My oil seems to be over full and there is bubbles on the dipstick. the car overheats within 15 mins of starting. It is a 95 2.2 with about 125,000 mileson it. I think it is the head gasket leaking in to the oil. does this sound about right? anything else I should check? sould I try and do this myself? I feel that I am mid skilled in these things but have never done one before. any tips/tricks? how much does it cost (around about) if the head needs machining? thanks a ton


jim

im not sure about the cost for machining your head out.. but can you hold coolant? .. if your gasket does need replacing the seal set isnt very expensive at all.. and its a real easy job with the right tools

I would pay to have the head checked for cracks and also have it "planed" or shaved, or serviced, as some say. These heads warp very easily. It's also worth the extra 10 or 15 bucks to have them "Dip" it to clean it like new. I paid someone to fix my old motor back when I didn't know much about engines and he didn't have the head serviced. He did have it checked for crackes but two weeks later I was back in the same boat. It blew out a half inch chunk of gasket between cylinder 2&3. Yeah, I was PISSED!

I would be slightly afraid to do it myself, but when you don't have a couple hundred bucks for labor and the car isn't worth much, I'd give it a shot. Of course your 95 is worth more than mine, lol!

I did a head gasket change on a '97 2.2L. It wasn't too hard, but then again, it was a lot of fun. You'll save a lot of money by doing it yourself. And, as previously stated, have the heads checked/planed.

Umm... your oil shouldn't be over-full. Destroy you engine that way if you wish.