Cracked head

[Liberato]

Well after all of these overheating problems with just owning the car for around a month, I just found out I either have a cracked head of a gasket is blown. They put in a new radiator (which did help) and a thermostat two different times and it still overheats. But I never noticed any smoke, and the oil looked fine around the fill cap and the dipstick. The coolant resevoir never bubbled, however I thought before I brought it in that I could smell exhaust coming out of the resevoir. I was told that being its an aluminum engine they have to send the head out to a aluminum shop to have them test it. And was quoted around 1100 if it was the gasket (which is what the mechanic thinks) or around the same basically if its a head (if I can find a used head). Has anyone else had this done? Any tips or advice on the subject? Does the price sound reasonable? THIS SUCKS!!! But still all I can think about is my beautiful car and how I cant wait to drive it again. Oh well shit happens. Thanks if not for anything else, just for hearing me bitch.

[Isnibs]

Liberato
Check this out for lots more info.

http://aurorah.proboards20.com/index...isplay&start=0

[aurora13]

I just had my head gaskets and it was a nightmare, one dealership said it was a cracked head I did not believe it so I had another place do it and turned out to be the gasket so get a couple opinions and quotes before making any decisions, It would have cost me 2,300 to fix but I new some guy and he did it for 1000$ but it took two months. If u don't owe any money on the car I would not put any money into it, its just starting these auroras are great cars WHEN they run well, but its the upkeep that makes these rides a money pit Good Luck

[Angels_Aurora]

I was also told that my heads were cracked. However there was no white smoke or coolant leaks that I could find. I was quoted some ridiculous estimate to fix the problem. Well.... I took the car to a little mom and pop shop that I have been doing business with for a long time. At first they didnt want to touch the car because of its reputation. It took awhile but I talked them into looking at it. They also thought that the heads were cracked. So now I am thinking that I am going to have to sell a car that I have had for only a few months at a considerable loss. Well after they toyed around with it, they realized that the fan relay was burnt out. $7.00 later my car ran great! This probably isnt your problem, but it would be great if it was. Good luck.

[protek22]

Originally Posted by Liberato

Well after all of these overheating problems with just owning the car for around a month, I just found out I either have a cracked head of a gasket is blown. They put in a new radiator (which did help) and a thermostat two different times and it still overheats. But I never noticed any smoke, and the oil looked fine around the fill cap and the dipstick. The coolant resevoir never bubbled, however I thought before I brought it in that I could smell exhaust coming out of the resevoir. I was told that being its an aluminum engine they have to send the head out to a aluminum shop to have them test it. And was quoted around 1100 if it was the gasket (which is what the mechanic thinks) or around the same basically if its a head (if I can find a used head). Has anyone else had this done? Any tips or advice on the subject? Does the price sound reasonable? THIS SUCKS!!! But still all I can think about is my beautiful car and how I cant wait to drive it again. Oh well shit happens. Thanks if not for anything else, just for hearing me bitch.

With the Aurora the culprit is most likely loose head bolts instead of cracked heads, or the head gasket itself. The head seal is breached because bolts tend to loosen due to sheared threads in the aluminum block. This will cause overheating, but not necessarily the other symptoms of a normal blown head gasket. The cause is usually baffling for those not familiar with the northstar engine. The heads may be fine otherwise. This is never a cheap repair, no matter where you get it done.

Best of Luck,
Protek22

[Liberato]

Just an update to my cracked head problem. It ended up being the head bolts like protek22 mentioned. And the cost to fix them was ridiculous. I just purchased a motor with 43,000 miles on it (mine had 166,000) from Mid City Auto Parts located in Milwaukee, which I found through Junkyarddogs.com. They have everything from transmissions to center caps.