2 good 2 B true? - Supreme Auto in High Point NC

It's doable for 1200 generally if I was charging something like that I would make you buy the gasket you're going to need four quarts of oil almost five whatever a bottle of oil filter engine coolant all that's coming out You're not going to save all that so something seems to be a little off when you have this apart doing the head gasket you would be a complete foolish person not to at least change the timing chain and tensioner if not the plastic guides also if they're broken you know that's another $150 worth of parts but you would be really pound foolish not doing that It's bad enough you're not going to send the head out and have the valves ground but that's another whole story so y the labor on all that would be about right. But you need more than just a head gasket or it would be like I say really silly not to at least deal with the timing chain he has it off already doing this work and all of that with your mileage got to be kidding so then that would push the job up into the you know another three $400 probably He's got to have this stuff all apart to do the head gasket so what he puts back new would just be someone having to round it up the timing chain tensioner guides if needed etc possibly a new oil pump at this point I think that's off when the timing covers off those are just basic precautions none of that's real expensive but it all adds up these are things that most people or a lot of people don't think of when they're doing a head gasket job like this and especially with 200k if you have a timing cover mounted oil pump it would make sense to replace it probably a new water pump if that's not already been done or while you have it off check the impeller make sure it's good but a new one if needed just a little things like that because once you have this all back together something like that fails and you're right back to where you are now and you barely driven the car seen it happen at least once already pretty soon you have $9,000 in a car that's not worth $6,500 or what have you

 

I know nothing about them but going back 3 years they have nothing but 5 star google reviews. I would take the chance and as TBT says, ask them if they recommend anything else while they are inside the engine. It is your choice to say yes or no to them.

 

I second @Tombukt2, stated - Do a timing set replacement since the head is off and they're there anyways and valve guide seals. At 200K, I guarantee that the chain has stretched a bit and the plastic guides are worn, if not cracked, chipped, or on it's last legs - take this opportunity to pre-emptively solve that problem or possible future issue. Labor cost is much more expensive than the replacement parts, so your good for at least another 200K, assuming nothing else fails.
The main question is would this be worth it? I would ask how much oil is the car burning between oil changes? 5k or 10K oil changes? All this "top end" work isn't going to fix stuck rings or abnormal wear in the combustion chamber. High oil consumption will eventually foul your CAT, but I understand that NC is very lax in EPA laws for your car, so replacing that isn't going to break the bank.

Just my 2 cents and something to think about before "pulling the trigger".....

 

Well at this point, I'd ask for an official updated quote. Tell them you'll need the valve stem seals, timing chain, chain tensioner, and chain guide replaced while they have the head off. Additional labor cost should be minimal, but parts cost will go up a bit.

Good Luck..

PS, ask for the old parts they replaced back, just to keep everyone honest You may not be able to identify the parts, but they don't know that....

 

These are all parts of the engine. If your not burning any oil at 200K miles, or even a pint of oil - you've got a GOOD engine. I wouldn't swap it out with an engine with an unknown history - chances are you'll get a worst running engine that burns oil.
I don't care what a used engine dealer says; his job is to sell you another engine. He can say that grandma only drove it to church every Sunday and it's a low mileage engine - that can't be verified without the donor car's VIN and who knows if that was the motor attached to that VIN. Your gen3 has know head gasket issues, whose to say your not going to be in the same situation a year from now with that used engine? If the updated gasket materials is used, you have a better chance of this problem not reoccurring.

 

You don't NEED to replace the timing chain, or tensioner or guides.
Valve guide seals, yes.
And NOT burning oil is very good. Keep having that oil changed at 5000 miles.....

 

Your correct, the timing equipment replacement isn't needed - but they are there anyways and investing a good sum of money repairing the car (sunk cost). With 200K miles, that chain is going to be stretched and I don't trust those plastic guides. It's only $100 in additional parts, which I consider cheap insurance and a well running motor when repairs are completed. Historically, plastic guides and gears is what causes major failures. They get hot, fracture and fail. I'm sure the new plastic formulations has improved over the years, but they have an opportunity to proactively replace them - why not do it?
My GMC 4.0L motor has 270K miles on it. On cold morning starts, I can hear the timing chain rattle for 3-10 seconds before the oil pressure and ECU adjust the timing and the rattle goes away. Why not take an opportunity like this to nip a potential problem in the bud; is my thinking.

