the mitsubishi dealership said i had a problem with my transmission.... so i said oh shit. then they said they wanted $700 just TO LOOK AT IT!! so i was like fuck that. so i brought it to my mechanic about an hour away, and he called me today and said there was nothing wrong with my transmission but i blew a head gasket and its gonna cost me $1000 that i dont have to fix it!!

can any one tell me how critical this is and do i need to get it fixed like RIGHT NOW or can it wait a month? does this normally happen to our cars? what causes it? how does it affect the car?

any help would be appreciated.
thanks guys

get another opinion.

there is no way the dealership would say tranny and a mechanic would say headgasket. get another opinion, from at least 2 more places.

if it is the headgasket, it needs to be replaced immediatly.

I think that 95-98 420a's had the problem with the head stud on the firewall drivers side not being drilled deep enough at the factory, 99's had the problem fixed as far as i know. If you know your way around a tool box then i say go for the rebuild yourself.

Headgasket- 60ish
Head Gasket Set- 129-175
Thats just a few of the prices..im sure you'll need more, and i hope this helps

Originally posted by ajcfalcon
the mitsubishi dealership said i had a problem with my transmission.... so i said oh shit. then they said they wanted $700 just TO LOOK AT IT!! so i was like fuck that. so i brought it to my mechanic about an hour away, and he called me today and said there was nothing wrong with my transmission but i blew a head gasket and its gonna cost me $1000 that i dont have to fix it!! can any one tell me how critical this is and do i need to get it fixed like RIGHT NOW or can it wait a month? does this normally happen to our cars? what causes it? how does it affect the car? any help would be appreciated. thanks guys

Um...yes you need to take care of that right away....you dont want to drive with it cause your Coolant will leak into the chambers and while its combusting, you are screwing up your motor. All types of bad. easiest way is to get a MLS head gasket and replace it yourself and you will save yourself about $800 - $900. You can do it over a weekend by yourself, or if you have some friends that could help in an afternoon. Whatever you do, Dont drive it anymore til that is done.

Originally posted by hunntyr

Originally posted by ajcfalcon the mitsubishi dealership said i had a problem with my transmission.... so i said oh shit. then they said they wanted $700 just TO LOOK AT IT!! so i was like fuck that. so i brought it to my mechanic about an hour away, and he called me today and said there was nothing wrong with my transmission but i blew a head gasket and its gonna cost me $1000 that i dont have to fix it!! can any one tell me how critical this is and do i need to get it fixed like RIGHT NOW or can it wait a month? does this normally happen to our cars? what causes it? how does it affect the car? any help would be appreciated. thanks guys

Um...yes you need to take care of that right away....you dont want to drive with it cause your Coolant will leak into the chambers and while its combusting, you are screwing up your motor. All types of bad. easiest way is to get a MLS head gasket and replace it yourself and you will save yourself about $800 - $900. You can do it over a weekend by yourself, or if you have some friends that could help in an afternoon. Whatever you do, Dont drive it anymore til that is done.

omg trailerpark-eclipse!!! classic!!!

Originally posted by GhEttOrAiD

Originally posted by hunntyr

Originally posted by ajcfalcon the mitsubishi dealership said i had a problem with my transmission.... so i said oh shit. then they said they wanted $700 just TO LOOK AT IT!! so i was like fuck that. so i brought it to my mechanic about an hour away, and he called me today and said there was nothing wrong with my transmission but i blew a head gasket and its gonna cost me $1000 that i dont have to fix it!! can any one tell me how critical this is and do i need to get it fixed like RIGHT NOW or can it wait a month? does this normally happen to our cars? what causes it? how does it affect the car? any help would be appreciated. thanks guys

Um...yes you need to take care of that right away....you dont want to drive with it cause your Coolant will leak into the chambers and while its combusting, you are screwing up your motor. All types of bad. easiest way is to get a MLS head gasket and replace it yourself and you will save yourself about $800 - $900. You can do it over a weekend by yourself, or if you have some friends that could help in an afternoon. Whatever you do, Dont drive it anymore til that is done.

omg trailerpark-eclipse!!! classic!!!

