2000 SL1 Head Gasket Replacment?

I had a tire blow and took the car to a tire store and they said I had a
leaking head gasket. The car just hit 100K miles. I was wondering how to
tell if that is true and what is the average cost for replacing a head
gasket?

 

Your car burning coolant, oil is frothy/waterdowned, oily coolant, higher
than average operating temperature, etc. are all signs of a blown head
gasket. Assuming you haven't melted your cylinder head, it should be like
$300 to $400 or so for a head gasket replacement. You might wanna see how
much your Saturn dealer would charge to replace it before taking it
elsewhere, though most shops can do it fairly easily. Get it done sooner
than later to avoid unnecessary engine damage/overheating/warping. If you
need a new head, they might run another $300-$400 or so on top of the rest
of the work.

 

Do a "cylinder leak down test".

 

Dean S. Lautermilch

I would ask them or your own personal mechanic to show you where it was leaking
from . You could start yourself by looking in your coolant bottle for alot of
brown crap in there - which could indicate a coolant / oil mix.

If it is leaking internally ( like a compression test or cylinder leak down
test would show ) there is no way a tire shop wold have caught that while
fixing your tire. You could have an external head gasket leak ( at the back of
the block /head) which , depending on how long you want to keep the car, could
just be let go.

Tire store mechanics are often paid on flat rate with a comission ( they get
paid to "upsell" work ) and you should be cautious about what work they
recommend. Find someone knowledgable that you trust or ask a close friend who
they would use.