How long does it take to change head gasket in 1995 1.8 geo prizm?

i am very mechanically inclinedHow long does it take to change head gasket in 1995 1.8 geo prizm?To do it properly, it will take a day or two. Once you remove the intake and exhaust manifold, the head will come off easily. But, you should take the head assembly to a qualified machine shop, who will clean it, heat it and reshape it, and then re surface it, so that it is not warped. The most common cause of head gasket failure is just one over-heating. Make sure that when you put things back together, you have thoroughly cleaned out the space between the radiator and the A/C condenser. Debris always collects here, and affects proper air flow and results in %26quot;hot%26quot; spots. Also, replace your coolant temperature switch, as a precaution. If the switch fails, the engine will over-heat, and you are back to square one. Don't forget to rent a torque wrench, and install the NEW head bolts in sequence. Buy a Haynes manual, it will help you. Good Luck!!
How long does it take to change head gasket in 1995 1.8 geo prizm?
The issue that determines how quickly the job can be

accomplished is not how mechanically inclined you

are, but how familiar you are with the particular car,

and how experienced you are in this type of work.



Another fact that can determine how fast you can

get the car running again is the reason that the

head gasket failed. The head gasket usually fails

when the head gets warped. This happens due to

an overheating of the engine. Unfortunately, with

the aluminum heads of today instead of the old

cast iron the aluminum head also develops cracks.

Aluminum is only used on cars today because of

the fact that it is cheaper than cast iron, and

the fact that the smaller engines of today need

all the weight trimming possible so that they

will seem to be a really quick little car. Weight

is a hindrance on a smaller car where on the full

size cars it isn't. An additional benefit to the auto

makers, and the dealers is that they can sell

eleven times more aluminum heads than they

ever have of the cast iron, and for a hugely

inflated price over the actual cost.



Most likely you will probably need a new

head as yours has probably developed the

fine, hairline cracks that will open up more with

driving. They cannot be seen, and therefore must

be checked by a good machine shop. There is

no real good way to fix these cracks in most

cases. The machine shop will tell you, though.



The actual task of changing the gasket/head is

not bad. Only your familiarization with that task,

and of the car will determine if it takes you one,

or two days, or three to five days. A real good

mechanic that is very familiar with your particular

car, has all the proper tools, and a spare head

(if one is required), can start in the morning, and

have it back on the road that same day. If a

spare head is not available, and the ability to

check the head properly is not available it must

go to a machine shop. That can take an additional

one or two days to complete the job. If the old head

is just put back on the car without the machine

shop testing, most likely the job will have to be

done all over again real soon. The problem with

hurrying is that more damage is done to the

engine so that a complete rebuild, or replacement

of the engine becomes necessary. That takes

even more time. The cost in time, and money is

very high. You could probably replace the car

for less.



A new head for the car can cost anywhere from

$300 to $700. A reconditioning of yours at a

machine shop could cost from $60 to $175. The

cost of a 'so called' factory reconditioned head

will be the same as a new one.



In doing the job you will need to take the time

to remove a lot of wires/harnesses, vacuum lines,

and water lines. Take care to insure just where

each goes. Then begin 'dusting your knuckles'

to take the head off the engine. You will need a

pretty fair set of good metric tools of both the

wrenches, and a socket set.



Take care in reinstalling everything. Be sure to

follow the torque settings for all the bolts/nuts.

Having a book on your car that gives you all the

particular specs, the tear down procedure, and

the wiring diagrams is a big help. You can get

a cheap book from most any auto parts store.

I always have books on every car I work on.

(and that happens to be four file cabinets of

four drawers each, and a large bookcase full.)

The best books you can get are terribly costly.

Those are the factory service manuals, and the

Mitchell Automotive series manuals. For the

information in these books your best bet is to

just go to your public library. You can't check

them out, but you can copy them there. You

can get two book pages on one 11 X 17 sheet

for a cost of ten cents each sheet. Most times

you can get all you need, much better copies,

and better diagrams than are printed in the

cheap books. The cost for these copies to

cover most everything you need will be from

$1.00 to about $10, depending upon just

how much of a 'book' you want.



In any event, just be prepared for the possibility

that you will need to replace the head. Check

for one from a salvage yard, but plan to have it

tested before installing it. Most yards will allow

to exchange it if it is also bad, but it can cost

you more time in completing the job. The time

spent at this point might be more than you

wish, but the cost savings over having to do it

all over again is great.



Good Luck!