Just my 2 cents and 30 years experience working on cars.

 

You're comparing gm parts to Toyota parts?
I'd replace the gm with a Toyota.

At 301,+++ thousand miles, the timing chain on my engine was tight against the sprockets.
They didn't move at all when I tried to pull up on it on each cam to check for wear.
The sprocket didn't even show any chain marks.
The guides bareley showed any chain wear.
Wouldn't hurt to chain them, but it's not needed.

If they engine didn't have proper oil changes, or crappy oil was used, that likely would be a different
story. Since she said she the engine is NOT using any oil, I would guess they're in good shape.

My $2 and 38 years experience working on cars, military vehicles, motor cycles.......

 

That's right Right now but at your mileage with the inherent low tension rings that are put in this engine from the factory because it's for hybrid duty and all of this type of stuff you're sitting right on the cusp of other failures which is kind of problematic for somebody to push the pistons out and put new rings and all of this sort of thing I'm going to take another $1,000 probably so if you could get a reasonably low mileage takeout engine no matter where it comes from might be a better situation than putting a head and minimal amount of parts on what you have in your car now with the mileage it's sitting at You get all that together and then the bottom in let's go you may feel mighty foolish or may not that depends upon how things play out I guess me personally knowing what I know now about this model I would not be risking any such a thing if I needed my money and I didn't make lots of it and I needed a vehicle I would be looking for me a backup vehicle so that if something happens I'm not stuck not getting to work not making money whatever I do with my vehicle so there's always that Do not be surprised if this vehicle leaves you stranded and no way to drive and get anywhere and then boom so before I personally would start putting money in this car I would round me up what I would call an old reliable clunker that I know I can do something with immediately an old Corolla a Nissan Sentra just a gas car so that when you get stuck thinking that you're going to want to do all this stuff to this generation 3 you'll at least be able to work That's how bad this can get just saying I don't know your situation in any of this other stuff.

 

So your going to Venmo me the price difference of a Sequoia, Land Cruiser, LX470, or 4runner 4X4 with less than 275K miles, no rust, clean title, no accidents - priced against a equivalent Trailblazer or Envoy? Thank You your so generous....

We both know or you should know that's not the proper way to check the timing chain. This only means that your tensioner is working - how far out was it? The proper way is measure chain length - min vs max specifications. Was it within specifications? What necessitated ripping apart your motor? Just basic maintenance and one set of ignition coils on my GMC, so far - knock on wood....

Did you just inspect the outer edge? We both know heat is enemy #1 of plastic components. You need to pull the guides off and inspect the back side - the side that faces the combustion chamber for fatigue and cracks. Good anti-wear oils will keep the engine running cooler, therefore avoiding plastic fatigue - but you need to look at the side that's closer to the heat source. Since they popped the head gasket, I'm sure the car is running hotter than normal, considering its the end of summer. How long this has been going on is anyone's guess.

Thank You, I'm not looking at or testing their engine, so I make the safer judgement call. My 2012 Prius C burned oil with less than 100K on it, it seems theirs isn't noticeable; but 99% of the cars I've seen with over 200K - burn some oil. They may decide not to replace the timing hardware - only time will tell if they were penny wise or pound foolish. I always give my customers the option, so if there's a failure or noise down the road - They can't say, Why didn't you take care of that last time you did this??... It's called customer service......

Again, Just my 2-cents - Not much on one-up-man-ship

 

You have wayyyy to much time on your hands.....

 

Seems fishy. The rock bottom pro charge for thorough EGR cleaning is around $600 USD. I’d suspect they won’t be doing it, and are going on the assumption you haven’t the will or wherewithal to check on their “cleaning”, say by immediately pulling it all apart again.

 

The pressure washer make it easier and faster to clear out the cooler.
Along with oven cleaner. And a bore brush and gunk for the egr ports on the
intake manifold....

 

Have you checked for reviews of the company, Yelp, BBB, Google?