Head gasket repair costs can vary significantly from one vehicle to another. The cost depends on how common the job is, the type of vehicle you drive, the orientation of the engine, the location of the camshaft and its associated equipment, and what other components are replaced or refurbished during the replacement. All of these factors will not only affect the cost of the parts you need to purchase, but how long the job will take which will impact labor costs. Every car dealership keeps a repair manual on each make and model car they’ve sold. These repair manuals not only help the mechanics diagnose and repair your vehicle, but they also stipulate how long each job should take.
The cost of your head gasket repair can also vary based on the mechanic you go to. Most mechanics charge based on the length of time to job is supposed to take based on that shop manual for your car. For example, if replacing the head gasket on your vehicle should take a mechanic at the dealership 4 hours, the shop will charge you their hourly labor rate multiplied by that 4 hours.
All of these costs can quickly add up. For starters, most head gasket jobs require 3-8 hours depending on the how your car is built and what the disassembly and reassembly procedure is. This labor cost is where most of the expense come from for your head gasket job. On top of the labor costs, you have to add on the replacement parts required for the job. If your vehicle has a V style or boxer engine you’ve got the 2 head gaskets to replace. On top of the head gasket you’ve also got all the other miscellaneous gaskets that will need to be replaced. Anytime you remove certain components you should replace the gaskets to make sure you don’t have a leak when you put it back together. Things like intake manifold gaskets, throttle body gaskets, and valve cover gaskets can be included in this.
If you have an engine with a timing belt, then you will have to remove that to remove the head and replace the head gasket so it should be replaced when you put things back together as well. Similarly, most engines that blow head gaskets have high mileage so it is wise to replace a few other things while you have the engine disassembled so far. Things like water pumps, camshaft seals, spark plugs and wires can be easily replaced during a head gasket replacement without adding much labor time.
The last big cost of a head gasket replacement is an inspection and possible machine work on your heads. If you have a small head gasket leak and replace the gasket right away, you often times won’t need to do any head work, but many times the head can be damaged when the head gasket blows. You can take the risk of putting your engine back together without checking the condition of your head, but it may result in another leak soon after the repair. You should have your head checked for flatness, surface condition and for cracks. These checks aren’t something you can do in your garage with simple tools so it’s best to send it out to a machine shop. These types of checks and the subsequent repairs can also add up very quickly, and finding a reputable shop is getting more and more difficult.
Once you add up all of these cost, it makes sense why so many vehicles end up at the junk yard simply because of a blown head gasket. Luckily your vehicle doesn’t have to suffer the same fate. BlueDevil has created a Pour-N-Go Head Gasket Sealer that is simple to use, even if you’ve never looked under your hood. BlueDevil Pour-N-Go is a chemical based sealer that has no particulates that can clog or harm your cooling system. It is activated by the temperature difference at the leak point in your head gasket and will form a permanent bond sealing your leak without the parts or labor costs.
For more information about BlueDevil Pour-N-Go, check out our product information page here: Pour N Go Head Gasket Sealer
You can also purchase BlueDevil Products along with our guarantee at any of our partnering local auto parts stores like:
- AutoZone
- Advance Auto Parts
- Bennett Auto Supply
- CarQuest Auto parts
- NAPA Auto Parts
- O’Reilly Auto Parts
- Pep Boys
- Fast Track
- Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts Specialists
- S&E Quick Lube Distributer
- DYK Automotive
Pictures Provided By:
head_gasket.jpg – By Steve Mann – Licensed by Thinkstock – Original Link
BlueDevil Products can be found on Amazon.com or at AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts, O’Reilly Auto Parts, NAPA, and other major auto parts retailers.
18 responses to "Head Gasket Repair Cost"
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My 2009 Chrysler 300 has a small crack in the coolant air bleeder. Can I use one of your products to fix this? The car doesn’t overheat or anything. I had a dashboard light come on and took it to an auto shop and they showed me it. Thank you!
Kirstin,
Thanks for your question about your Chrysler 300. For this type of leak, you can use BlueDevil Radiator and Block Sealer (available here: http://store.gobdp.com/radiator-block-sealer-00205/) to seal the leak at the air bleeder.
Thanks again for your question!
