if you have to get an aluminum head on a pontiac fixed?

  • Thread starter Thread starter leighleigh
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leighleigh

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if you have to get this fixed how much do you think it would cost?
It ran hot but the temperature gauge was messed up or something because it never showed that it was running hot and I had no idea until it broke down on the side of the interstate. Someone said that the aluminum head is cracked.
 
Without more details, it would be hard to guess.
Chad's guess of $100 would cover the gasket kit that's needed everytime you remove the cylinder head. What it would not cover is any other replacement parts, supplies or millwork that might need to be performed on the cylinder head. So add perhaps another $500. Now lets talk about the labor charge to do all that work. Figure at least $75 per hour. I would say the removal and replacement of the cylinder head would take at least 4 hours.
So a rough guess would be about $1000 to do the job.
 
Depends on what's wrong with it.

Regardless, it will be more than $100 like the other poster mentioned. If it's warped, it's totally gone, you need to replace it completely.

if it just needs valves, or something of that nature, around $500+

Edit: If it's cracked, it's gone. You can't mend a cracked aluminum head. Say hello to a VERY costly repair.
 
Normally when these engines are over heated its not pretty, and can cost upwards to over 1000.00 in p[arts and labor. And normally there was a cause which created this state of overheated condition.
1/ water leaks
2/ fan troubles
3/ electrical troubles
4/ radiator troubles
5/ thermostat/ over fan relay or switch malfunction, and or wiring
Check to see what the car is worth before repairing, that this car is blue booked very low for a major repair.

Good Luck
 
Best solution to your issue is to locate a used head for the engine.
Pulling at straws with the current head's condition and how long it may last after the repair is not something I would want to deal with.

Either way, a used head, labor, gaskets, coolant etc. may extend as far as $1200+.
 
You need to put this thing in the shop if it is worth $1000 to $1500. This "Someone said that the aluminum head is cracked" stuff is no way to go - they can't tell without disassembly. There may actually be nothing wrong that some fresh coolant won't fix. And then the car may not be worth fixing as it can get very expensive. You need someone professional to diagnose it and give you an estimate.
 
What happens is that when a car with aluminum heads heat up, the heads get warped. They can "cut them" to level them out to replace the gasket so that it seals correctly. This is done all the time. If they took the head off they could find a crack. But it does not usually happen. In it a rare occurance. I 'd say about $400 some would do the job unless they replace the head. If that's the case, it will run over a $1000. Get some quotes in several places before doing anything. don't let people scare you about all this crap they're feeding you.
 
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