly, this isn't something that I have to get done this very minute and (doing regular oil level checks) I can clean the engine, drive it some, then have a look at it...
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As my name has been mentioned, I guess it is time to chime in on the subject.
M96/97 engines never blow head gaskets, it just does not happen. So when someone leads off by telling you that yours need replacing, my first inclination would be to take the car somewhere else.
That said, these engines do sometimes have oil leaks from the cam cover areas, but these leaks can easily be fixed by someone with the correct knowledge and experience. On your car, I would first suspect spark plug tubes, then the cam cover itself. Neither of these are the end of the world, resealing the plug tubes is only slightly more complicated than changing the spark plugs. The cam covers are a bit more involved because they require a fixture to retain the cams in place while removing the cover to clear and reseal it. But it is still not a monster project.
One thing to consider is unless you can clearly see the source of the leak(s),cleaning the engine off and then waiting a bit to see where the leak (s) develop would be a safe pathway. Then you would know exactly what you are into.
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