shinbo

I think I just have the worst luck with this car and unfortunately its kinda turning me off on Lexus as a brand.

I just got a call from my mechanic and he said that my gasket is blown and that it's going to cost $3-4000 when my car is worth about 5k according to KBB.

Can this be something else besides a blown gasket everywhere online I read that it is "rare"

The symptoms are that, I was out driving today and everything felt fine and then I noticed the temp gauge going real hot so I pulled over and immediately stopped the car. I popped the hood and didn't see any smoke. Didn't see anything smoking really in fact I thought maybe there was a temp gauge malfunction.

I checked the coolant and it's still in the reservoir

Then I tried to drive to the mechanics and I turned the heat on as high as possible because I read that it help keeps the car cool but I saw the temp gauge creeping up again and then decided to pull over and have it towed. While the heat was on max, it wasn't blowing out hot. It just felt like regular air and no heat blowing.

Could it be possible that it is misdiagnosed? and maybe a thermostat issue? I really dont want to cough up anymore money on a car that's worth the same as the repair.

EdgarLex

The #1 thing to check if anyone says blown headgasket is the oil!

Did it have a milky color like chocolate milk? Sometimes if the leak is small it wont show but definitely the first thing to check.

2grfan

Sounds more like the water pump. Have the mechanic do a compression and leak down test, that’ll reveal if it’s a head gasket.

shinbo

I had the water pump already replaced 3 years ago, would it have gone bad again so quickly?

shinbo

Car is still with the mechanic, I'm thinking about driving it to another mechanic to get a second opinion. Just concerned about the overheating issue.

2grfan

Well if coolant isn’t flowing to the heater core, I would suspect the pump. Are you sure there isn’t a leak?

xxmariolxx

Check the pressurized radiator cap. If there's no leak and all coolant in is the reservoir it might be it. I've had multiple cars. That out of no where start raising tempreture with no leaks and it was the cap. I'd start there they're probably $5-10 worth a try

shinbo

I actually first brought this car to the same Mechanic on Monday because coolant leaked out everywhere from the reservoir and the tank was empty when I checked it. I had my car towed to the mechanic and he checked the car at the time and said he pressure tested the car and did not find a leak in the coolant system. He chalked the issue up to the radiator cap that he said was broken. So he replaced that.

shinbo

Had the radiator cap replaced on Monday when I first brought it in. I'm so bummed...

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

Before driving - pressurize the COOLING system!!

Get the facts! If the radiator, hoses, or anything external to the block is leaking you might be OK.

What people fail to realize is any leak within the blocks pressurized system WILL LEAD TO WHAT YOU FOUND! A full reservoir but the engine is overheating and low on coolant.

The reason is when the block cools, a vacuum forms pulling coolant from the reservoir and refilling the engine. BUT if there is a leak, it sucks air from the leak vs the reservoir. The leak could be the cap, a hose, a radiator, a heater core, or the pump and block.

Bottom line is the mechanic needs to prove to you by testing that the head gasket is leaking. As others have said, if there is oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil (milkshake oil), your head gasket is leaking.

GL

xxmariolxx

I'd try returning that cap and getting a new one. It's unlikely that it's defective but there's a possibility and it won't hurt. Can it be the heater core? You said the heater was blowing cold. Did it smell like antifreeze?

shinbo

So here's a changeup. I managed to drive the car to another mechanic shop thats like 10 minutes away. Managed to get there before the temp gauges hit hot.

Now that I'm somewhat educated on the head gasket signs I decided to take a look. There wasn't a puff of smoke from the tailpipes, in fact I have never seen a puff of smoke come from the tailpipes in my car. Also I checked the dip stick and the oil didn't look milk shaky or chocolaty. It looks kinda like molasses kinda similar to what it looked like before when it's been a while since my oil change (Using mobil 1)

The new mechanic mentioned the possibility of a head gasket but...... he said that he couldn't even pressurize the system right now because of two leaks, one on the radiator and one on the coolant reservoir. And that he added a gallon of water in it and still couldn't pressurize. He said that he can't test for other stuff like head gasket blowing when these external leaks are still there but he said that he doesn't think it's a blown gasket, but wouldn't guarantee it of course.

Quoted me 1300 for water pump, radiator, and thermostat housing and 6 hours of labor. I thought I'd give it a shot before anything else.

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

The dipstick is not the best method. Remove the oil fill cap. Water is heavier than oil and the DS doesn't go to the bottom of the pan.

FWIW - all those that chime in and not a single thanks... hmm....

xxmariolxx

Your looking at about $250 in parts for a coolant resevior, thermostat housing, radiator, and water pump. Ask him how much he charges per hour of labor. I'd order the parts and bring them to him. Or I'd say a day of tedious work is definitely worth saving $1k

shinbo

I'm super grateful for everybody chiming with their expertise, I was kinda waiting for this mechanic to conclude his repair later today and see if it hopefully worked so I can update this post for future reference and thanking everybody in the process or if it fails, thanking everybody for their help anyways. Thought it would feel weird to thank mid-conversation. But thank you everyone for their advice, I will report back with the results later hopefully successfully. The shop is putting the parts in as I post this.