Fix it or trash it?

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marlton, new jersey, usa
‘06 Taurus. Bought used two months ago. 157K miles. Looks and usually runs well. CEL keeps coming on for P304–misfire on cylinder four. Shop says it needs head gasket for about $1K in repairs. Paid $2K for the car. Won’t sell it with defect in good conscience. Should I put money in to this or cut my losses?
 
Why not try a stop leak and get your moneys worth? I mentioned the delco tablets in another thread, theyve always done well by me, and arent a chemical concoction you pour into your oil.
 
I would personally sell it. But everything else on the vehicle is clean and in excellent shape, then it maybe worth it to you to fix it
 
Average private party for that car is ~$1500 in good condition. Unless it is the loaded model.
I would take it back to where you got it and see what they say about selling you a car with a blown head gasket.

It might have gotten the stop leak treatment to pass your inspection.
 
Try some bars HG-1 head gasket fix that comes in the big box. Stuff worked great in a Dodge Ram and my Chevy Suburban. I'm 2/2 for 100% success with that product and I don't drive my truck gently.
 
Need more info: If you sell it as-is, will you then need to buy another car? If you have it fixed does it seem likely that there are noother big-ticket fixes in the near term?
 
Are you losing any coolant? How does it run? I would swap the coil from 4 to another cylinder and see if your misfire moves to that cylinder. If not I would rent a compression tester and check the compression in 4 and maybe change the plug. Did the mechanic do any testing or just read the codes?
 
Originally Posted By: chartrue2
‘06 Taurus. Bought used two months ago. 157K miles. Looks and usually runs well. CEL keeps coming on for P304–misfire on cylinder four. Shop says it needs head gasket for about $1K in repairs. Paid $2K for the car. Won’t sell it with defect in good conscience. Should I put money in to this or cut my losses?


If the body is in good shape, fix it.
 
$1000 is not a lot to pay if the rest of the car is good, and you actually keep it and use it. I did use, with success, stop leak in a by on a Cavalier.
 
If you sell it you can forget that "good conscience" nonsense. