07 Yaris S Blown Head Gasket?

[ylerT]

New to the forums and trying to get some info about an issue we're having. Quick rundown...my wife's 2007 Yaris S just hit 80k miles, started overheating and we were told by a mechanic that it has a blown head gasket.

About 3 years ago, she accidentally put a couple gallons of diesel in the car (long story, don't ask haha). We ended up having the whole car flushed, catalytic converter and sensors/misc parts replaced. Since then it has been running perfectly fine, no issues with anything.

Well last weekend we took a trip to Anaheim and on the way started seeing the coolant light blink. Turning off the AC would make it go away almost immediately if we weren't on a hill. Basically after getting further into Cali with the cooler weather it was fine. On the way back a completely different story. It was blinking constantly, a few times it went solid and we actually pulled over to let the car cool down before continuing home.

All this week, my wife has seen the light go solid after less than 10 miles on the freeway. If she is driving short distances on surface streets, it's rare for the light to even blink unless the AC is full blast. We took it down to a mechanics, he says everything seems fine (radiator, thermostat, etc) and that he had a Civic that did the exact same thing...head gaskets blown.

Basically I'm just looking to see if anyone has seen something like this before? I'm not very knowledgeable on cars but a blown head gasket at 80k seems strange. Could it have been affected by the diesel fuel years ago? Also, what should I be looking to pay for a head gasket replacement if that is what it needs?

Thanks everyone!

[YarisSedan]

Sounds like the vehicle overheated for one reason or another maybe a thermostat issue or water pump which isnt uncommon on our cars to go bad and the vehicle was still driven while the vehicle was running hot or overheating and cause the head gasket to fail. It only takes the car to overheat once.

Have someone do a block test to verify head gasket failure. You can expect the repair to be in the range of a $1000 give or take.

[CTScott]

The other thing to check is if the radiator fan comes on. A couple of people on here have had overheating events occur because the fuse had popped for the radiator fan.

[Geoff Peace]

Originally Posted by ylerT

New to the forums and trying to get some info about an issue we're having. Quick rundown...my wife's 2007 Yaris S just hit 80k miles, started overheating and we were told by a mechanic that it has a blown head gasket.

About 3 years ago, she accidentally put a couple gallons of diesel in the car (long story, don't ask haha). We ended up having the whole car flushed, catalytic converter and sensors/misc parts replaced. Since then it has been running perfectly fine, no issues with anything.

Well last weekend we took a trip to Anaheim and on the way started seeing the coolant light blink. Turning off the AC would make it go away almost immediately if we weren't on a hill. Basically after getting further into Cali with the cooler weather it was fine. On the way back a completely different story. It was blinking constantly, a few times it went solid and we actually pulled over to let the car cool down before continuing home.

All this week, my wife has seen the light go solid after less than 10 miles on the freeway. If she is driving short distances on surface streets, it's rare for the light to even blink unless the AC is full blast. We took it down to a mechanics, he says everything seems fine (radiator, thermostat, etc) and that he had a Civic that did the exact same thing...head gaskets blown.

Basically I'm just looking to see if anyone has seen something like this before? I'm not very knowledgeable on cars but a blown head gasket at 80k seems strange. Could it have been affected by the diesel fuel years ago? Also, what should I be looking to pay for a head gasket replacement if that is what it needs?

Thanks everyone!

Do not jump to conclusions. A good deal of diagnosis is necessary to confirm a 'blown' head gasket. Firstly a thorough check of the cooling system including coolant pump and fan operation as CT has suggested. Secondly a compression test, thirdly a cylinder leakdown test. fourthly a test for CO in the coolant. Rushing into thinking 'It must be the head gasket' could lead to a great deal of unnecessary expense, and if the gasket is not the cause of the problem even more headaches and expense.
Regards Geoff Peace.

[mazilla]

If it does end up needing major repair keep in mind a low mileage motor can be had for about 600.00 and should take about 300.00-400.00 in labor to swap.

