92 continental gaskets

i think the engine gakets in my 92 continental need to be fixed. how much does this cost?

i think the engine gakets in my 92 continental need to be fixed. how much does this cost?

What makes you think it's the engine gaskets? Is there some specific problem you're having?

BTW, Gaskets are relatively cheap -- it's the labor that'll break the bank.

For example:
Customer complains of water (coolant) leaking from the front of the car.
Inspection reveals Thermostat gasket is defective.
Autozone price for Thermostat gasket -- $1.29 +tx

Being a friendly, honest mechanic I describe the problem in detail and offer a repair qoute of $35.00 Labor (1 hour), $7.50 parts

This covers my 15 minutes labor, $0.90 gasket (I get a bulk price), three squirts of solvent, red towel I rent, hand cleaner, and invoice paperwork.

However, that barely covers my shop rent, employees, and liability insurance. I'm lucky to make $5.00 to keep up with the wife's demands and feed the kids too.

Ok, nuf of that, back to the problem at hand....
What makes you think it's the engine gaskets? Is there some specific problem you're having?

the oil pressure lamp on the dashboard flashes, it reads only one bar of pressure, the car beeps different from the ding when the key is in the ignition and the door is open, and the car doesnt start when this happens. it happens intermittently. i dont think its a sensor b/c my local lincoln dealership did a diagnostic check and didnt find anything indicating a faulty sensor.

the oil pressure lamp on the dashboard flashes, it reads only one bar of pressure, the car beeps different from the ding when the key is in the ignition and the door is open, and the car doesnt start when this happens. it happens intermittently. i dont think its a sensor b/c my local lincoln dealership did a diagnostic check and didnt find anything indicating a faulty sensor.

Ok, lets assume you've always maintained this 1992 vehicle -- meaning (in this case) regular oil changes. That means it'll soon be 14 years old, with how many miles ??

Average driving would put your car at about 170,000 to 190,000 miles.
In this time you should have around 50 to 60 oil changes to keep the engine relatively clean inside. Even so, there's a high probability of internal sludge buildup where oil sediments cake onto the internal non-moving engine parts.

One of these parts is the Oil Pressure Sensor. There's a small hole in the engine side of the sensor where Oil enters the sensor, under pressure.
(see sample shot)
Courtesy of: http://www.race-technology.com
http://www.race-technology.com/WebPage2/Products/Sensors/GeneralPressure.jpg

That small hole will eventually clog with oil sludge, and to make matters worse, the sludge has already built-up inside the sensor before the hole gets partially / fully blocked.
The low or no pressure entering the sensor sets off the alarm beeps, and adjusts the guage as well.

Other considerations must be explored with a 14 year old vehicle nearing 200,000 miles.

The same sludge previously mentioned also clogs up / blocks every other passage, tube, screen, etc that it's been in contact with for 14 years. Therefore, the likelyhood of the oil pump pickup screen / tube being clogged, causing oil starvation to vital engine parts is very high.
If this is the case, it would be best to order a rebuilt engine rather than relying on cleaning / flushing products or devices. I'm not knocking such services, in fact when these are used regularly you can minimize sludge build-up for 1/2 a million miles. However, on a heavily clogged engine solvents will serve to loosen sludge buildups and send boulders of sludge to the next constricted artery.

IF the only problem was a defective Oil Pressure Sensor, that can be replaced for under $20 including labor. The part is about $6.00 however, that won't explain "the car doesnt start when this happens".


I'm feeling the need for more information.

How many miles on the odometer?
Was normal maintenance done for 13+ yrs?
Is this car driven hard, or easy?
Is the oil level kept to the maximum line?
Does the car consume much oil?
Is there oil puddles where you park?
Is the engine ever overheating?
Is the engine ever making knocking or pinging noises?

When it won't start, is the starter cranking the engine over?

When the guage reads "one bar", are there any other indicators visable on that guage as well?
Are there any other symptoms missing here?


You may just want to have that Oil Pressure Sensor replaced regardless of the diagnostics results at your Lincoln dealer to see if that solves the problem.

No brainer items:
The engine is quiet, no apparent knocking / pinging.
The oil level is steady at the full line.
The engine is not overheating.

If theses statements are true, a new Oil Pressure Sensor may be the only problem.

i figured more info would help.
it has approx. 65100 miles.
normal maintenance was done for the first 5 yrs of the car's life. after that it sat for 3 yrs in a driveway. for the past 5 yrs, 10,000 miles have been put on it during this time normal maintenance has been performed. it was in my garage for most of the past 3 yrs.
this past august the air suspension was replaced for a conventional one, one of the shocks was bad. the car hasn't been driven too hard however recently it's been more city than highway miles.
it recently had a tune-up.
the oil is kept to the maximum level.
it doesn't burn oil.
there are no puddles under the car of oil.
the engine doesn't overheat.
i don't hear any knocking or pinging.
the engine crancks over.
the check engine and charging system warning lights light up when this happens.
by the way, there is no smoke in the exhaust.

also nearly everything under the hood is original