Head gasket?

[ChopperCharles]

Is this a common failure on a 2014 JK? I've been losing coolant for a bit, and I dropped my jeep off at a local chain to get a diagnosis. They said a block pressure test indicated a head gasket failure. They also said they don't do that repair. The dealership said they do fix that, but that they replace the entire head with a remanufactured head at the tune of $750, plus 8 hours of labor at $150 an hour. Well over 2 grand after incidentals (coolant, oil, gaskets, o-rings, etc) and taxes.

First off, could the first place be wrong? and second, how much is the dealership trying to fleece me with that reman head? I've fixed several head gaskets in my years, but never had to put a used head in a car because of it.

charles.

 

[BLACKJKU]

All you need to do is have a Machine Shop check the head to see if it's warped.

You can buy a test Kit to check for exhaust gasses in the coolant.

 

[ChopperCharles]

Exhaust gases in the coolant would only be present if there was a breach of the headgasket between the combustion chamber and the water jacket, and would be negative if there was a breach between the water jacket and the outside. Just want to cover all the bases and have all the righ info before I shell out big bucks..

Charles.

 

[JeepJeezy]

How much coolant are you loosing in a given time frame? Do you get a puff of white smoke when you start the Jeep? Is your oil a chocolate milk color? Is there condensation under the oil cap? These are known for the radiators to crack and leak on the plastic sides. A buddy of mine was loosing coolant. Never dripped. Found out the radiator was leaking when it came to temperature.

 

[BLACKJKU]

Exhaust gases in the coolant would only be present if there was a breach of the headgasket between the combustion chamber and the water jacket, and would be negative if there was a breach between the water jacket and the outside. Just want to cover all the bases and have all the righ info before I shell out big bucks..

Charles.

Yes but still worth it to test, I don't think the Kits are very much compared to what the Dealer charges.

 

[ChopperCharles]

No puff of white smoke, oil is black, not milkshake, after the second OEM radiator went I replaced it with a solid aluminum radiator last year. I'm losing about a half gallon every two weeks, but I don't drive it every day either.

 

[mrjp]

No puff of white smoke, oil is black, not milkshake, after the second OEM radiator went I replaced it with a solid aluminum radiator last year. I'm losing about a half gallon every two weeks, but I don't drive it every day either.

That is a lot of coolant to be losing !!!

 

[ChopperCharles]

Well, the new shop did a proper cooling system pressurize test... and found that my brand new, super expensive solid aluminum radiator is leaking. So joy. I paid for a new mopar radiator, which lasts about 40k miles, and will exchange this one, as it has a lifetime warranty. And next time the mopar radiator fails I'll have the replacement radiator to put in. That said, this time I'm going to have it pressure tested BEFORE I install it.

Also, turns out my plastic oil filter manifold is also cracked and leaking, so I'm paying to have that upgraded to the new aluminum part. The last shop I brought it to told me I had a main seal leak, but this shop said the oil on the bottom of the transmission was coming from the cracked housing. So... all in all, this new place seems to actually know what they're doing.

Charles.

 

[BLACKJKU]

Well, the new shop did a proper cooling system pressurize test... and found that my brand new, super expensive solid aluminum radiator is leaking. So joy. I paid for a new mopar radiator, which lasts about 40k miles, and will exchange this one, as it has a lifetime warranty. And next time the mopar radiator fails I'll have the replacement radiator to put in. That said, this time I'm going to have it pressure tested BEFORE I install it.

Also, turns out my plastic oil filter manifold is also cracked and leaking, so I'm paying to have that upgraded to the new aluminum part. The last shop I brought it to told me I had a main seal leak, but this shop said the oil on the bottom of the transmission was coming from the cracked housing. So... all in all, this new place seems to actually know what they're doing.

Charles.

Thanks for the update.

 

[JeepJeezy]

Well, the new shop did a proper cooling system pressurize test... and found that my brand new, super expensive solid aluminum radiator is leaking. So joy. I paid for a new mopar radiator, which lasts about 40k miles, and will exchange this one, as it has a lifetime warranty. And next time the mopar radiator fails I'll have the replacement radiator to put in. That said, this time I'm going to have it pressure tested BEFORE I install it.

Also, turns out my plastic oil filter manifold is also cracked and leaking, so I'm paying to have that upgraded to the new aluminum part. The last shop I brought it to told me I had a main seal leak, but this shop said the oil on the bottom of the transmission was coming from the cracked housing. So... all in all, this new place seems to actually know what they're doing.

Charles.

Ouch. Sound like my luck. Glad ya have the warranty!