Time To Replace Headgasket

hey all I have a 97 oldsmobile aurora and have been diagnoised with headgasket failure. I have a north star 4.0 caddy engine. It all started with it running hot when i am going 70 mph or more or when i am in stop and go traffic. I flushed the radiator and changed the thermostat with no avail... so i just took it in to have it checked.



My brother is a mechanic so he can do all the labor.. I just need to make sure we don't miss anything. I am told we ned some timeserts..where can i get these and what are they for.



The mechanic said he could not see why it happened. I read about bolts backing out. . is that possible? also does the entire engine need to be pulled out? what type headgasket do i need?



and is there some type of how-to on the net for this? ANY PICTURES OR EXTRA INFO ON THINGS I NEED TO DO WHILE ENGINE IS OUT WOULD BE GREAT...thanks


also would block sealant help?

Sorry to hear that........just traded my 97 off for the same reason...
the inserts are to repair threads in aluminum.........

Are you saying that it is best to sell it?

Thats a hard call to make. I loved my aurora.........more than any car I ever had, and may try to fid one later for a second car..but, I just couldnt depend on it any more.....I guess it depends how many miles, its overall condition, and if you are willing to keep spending money on it. I had quite a few problem with mine, and it was well taken care of..not abused or anything......... I bought it with 60k on it and traded it at 130k..........i replaced radiator, water pump, fuel rail, A/C compressor....etc..............head gasket was last straw.........BTW replacing the head gasket on one of those is no small chore.......

are hydrocarbons a good test for a failed headgasket...it does not use water and the guy said the trace was really small and they could not see where the headgasket had failed.

when i got my car it had the jug for the 95 95 model and it had one hose plugged off....

i replaced the jug with a 97 model but in the jug there was black crude (signs of a afailed headgasket) could that be enough to leave traces in my system or not.

the spring in the top that came with the 97 jug from the yard was lying to the side..so i replaced it with the one off the 95-96 jug.

the 95-96 jugs say 18 psi where the 97 top said 15 psi

and when you flush the radiator do those tablets have to go in there? do they make that big a difference?

The pellets are GM seal tabs.....they are supposed to be put in whenever you service the cooling system........dont put them in the resovoir.they go in the bottom radiator hose.....I put them in mine a t about 100k and it stopped the leak for about 20,000 miles.....
I would not keep it if the headgasket is bad.....just my opinion.
However, ( and i considered this ) GM will sell you a brand new crate engine for that car for a bit over 4000.00..I would do that before i dumped a couple thousand replacing head gaskets on one

my brother a certified mechanic would do the labor for me. what about geting a long block with the inserts already in it...a remanufactured one?

where could i get one or is it best to install the inserts in mine?

and where can i get the inserts?

Has he ever done a northstar?

IMHO if you have to ask how to do the job you are not able to get the job done.
The inserts are a machinist job and please take some advise and buy a used or new GM engine.
This if the rest of the car is worth it.

IMHO if you have to ask how to do the job you are not able to get the job done.
The inserts are a machinist job and please take some advise and buy a used or new GM engine.
This if the rest of the car is worth it.
I have to agree........ I have had experienced Olds and caddy mechanics tell me wouldnt reccomend doing it........II was told by one that when they had a bad headgasket under warranty in these engines, GM had them replace the engine.............the headgasket jod is too labor-intensive.........

I was just aking these questions for my own knowledge to determine if i should repair it or not. I had heard people mention timeserts so I was inquiring about them as to how they work and how to install them So whoever does it i can have some knowledge to know that it is done right

While the subject is in the air....

I have been have some issues with overheating. Twice in the last two months the car has shur itself off in heavy traffic with no DIC message. I replaced the thermostat and now its doing better for keeping under 220, but it still climbs up there. At about 225 the gauge doesnt increase but I know the engine will keep getting hotter if im not moving and its over 85 deg.

The waterpump isnt leaking and i assume that it is moving.
I did a recent flush to the radiator.

Do you think this could be a headgasket issue?
Regarding this post... How much?