[ylerT]

According to the mechanic, everything checks out fine. He's gone over everything and he claims that he had a Honda that would do the exact same thing. Normal driving around town is fine but once the vehicle is on the freeway (high rpm, etc), it starts to overheat. He says there may just be a small section of the gasket damaged and when the engine is under a heavier load, the higher combustion or what not is what's causing it.

My main concern is on what I'm being quoted for the repair. I fully expected somewhere in or around $1,000 but his prices seem questionable to me. Before I get into it, I want to explain this is a guy I've known since high school and he's doing the work out of his home. He's done work for me in the past and I normally take everything to him so normally I don't question it but it seems leery. Anyway, here's what he's quoted me...

$675 for labor (9-10 hours)
$400 for machine shop work & parts

He claims the gasket set by itself is $231 but everywhere I look online, the gasket is nowhere near that. For example, on this site, it's only about $70 + shipping. Like I mentioned, I have very little knowledge about this type of stuff but if several sites list head gasket sets for around that price...what is it that he's saying cost triple that for just parts?

I'm also concerned about the labor costs. From doing a bit of research online, I see a lot of mention that a head gasket replacement should be about 6 hours. Am I just not reading enough or understanding what's involved? How could he possibly need 3-4 more hours? Also, is approx $70 an hour what I should expect to pay for a home mechanic? It seems most dealerships are in the $100 or so per hour rate so that seems pretty high to me.

I'm not trying to be nitpicky or cheap...but I also don't want to be ripped off. I've yet to call around for other quotes mainly because I prefer to give work to guys I know, etc. At this point though, I feel I have no other choice and need to start looking around. Also, just want to say thanks for all your guys' help and input!

[YarisSedan]

well for 231 he is marking up the parts all the shops mark up their parts anywhere two to three times above cost to cover warrenty and to pay the rent employees etc. Also the head gasket for 231 could be an entire kit which includes head gasket, intake manifold gasket, exhaust manifold gasket, and valve cover gasket for being in vegas the price your quoted is about average not really too high or low.

[Geoff Peace]

Originally Posted by ylerT

According to the mechanic, everything checks out fine. He's gone over everything and he claims that he had a Honda that would do the exact same thing. Normal driving around town is fine but once the vehicle is on the freeway (high rpm, etc), it starts to overheat. He says there may just be a small section of the gasket damaged and when the engine is under a heavier load, the higher combustion or what not is what's causing it.

My main concern is on what I'm being quoted for the repair. I fully expected somewhere in or around $1,000 but his prices seem questionable to me. Before I get into it, I want to explain this is a guy I've known since high school and he's doing the work out of his home. He's done work for me in the past and I normally take everything to him so normally I don't question it but it seems leery. Anyway, here's what he's quoted me
$400 for machine shop work & parts

He claims the gasket set by itself is $231 but everywhere I look online, the gasket is nowhere near that. For example, on this site, it's only about $70 + shipping. Like I mentioned, I have very little knowledge about this type of stuff but if several sites list head gasket sets for around that price...what is it that he's saying cost triple that for just parts?

I'm also concerned about the labor costs. From doing a bit of research online, I see a lot of mention that a head gasket replacement should be about 6 hours. Am I just not reading enough or understanding what's involved? How could he possibly need 3-4 more hours? Also, is approx $70 an hour what I should expect to pay for a home mechanic? It seems most dealerships are in the $100 or so per hour rate so that seems pretty high to me.

I'm not trying to be nitpicky or cheap...but I also don't want to be ripped off. I've yet to call around for other quotes mainly because I prefer to give work to guys I know, etc. At this point though, I feel I have no other choice and need to start looking around. Also, just want to say thanks for all your guys' help and input!

Have you conducted a compression test? if so what were the readings? I would be seeking a second and even a third opinion.
Regards Geoff Peace.