really really need help

[1fast94svt]

got car back after changing all gaskets including heads. Drove ok, than the temp starting fluctuating......hot cold cold cold hot..... than the car makes a weird sound and white smoke starts POURING out of the dumps. The car starting driving...well felt sorta like the feeling you get when your spark plugs arent hooked up right. Didnt even give the car much gas. Did i fry a piston, blow a head gasket, or could it be the lower manifold leaking where the crossovers are.....coolant/oil passage? I dont know what to do...

 

[Michael Yount]

White smoke/vapor out the exhausts (did it smell like antifreeze?) is usually a pretty good sign that a head gasket let go, or something is letting coolant get into the combustion chamber. Sounds to me like you may have to re-do what you just did. Are you sure you got the head gaskets oriented correctly? A particular end goes toward the front of the engine, and toward the back in order to force fluid to flow the right way. If you get them backwards, no coolant gets to the back of the heads/engine which could cause an overheating problem.

 

[1fast94svt]

stuck

if i need to have this re-done professionally, how much should i expect to pay. My machanic charges 70 per hour. I am flipping out, just want to sell the cobra and get something new ...03 terminator. Anybody know how much i should look to pay, and or should i sell it as is??

 

[kdog_x]

The gaskets themselves are pretty cheap, you'll pretty much be paying for labor. It'll probably run about $5-600 bucks through most mechanics.

 

[Michael Yount]

And we're assuming it's head gasket(s) -- some diagnostic work should likely be done first to determine what the actual problem is. Have you checked your dipstick and overflow to see if there's coolant in oil or oil in coolant? Who did the work on the car?

 

[1fast94svt]

well

i did the head gaskets and lower. the rest was done by my machanic. There is a ton of that beige goop in all over the dipstick. The radiator seems to be clean. When i took off the oil cap on the valve covers there was a loud hissing...b/c i had to drive the car slow about 1/2 when all of that happend.

 

[dastang2]

you are getting water in your oil which means your head gasket was not installed right. fix it and change oil immediatly or else. or else you bearings will fry.

 

[ss93cobra]

God, that sucks. I feel for you. How's everything going? Where do you stand with it now? Any progress? I've posted several times a while back to your threads and I've wondered how it went. Let me know. Not everything is as bad as it seems. Man put it together, man can take it apart.

 

[1fast94svt]

thanks

thanks man, it's just one of those learning experiences. Im done now though, im selling her as is. I just am sick and tired of all these little problems, i dont have the time nor the money right now. I love it so much ,but i think when i pick up that 03 things will feel better
Honostly though i appreciate all the help tremendously. Sometimes you just have to say enough is enough and its time to move on. Some guy when he has the heads repaired will be one lucky guy for what hes paying.