Ever heard of Steel Seal..... A friend of mine used it, i Was skeptical at first, but it actually worked, and this is going on 10-11 months. http://www.steelseal.com

\ I have read that some engine rebuilders, use inserts. Because they hold better, than the threads in the block. There is a small section on inserts in the Aurora manual. Those inserts are expensive, and takes some skill installing them. I have never installed them in a car. But while working in the sheetmetal shop. I have installed them in ship ventilation duct. Those inserts are screwed in with a special tool. I don't know if they are screwed in the existing threads in the block. Or the existing threads have to be drilled and retapped to received the inserts.

are hydrocarbons a good test for a failed headgasket...it does not use water and the guy said the trace was really small and they could not see where the headgasket had failed.

when i got my car it had the jug for the 95 95 model and it had one hose plugged off....

i replaced the jug with a 97 model but in the jug there was black crude (signs of a afailed headgasket) could that be enough to leave traces in my system or not.

the spring in the top that came with the 97 jug from the yard was lying to the side..so i replaced it with the one off the 95-96 jug.

the 95-96 jugs say 18 psi where the 97 top said 15 psi

and when you flush the radiator do those tablets have to go in there? do they make that big a difference?
Sounds like you are still not sure or don't want to believe it's a head gasket. Are you grasping at straws or are there other reasons for your doubt?

thanks for the reply..I took it to the olds dealer and they said no blown headgasket..radiator clogged..car is sold now

the engine probably will have to come out.

FOR FUTURE REFERENCE!

Heli-Coils is they way to go. They make the inserts that you'll pay big $$ for at the dealer. They'll tell you who in your area sells them or can order them. The way to go is two heli-coils in each thread hole of the block. The easiest way to do headgaskets is to drop the frame, engine/transmission intact and do them from there. Obviously this requires a lift. If the mechanic that is doing the job calls heli-coil and asks for sales, they can walk him thru the process. They even have the correct tap to rethread the holes and tell you exactly what size drill to use. Do the leak test with the blue fluid first. If your local parts doesn't have them Google "combustion leak detector" I got mine about $35 and I see them for as much as $50.

If you do the test and the fluid turns yellow,you may want to consider rxauto.com. They advertise on this forum for a product called thermagasket. They are a relatively small company but I used the product twice. Once, it worked the other it didn't. The cost is $99. If it doesn't work, you get your money back. I tried the "horse pills" from GM. They are actually made by BarsLeak and like heli-coil, are cheaper at the parts store in that name than from GM. They do work in certain cases but the thermagasket worked when they didn't.

FOR FUTURE REFERENCE!

Heli-Coils is they way to go. They make the inserts that you'll pay big $$ for at the dealer. They'll tell you who in your area sells them or can order them. The way to go is two heli-coils in each thread hole of the block. The easiest way to do headgaskets is to drop the frame, engine/transmission intact and do them from there. Obviously this requires a lift. If the mechanic that is doing the job calls heli-coil and asks for sales, they can walk him thru the process. They even have the correct tap to rethread the holes and tell you exactly what size drill to use. Do the leak test with the blue fluid first. If your local parts doesn't have them Google "combustion leak detector" I got mine about $35 and I see them for as much as $50.

If you do the test and the fluid turns yellow,you may want to consider rxauto.com. They advertise on this forum for a product called thermagasket. They are a relatively small company but I used the product twice. Once, it worked the other it didn't. The cost is $99. If it doesn't work, you get your money back. I tried the "horse pills" from GM. They are actually made by BarsLeak and like heli-coil, are cheaper at the parts store in that name than from GM. They do work in certain cases but the thermagasket worked when they didn't.


I mispoke regarding Heli-coil. It is timeserts.com that is the GM supplier for these. The info I gave regarding Heli-coil is correct otherwise as far as sales and being able to speak with an engineer by phone. I have read also after entering timeserts in Google that there may be cases where Heli-coils were tried first and there were issues that were resolved using TimeSerts. I haven't the time now to do further online research but the info is out there but I wanted to update before the incorrect information was read. Sorry for any problems! http://www.timesert.com/html/faq.html Is the link to the FAQ section.