Ouch. Blown engine? What next?

[Keith W]

I have a fairly new-to-me 1998 G3500 van. I believe I left the cap off the coolant overflow, but in any case I blew the waterpump. I just put a new pump on, and the truck runs blowing lots of white smoke out of the exhaust. No leaks (smoke or fluid) from under the hood that I've seen.

It still starts fairly easily (not quite as easily as before). It has 160K miles. Seems to sound maybe a little more rackety, but not too loud. It didn't quit on me, but I drove it for at least 5 miles, probably, with no coolant.

I figure at the least I have a blown head gasket. Maybe a cracked head, and/or block (that is, my van: I'm feeling like I DEFINITELY have a cracked head, for leaving that overflow cap off).

Here are my questions:

1) Should I give up on it? Several people say I should. It's a work van, I don't have a lot of money to replace it, but then again, pouring good money after bad... the body is near perfect, though.

2) I am considering taking the head off myself. How much work is it? It costs a lot (I've been quoted $1800 for a new head gasket), so I'm guessing it's not easy... Can it readily be done without removing the engine? I have to work on the side of the road, no driveway... I know it's really, really tight in there. I replaced/moved/cooled the PMD/FSD a while back, so I know a little of what to expect...

Thanks in advance for any help thinking about this. It's a little tiny bit distressing, so thanks for any useful information.

Keith

[NH2112]

My experience with vans is that it's MUCH easier to pull the engine to work on almost everything behind the water pump. What I'd do is remove the hood, grille, radiator & support, etc, and pull the engine & tranny as a unit. You can then do the work yourself or bring the engine to a shop and have them do the gasket. Any chance you can find a garage to work in? It'll be a lot easier and you'll spill quite a bit of fluids on the road otherwise.

[Patrick m.]

that is not a job for a novice. Not even in a pick-up in a garage.
The best bet is take it to a shop you trust, have them tear it down and give you a report, and you inspect the parts with them. Then you can come to a decission about the path to a final repair.

[tommac95]

The OEM heads develop cracks in most cases by 160K miles.

The block firedeck will probably be worn/pitted/corroded where the headgasket sealing ring compresses... this ought to be resurfaced. The blocks are impressive regarding cylinder wear (quite good/minimal).

The showstopping indication/inclination is that the blocks tend to cracking, low in the crank main webs, and sometimes working up thru the cylinder wall.

You probably need to remove the block to R&R the heads, and also to surface the deck, and also to carefully search/inspect for block cracks. [The time you save will almost certainly justify]. 1997/98 is a good vintage for bad cracks, but your service (if not towing) might have been OK--you really need to ascertain block/crack status before proceeding.

Plan to replace heads, harmonic balancer, timing chain and rings; maybe pistons, crank and block, turbo.

[Keith W]

Here's teh deal: I spent $4000 on the van. I added another several hundred worth of parts and labor to put the FSD/PMD on a cooler, and various other things. I am being quoted $2-8000 for a gasket or engine, and pretty much everyone says I shouldn't do it. So, I think I do most of it myself, or I get rid of the van. This is all a problem, since this is my working van, and I loose money while it's sitting around, but I can't sink a bunch more into it.

I hope I can get the heads off, then have someone else (a shop) help me check them for cracks. Get them pressure tested if necessary, but the mechanic I talked to said that probably wasn't necessary. I don't think I'll be removing the engine: I will get rid of the van first. Is there any way to check the block while it's in the van? As for the surface of the block, I guess I'll see when I'm there.

I really, really welcome any other specifics about what to look for, etc. If I saw a better option I would do it. Thanks for your help everyone.

Keith