leaky head gasket..sle v6

[LiMpiNSoLaRa]

Hey guys, i just have a few questions concerning my 'leaky head gasket' according to my local toyota dealership..

I went in for an oil change, and they found it telling me it would cost about $200 to fix.. which i didnt have, so im going in wednesday..

Anyhow, my questions are,

1. Is this common on a '01 sle v6 with about 175,000 kms (which I have bagged) ?

2. I looked closely at what im pretty sure is the head gasket location, at the top of the head..and yes it does have a bit of oil or something leaking out (not that its literally dripping) it looks like its dried, or been seeping for awhile very slowly. Could this mean more than a $200 head gasket fix, or whatever toyota thought they would replace?

3. Is it bad to still be driving it?

On a side note, i checked the dip stick the day after my oil change, and the oil wasnt even on the stick..Goes to show the fools at this dealership..

Thanks for any help,
Dan

[Gregtrd]

Hey guys, i just have a few questions concerning my 'leaky head gasket' according to my local toyota dealership..

I went in for an oil change, and they found it telling me it would cost about $200 to fix.. which i didnt have, so im going in wednesday..

Anyhow, my questions are,

1. Is this common on a '01 sle v6 with about 175,000 kms (which I have bagged) ?

2. I looked closely at what im pretty sure is the head gasket location, at the top of the head..and yes it does have a bit of oil or something leaking out (not that its literally dripping) it looks like its dried, or been seeping for awhile very slowly. Could this mean more than a $200 head gasket fix, or whatever toyota thought they would replace?

3. Is it bad to still be driving it?

On a side note, i checked the dip stick the day after my oil change, and the oil wasnt even on the stick..Goes to show the fools at this dealership..

Thanks for any help,
Dan

a head gasket replacement would cost more like 1200.00 and up, you mean valve cover gasket.

[aleki2424]

you are probably talking about replacing both the front and rear head cover gaskets and no, it is not surprising that its needs a change. depending on driving habits and mileage, they do wear out at different levels , but it still is important to change them soon as they start leaking.
-unless you want the stuff spilling onto your belts and having to constantly top up the oil

ps-had mine done for close to 600

[MCOjerry]

A day after your oil change you had no oil showing on your dipstick???

Are you sure you don't have a bigger leak? I doubt a Toyota dealer would under fill. I mean, anyone can make an error, but that's a pretty big one.

[LiMpiNSoLaRa]

a head gasket replacement would cost more like 1200.00 and up, you mean valve cover gasket.

i guess ill expect this number then, perhaps i should reschedule for the 15th when i actually have money

A day after your oil change you had no oil showing on your dipstick???

thats right, and i know the leak isnt that big because i went and bought some oil, topped it up, ive since bagged it and the levels are fine..it took about a cup.

mabe ill just goto a whole other dealership for this..

im sure it cant be that bad basically idling around town?

thanks again

[LiMpiNSoLaRa]

damn.. i just realized u guys are talking american $ .. LOL

[ThatVietGuy]

Oh, the Canadian dollar is close to the American dollar these days anyway

[MCOjerry]

Oh, the Canadian dollar is close to the American dollar these days anyway

Yeah, almost 1:1 (1.00:0.981950 to be exact)

I don't know If I would have added oil, I would have had the car towed to the dealer (or driven if it could be) and raised a HUGE ruckus!

[LiMpiNSoLaRa]

oh I will cause a ruckus...but what do you guys think about me driving my vehicle in this condition?

cause if I goto another dealership, it probably wont be for like a week..

and if the oil just barely wasnt on the stick, is that still way too low??

[Eye8Pussies]

yes, that's too low

but regardless, it's not a problem driving the car, but just keep checking the level and adding oil


also, for $200, that'd probably just be for the front valve cover gasket- the rear would cost more than that just in labor (though the gasket in canada is also only about 20bucks)

[LiMpiNSoLaRa]

thanks guys..

yea ive been driving it since, and i booked an appointment on saturday at a different dealership..

however, ive got a new problem in the meantime..

it started turning over kinda slow like 4 days ago, and its got gradually worse, until today when it took like twice as long to start.

i wonder if this is a related problem to the gasket, or something else like my battery/starter/alternator?