Head Gasket Problem

I have a 1998 Dodge Stratus, which i bought used at 69k miles, its now at 71k and in the shop because the head gasket was leaking. Now its goin cost me $700 to get fixed :mad:

My question is that does this usually happen to the stratus around 70k miles or am i a special case?

hey man it happens it sux i got mine a year ago a 1999 stratus with the 2.4 dohc with 48000 with a blown head gasket i got mine fixed got 58000 on it now and its fine but it will go again hey check out stratusphere.us
keith

The headgaskets were revised to a Multilayer steel (MLS) headgasket starting in 1999. Even when replacing the gasket with the new steel one the head and block surfaces need to be clean and true. The final Item is a Gasket sealant that HAS TO BE USED on both sides of the gasket or you will be lucky to get 2 weeks out of it. The dealer part number is VU01508. Do not get this crap on your hands as its hard to get off. use latex gloves.
RG

PS. You're lucky you didn't get a neon though, they went through headgaskets like a 2 year old through diapers.

Same thing happened to me, bought my Stratus at 69k, BLEW THE HEAD AT 71K. I found the TSB detailing the defective head gaskets from the factory after i bought the car, damn the bad luck. Apparently some owners have been able to get Chrysler dealers to pay some or all of the repair using this TSB, since it is a factory defect (they put a plastic composite gasket in instead of a multi-layer steel one), but i didn't have any luck with it, i even called Chrysler headquarters and opened a case, they said my car was too old, and they only repaired them at their cost if it happened under 70k miles. So mine is sitting in the backyard, dealer wants 2k to fix it, the local mechanic who does heads on every other vehicle I've ever taken him for $300, wants $700 for the Stratus, apparently they are extra hard on this car. He says it usually takes 2-3 hours to do a head, on the Stratus it takes 16 hours.

i bought my 98 stratus from a dealer and two days later blew a head gaskit-is it pretty easy to make a mistake when replaceing a new

FYI- I have a 97 Stratus 2.4L (207,000 miles) and have gone through the whole head gasket ordeal. The first symptom is an oil leak on the back side of the head between the head and the block. This will progressively get worse over time, usually noticed roud 50,000-75,000 miles. The next thing you know, you are having to replace the head gasket. Dodge obviously knows they have head gasket issues, whether they want to admit it or not.
Otherwise the replacement head gasket wouldn't be a Multi Layered Metal gasket as opposed to the traditional head gasket that comes on the 2.4L
The real problem is the exhaust manifold is thin and cracks, most of the time it conveniently cracks where the head meets the block, putting temps at 1500+ which cooks the head gasket, which starts the oil leak. Bottom line is, when you replace the head gasket, check the exhaust manifold. Good luck finding one that isn't cracked. About $200.00 for the exhaust manifold.

Mine is at the shop right now finally getting the head gasket replaced at a cost of $700 of my money . . . damn Chrysler.

I have a 1998 Dodge Stratus, which i bought used at 69k miles, its now at 71k and in the shop because the head gasket was leaking. Now its goin cost me $700 to get fixed :mad:

My question is that does this usually happen to the stratus around 70k miles or am i a special case?

Just wanted to tell you that I have a 97 dodge stratus and my head gasket blew at 5,000 miles. I did a lot of research back then to find that it was a design problem and Dymler Chrysler was paying a lot of people whose cars were out of warranty to get it fixed.

Picked mine upo this morning, it was running fine. 100 miles later it is chugging and sounds like it's running on 3 cylinders. I'm going to put new plugs and a new thermostat in it tonight.

I have the same problem with my stratus. i think we should get a class action law suit against chrysler for not trying to fix this problem.

my timing skipped and causeed my cylinders to bend and the cost of that is more then a used engine. so this week end guess what im working on

Heh, I havent met a 4 cylinder yet that doesnt have head gasket probs between 60 and 90K. Its been explained to me that because the head is make of aluminum and the block out of cast iron, the two metals do not maintain the same temperature..causing a warp of the aluminum..or eventual head crack if the head isnt taken off and trued before you crack it. Never could figure out why they just dont make both out of the same metal if they know its a prob.

I fixed my problem, turned out to be bad spark plug wires. The engine has run strong since having the head gasket replaced, I've put about 4,000 miles on it so far. I did make sure the mechanic replaced the old faulty from the factory composite gasket( read as plastic) with the recommended 2 layer metal replacement.

