Road conditions now effect an engine and can cause a head failure? I could never bring that up with a straight face and hope to keep any sort of good reputation ITRW.
Water in sump oil does not necessarily mean a ruin engine. If known soon enough and the engine is shut down it is simply a matter of draining and replacing the proper fluids. I am sure we have a least a member or 2 that have sunk their speed boat i.e. flat bottom or Hydro and can tell you this as fact? If the engine is not shut down soon enough you could lose bearings or hydra lock the engine which is rare in this cited conversation... The head is seldom the problem and can support a higher cylinder pressure up to a point the rule of thumb is stock safe to 30% increase.
I am not sure about some of the interesting information about engine/head issues.
Most damage in the upper end is caused from a failed head gasket that starts first than damaging the head.
Most of the time only a new head gasket is needed but it is prudent to have the head pressure tested and surfaced.
Maybe a few might talk to some Engine Machine Shops or better Performance Engine Machine shops and get some better information about engine and head failures most common causes. and get real facts about engines?
Just the head + gasket alone are $700. With valvetrain, I'd imagine it'll be close to $1000. It's still a long way from the $1700 unless that includes labor.
I am told by the moderators it is really not appropriate to ask for and expect IMHO as an ASE Master Technician such information on this forum? So its up to you.
Just looked at the repair manual from Mazda for replacing the head gasket. There are 21 other pieces to remove before starting on the head, but it also mentions supporting the engine using a floor jack against the oil pan. No mention of completely removing the engineThere was another thread on here (sorry, I don't have a link) where someone had the head or gasket replaced, and in that thread the poster reported that the engine has to come out of the car to get the head off. If that is truly the case, I can believe there is $2k+ of labor in there at dealership rates (for reference, the "preferred" approach for replacing the water pump in the old V6 involves pulling the motor, which turns a $150 water pump into a $2500 job at the dealer).
As of right now I'm being told around $5,100 to replace head gasket. This really feels absurd. I have 5 pages of parts that they gave me. Not all of it sounds necessary to me
Might want to edit your personal info out of those. I agree with @jal142 as well. Sounds like a lot of parts, but all could be deteriorated or otherwise unusable. $3600 in labor seems very high thoughHere are the 5 pages of parts for $1,500 to repair head gasket quoted at $5,100
Yes. $189hr for 18.8hrs.In looking at that list, they are proposing to replace almost every plastic or rubber part that they will have to remove to get to the cylinder head. All the gaskets, seals, and o-rings listed are reasonable to replace because trying to reuse 5 year old rubber gaskets and seals is a recipe for disaster. They will likely not seal the second time around. They are also wanting to replace all the exhaust fasteners which isn't unreasonable as those can rust badly.
The prices for the items is eye watering - the $30 head gasket needs $1470 of supporting parts. Wow.
Is it $5100 total because of labor?
Is there anything price worthy on that list that I shouldn't have to replace that they are charging to replace?Yes. $189hr for 18.8hrs.