sure signs of HG failure

[Ryan066]

well i think its that time, 1998 cavalier 2.2L 184,800KM.

what i have: non-stable temp guage and interminent low coolant light coming on. I checked the coolant level and its fine. I tried checking the resovior for bubbles and I think I can see some through hole. No coolant in the oil yet. No visual leaks.

so its a though call.

okay what are the best HG's for these guys? dealership? re-use the head bolts? what gaskets will I need? Plain the head anyways? special tools?

thanks

[muff34]

What is HG( head gaskets)? With all the electrical problems these cars have I think I`d look there first. is it blowing white smoke/steam out of exhaust and coolant is not going down I wouldn`t worry about blown head gaskets

[Ryan066]

well HG are very commen for around this year and KM. yeah it head gaskets
the only major wiring problem i seen was for the DRL's, broken wires

[Buzzycat]

Originally Posted by Ryan066

well HG are very commen for around this year and KM. yeah it head gaskets
the only major wiring problem i seen was for the DRL's, broken wires

I have the same engine in a 98 Pontiac sunfire, however nowhere near as many miles. Whoever told you head gaskets failing on these engines is common was not very well informed. The 2.2L engines in the Cavy/Sunfire are nearly bullet proof. You have a better chance of cracking the head itself then blowing the gasket.

[gerend]

FYI,

My wife had a blown head gasket on her '97 Sunfire 2.2L, with about 140k miles. Went the dealership route, they recommended replacing cyl head, b/c they're aluminum and often develop nearly-microscopic cracks (they said 3 out of 4 times it is cracked)...only way to really tell is:
1) Send off to be X-Ray'ed ($$$)
2) slap on a new gasket, and pray that it fixes the problem (but if it's cracked, this option costs even more in the long run cuz of the labor to take it off again, etc).
3) Assume it's bad and just install a new cylinder head

We went with #3...It was very expensive (well over $1000 at the time) and we could have gotten off cheaper somewhere else, but she "wanted it done right the first time". But I can't complain, since the car has been rock-solid ever since, with a basically new/rebuilt top-end of the engine. Now has over 230k miles and still runs great!

~G