LOL.....Good one, however that is a 5th wheel camper in the back.

i appreciate your advice guys thanks. the problem is... im an idiot and i wouldnt even know where to start. the mechanic is going to let me watch him to learn, but there is no way i could do it myself.

DAMNIT!!!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by ajcfalcon
the mitsubishi dealership said i had a problem with my transmission.... so i said oh shit. then they said they wanted $700 just TO LOOK AT IT!! so i was like fuck that. so i brought it to my mechanic about an hour away, and he called me today and said there was nothing wrong with my transmission but i blew a head gasket and its gonna cost me $1000 that i dont have to fix it!! can any one tell me how critical this is and do i need to get it fixed like RIGHT NOW or can it wait a month? does this normally happen to our cars? what causes it? how does it affect the car? any help would be appreciated. thanks guys

95-97's have a composite paper headgasket which normally is shreaded apart because it doesn't transfer heat, and the aluminum head and iron block have different expansion properties.

It normally goes on the rear driverside most bolt because the hole is not quite deep enough for an unmodified head bolt (meaning that bolt, unless it's shortened, can't be tightened to the proper torque).

Normally just the oil gallery makes a path to the outside, and sometimes inside of the block, meaning you will just burn/loose oil, and possibly have a little compression loss, but not bad.

Now it's a serious problem if your coolant (look under radiator cap when engine is cool), or oil (look on dipstick) looks milky/frothy (shows signs of the other fluid. Hopefully that isn't your case, normally it isn't in this situation.

So my suggestion is monitor your coolant and oil levels and check for froth periodically, untill you have money to pay a trusted mechanic to make the repair and slap an "industructable" MLS headgasket on, get the head milled flat, and a new set of head bolts shaving a 1/8" on the bolt mentioned above.

The parts arn't too expensive. I would recommend replacing all normal related parts when doing this repair as the parts arn't expensive compared to the labor involved to take it down (timing belt, pullies, tensioner, water pump). I would order them by phone from Fenton Dodge (look in my profile for number) since they are the cheapest OEM parts dealer if you ask for the 2gnt discount. Then bring those parts to your mechanic.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Yeah I heard the only HG problems were with the 95-97s. Has anybody with a 98 and up had problems?

Originally posted by EclipseRST
Yeah I heard the only HG problems were with the 95-97s. Has anybody with a 98 and up had problems?

I've had 2 HGs replaced in 7 years. I had a small oil leak each time, so I don't know if that qualifies as 'blown' (no coolant in the oil, either).

- Tony


1998 Eclipse GS

That sounds like you didn't have that bolt shaved, or didn't get the head milled flat, or didn't use new head bolts.

well I have a 98 gs and my HG is fucked up.....I'm leakin oil but I haven't noticed any of the other symptoms but I am leakin oil....the dealership quoted me $1100 for HG, water pump, and something else. Took it to a local mechanic and for the same things with the triple layer HG for $600.....so most of the tax money will go to the that.....Is that a good price for the fix????

Yeah $600 is a good price, I'd ask him to change the timing belt for that price too (plus the price of the belt).

Damn I'm glad my dad is a mechanic. I think I paid 200 for my timing belt,waterpump and tensioner.(cost) and we did it together.So I learnt while already knowing about motors but the fact is. It's WAAAAAAAAYYY cheaper if you can get a 2GNT'er or someone who knows something to help you out. shops charge 40-60 bux an hour. The timing belt job is extensive just cause you have to remove cam gears and all that shit.....and it takes time to put it all back togeter of course.I think it took us 3-4 hrs with minimal beer breaks.

a headgasket.....don't you just remove cam sensor...TB cover.....coilpack and undo a few bolts?

mine is a 98... and what is all this talk about timing belts and water pumps and all that? i just had my timing belt replaced and i paid $100 with a coupon :) so that should be fine... right? and the water pump... what does that have to do with the head gasket?

