head gasket

i have a 97 dodge neon, i know they have head gasket issues, i have 51,000 miles on it. is it guaranteed to blow or warp? what warning signs should i look for? thanks.

anyone have any input on this? i would really appreciate it

Overheating, loss of compression, white smoke. These are all signs that the head gasket has gone. I would go ahead and just replace the head gasket with a better one now rather than wait and see.

The major telltale sign that you have a BHG on a Neon is oil running down the driver's side back (toward the firewall) of the block. Occasionally the leak happens internally, but it's almost always accompanied by the oil leak.

During the '99 build, Mopar made a multi-layered steel gasket that, when installed properly, is nearly leakproof. Check your engine for the MLS gasket - there should be a metal (obviously) gasket with a rivet in it. IIRC, the best places to look are on the corners. Feel around the area where the head and block meet, and you should be able to tell the the MLS gasket from the composite gasket.

Per my experience, a BHG is just a matter of time on a pre '99 Neon if the MLS gasket is not installed. I hope you already have it.

Any Neon that rolled off the assembly line before October/November 1998 runs the chance of the gasket going. There are a small handful that haven't but most have run into this problem. There were about 4-5 redesigns of the gasket before they got it right with the MLS gasket. My fiance went thru all the redesigns when he had his Neon. Another telltale sign your HG is going is when you shut down the car, if it sounds like the coolant is VIOLENTLY returning to the overflow tank, then chances are its going out.

Here's a pic of the new and old one and you can see the difference. On the new MLS gasket there are some tabs that stick out in front.

http://www.katwoman097.com/motorwork/mtr_hg002.jpg

Here's a pic of my new HG on before we put the head back on....see the 2 small tabs sticking out beyond the edge of the block? IF you see those in your car then chances are you got the new one.

http://www.katwoman097.com/motorwork/mtr_hg004.jpg

dodge has a hidden warranty. it cost me 200.00 for a 98. call the factory get the timing belt changed at the same time

phew...I changed my headgasket without knowing that little bit of info. but I got the MLS... :uhoh:

I know that my head gasket has gone bad, it is leaking a lot of oil and I can also hear the thing with the coolant that Katwoman mentioned. I want to know more about the hidden warranty. I have been told by several others that if I tried it, that my car wouldn't be covered cause the car is old ('97) but the head gasket has never been replaced. Its got less than 30k miles on it though. I'm not much of a mechanic, I've replaced the fuel pump twice in another car, is replacing a head gasket something that I could consider doing on my own? Or is it something I should leave to a professional?