Hi- My'98 stratus is also leaking oil. My question: what is the outcome if the head gasket is NOT fixed (ie you continue to put in a quart of oil every few weeks)?

Thanks

On mine, it just got worse and worse, from a quart of oil every tank of gas, to a quart of oil every half tank, until at the end, it was a quart of oil a day. Before i got the head fixed, the whole back of my fire-engine red stratus was black. But it hasn't used any since being fixed, I've put 6,000 miles on it now, so it is time to get it changed, actually. I was surprised at how well my stratus ran with a blown head gasket, other than the oil problem, it ran like a top. Every other car I've ever had, if you blew a head gasket, you were parked until you got it fixed.

Just trying to get even more information...can I get by without changing the head gasket? When I hear "blown gasket" I see imaging of being stuck in the highway with oil spewing everywhere. Basically I just $900 into new brakes and don't have the money to fix the gasket and the Customer Service number at Dodge said I need to bring it in to be diagnoses before they would even consider paying for the repair. Besides losing more and more oil, can this be dangerous while driving...thanks again!

I'll put it to you this way - I drove mine with the blown gasket for a year with no performance problems and no damage that my mechanic could find. With it fixed, it still runs great. But I wouldn't recommend driving it with a blown gasket to anyone, especially someone who isn't mechanically inclined. The fact that you spent $900 on brakes tells me you're not mechanically inclined, so you probably ought to have it fixed soon. Even if driving it with the blown gasket does no damage to your engine, if you let the oil get too low, that could damage it.

I'll put it to you this way - I drove mine with the blown gasket for a year with no performance problems and no damage that my mechanic could find. With it fixed, it still runs great. But I wouldn't recommend driving it with a blown gasket to anyone, especially someone who isn't mechanically inclined. The fact that you spent $900 on brakes tells me you're not mechanically inclined, so you probably ought to have it fixed soon. Even if driving it with the blown gasket does no damage to your engine, if you let the oil get too low, that could damage it.


I just brought mine into the dealership and they want $1000 to fix the head gasket. I called the Customer Service line and they said they would not be willing to absorb any of the costs due to the milage (88k) and the year '98. Any suggestions on what the next step should be?

I paid to have mine fixed, and I'm going to file a small-claims court case against Chrysler. From what I've read on the web, that has been successful for other Stratus owners.

I have the same problem with my stratus. i think we should get a class action law suit against chrysler for not trying to fix this problem.

I HAVE A DODGE STRATUS THAT I BOUGHT BRAND NEW IN 1999 OFF THE SHOWROOM FLOOR, WHAT A MISTAKE! I HAVE REPLACED THE ENGINE IN IT ONCE ALREADY AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THERE IS A DEFINITE FLAW IN THE DESIGN OF THIS ENGINE MAINLY THE MANIFOLD. NOW THE ENGINE IS GOING AGAIN, MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH OVER HEATING, WIRING, TIMING,THE HEADS, OIL LEAKS YOU NAME IT HAS HAPPENED. I HAVE ALMOST PAID FOR THIS CAR 2 1/2 TIMES OVER AND THE SAD THING IS OUR STORIES ARE JUST A FEW OF THOUSANDS. WHY HAS THERE NOT BEEN ANY RESPONSIBILITY TAKEN BY CHRYLSER FOR THESE POORLY MANUFACTURED HUNKS OF METAL. THEY SHOULD HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A PRODUCT THAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED AS A DEPENDABLE, RELIABLE PRODUCT WHEN IN EFFECT, WAS OBVIOULSY MASS PRODUCED ON A FRIDAY....... CONTINUOUSLY. I WOULD SUPPORT A CLASS ACTION SUIT AND I AM SURE THAT EVERYONE WHOM HAS BOUGHT ONE OF THESE TRAVESTIES WOULD TOO.

Yeah, I just got burned for $700 for the head gasket on my 1998 Dodge Stratus. I'm more than a little frustrated with the whole situation, but it seems, from reading the other posts, that $700 seems to be the going rate.

Does the check engine light always come on when the gasket blows? Can you see signs of it when looking from above or below the engine? I am in the market for a college car for my kids, and a Stratus is "in the running" with a few other vehicles, so I guess I am wondering what I would be getting into. It has a 98 with 103K on it, not sure if it has had headgasket work on it or not. Thanks.