-BD Auto Pro
Would this be the product to use in my rear differential that has slight leaking from the seals?
hello guys.. i have a bmw x3 wich has a blow head gasket.. is actually sucking all the water into the cilynder i think.. oul looks like mayo. well has been seating there for a while now… i was wondering if i can use some blue devil products to keep it going? please…
Carlos,
It sounds like you’ve got a pretty bad head gasket leak. In order for BlueDevil Head Gasket Sealer to work your vehicle has to be able to idle without overheating for 50 minutes. If you can get your car to do that then BlueDevil Head Gasket Sealer should seal your leak. We would recommend changing your oil first to make sure you don’t damage your bearings. if you can’t get your car to idle that long your leak may be too big for BlueDevil Head Gasket Sealer to stop.
Thanks again for your question!
-BD Auto Pro
i will do that.m. thank you
I have a Mazda B3000 with a head gasket leak, will this work on my vehicle?
Joe-
Yes, the BlueDevil Head Gasket Sealer is compatible with your Mazda B3000. Feel free to contact our technical support line at 888-863-0426 with any other questions.
Thank you!
-BDP
I have a Nissan Atilma 2000 and white smoke is coming out of the pipe I was told that the head gasket blow, so can o use this product
Wanda-
Thank you for asking about your Nissan Altima. As long as the vehicle can idle for 50 minutes, without overheating or stalling out, and you are not losing more than about a quart of water/coolant in that 50 minutes, then you would be a great candidate for the Head Gasket Sealer. Feel free to contact our technical support line at 888-863-0426 with any other questions.
Thank you!
-BDP
Hi, my name is Rose
My Chrysler 09 300 has a head gasket leak. There is oil in the coolant but no over heating. The only it does do is low oil pressure comes on and runs extremely rough.Can your product repair this problem guaranteed.
Rose-
Thank you for asking about your Chrysler. Unfortunately, we do not manufacture a product intended to stop oil from getting into the coolant. The BlueDevil Head Gasket Sealer is only intended for water/coolant leaks. A hard part repair may be your best option.
Thank you!
-BDP
My sister has a 2008 ford escape with a blown head gasket, but nothing in her oil yet. Do you have a product to fix it? Has 130k miles. Thanks!
Diane-
Thank you for asking about your Sister’s Ford Escape. What are the symptoms the vehicle is having? Please contact our technical support line at 888-863-0426 so that we can get a little better understanding of the vehicle’s condition and be able to make any appropriate recommendations.
Thank you!
-BDP
1995 Honda Civic 1.5 L SOHC. Coolant pressure is good but on removing sparkplugs, 1 had water in cylinder. No water in oil. Loosing coolant, having to add daily and exhaust has steam. Also coolant temp gauge fluctuates when revving engine..
Blue Devil ?
Todd-
Thank you for asking about your Honda Civic. Based on your description, it is possible that you are getting combustion/exhaust gases pumping back into the cooling system. You can use a “Block Dye Tester” to confirm whether or not that is the case.
BlueDevil Head Gasket Sealer will still work if your vehicle is getting combustion/exhaust gases blowing into the cooling system and creating pressure. To give yourself the best overall chance of BlueDevil working successfully, in addition to the directions, you should remove the spark plug from the cylinder with the leak; this will be the spark plug from the cylinder with the low compression reading. If you are not sure which one that is, you may pull all of the spark plugs and will notice one will have a white-crystal-like substance on it and/or may look dirty; this is the plug you should pull. Leave that plug out for the 50 minute idle in order to relieve the pressure from building up and thus allowing the product to seal properly. Be sure to follow the guidelines for the proper amount to use based on the size of your cooling system.
Thank you!
-BDP
So I have (or had) a blown head gasket on my 98 Ford expedition with the 5.4 triton engine. I replaced the radiator, the thermostat, and the water pump hoping they would fix the coolant issue with it spewing out of the overflow from time to time. Couldn’t get it into a garage to get the gasket replaced for awhile so I used your product as a hail Mary last possible thing I could do. I had my system flushed and put it in and followed the directions to a tee. To my surprise the coolant went down to the normal area and no leaks! I was so happy! Until I noticed coolant dripping in a different place now. Now coolant is coming out of my water pump (which I had replaced very recently)! What would have made that start leaking when it’s new and never leaked there before until after I used your product?
Josh-
Did you bleed/burp the system after the 50-minute idle? Based on your description, it’s possible that you had an air pocket or combustion/exhaust gases pumping into the cooling system, which may have been over-pressurizing the system and causing it to overheat. Please contact our technical support line at 888-863-0426 so that we can get a little better understanding of the vehicle’s condition and be able to make any appropriate recommendations.
Thank you!
-BDP