and i dont know where you live man, but wherever it is i need to go there. the cheapest place they have hear is $96 an hour for mechanics. my dealership wants $149 an hour. the only time i use them is when they send me coupons :)

ok, so i ask for MLS head gasket(what does that mean?), and ask them to shave the bolt on the rear driverside...

they currently have my car an hour away and im driving "the loner", its a 85' chrysler pos station wagon so i dont really have much time, i kinda want to get it done today ya know... or tomorrow.

so is there anything else i need to tell them?

by the way, you guys are fucking awsome

Originally posted by ajcfalcon
mine is a 98... and what is all this talk about timing belts and water pumps and all that? i just had my timing belt replaced and i paid $100 with a coupon :) so that should be fine... right? and the water pump... what does that have to do with the head gasket? and i dont know where you live man, but wherever it is i need to go there. the cheapest place they have hear is $96 an hour for mechanics. my dealership wants $149 an hour. the only time i use them is when they send me coupons :) ok, so i ask for MLS head gasket(what does that mean?), and ask them to shave the bolt on the rear driverside... they currently have my car an hour away and im driving "the loner", its a 85' chrysler pos station wagon so i dont really have much time, i kinda want to get it done today ya know... or tomorrow. so is there anything else i need to tell them? by the way, you guys are fucking awsome

WOW...$96/hr is Really Expensive. Im in FL and they charge about 50-70 depending on the job that needs to be done. The talk about the water pump is because the water pump pulley uses the timing belt to funcion. If you had no problems with your pump then dont worry about it. MLS stands for Multi Layered Steel. Hope this helps and uh good luck with that Loaner....

i just talked to him. he wanted 1200 but i talked him down to 1000. i told him no timing belt because i jsut had that done, and i told him if the water pump looks ok then leave it the hell alone. he said im not getting it back till friday or monday!!! he said he can only use the factory gaskets which he said is 3 layers, and he said he is replacing everything from bolts to spark plug wires. i still think its a friggin rip off and i wanted new wheels and i wanted to put my body kit on and get my car painted but it looks like none of that is going to be happeneing anytime soon. oh well, thats life i guess.... or its just the story of my life... either one take your pick.

Originally posted by ajcfalcon
i just talked to him. he wanted 1200 but i talked him down to 1000. i told him no timing belt because i jsut had that done, and i told him if the water pump looks ok then leave it the hell alone. he said im not getting it back till friday or monday!!! he said he can only use the factory gaskets which he said is 3 layers, and he said he is replacing everything from bolts to spark plug wires. i still think its a friggin rip off and i wanted new wheels and i wanted to put my body kit on and get my car painted but it looks like none of that is going to be happeneing anytime soon. oh well, thats life i guess.... or its just the story of my life... either one take your pick.

Well thats a bunch of Bull. I would be upset also. Did you take it to the dealer??? I guess the Factory HG would work for now if you just need it to get by. Good Idea to replace the plugs and stuff. Good Luck

Ask him how much he'd charge if you bought all the parts yourself. You can probably buy all the parts including the timing belt crap (which I STRONGLY recommend you replace anyways) for about $300.

If he still charges too much, get a phone book.

Then get on the phone and find out from various mechanics how much they charge in labor (not parts) for a head gasket job for your car. I imagine it should be about 300-400. Definitely NO more than that.

Originally posted by WickedESi
Yeah $600 is a good price, I'd ask him to change the timing belt for that price too (plus the price of the belt).

yeah thats what I forgot the freakin timing belt......and thats my next concern since I just turned 66k

If you're gonna go to a mechanic and you're gonna bring your own parts then you want to ask him how much the repair will be BEFORE you mention that you're bringing your own parts. The reason you want to do that is because sometimes they will quote higher for the labor to make up for what they lose by not selling you the parts (they get parts alot cheaper than we do and then sell them for more than we would pay at an auto store). Just ask for the quote, then ask him how much of that is labor, and then tell him that you're bringing your own parts when he has already commited to a price on labor.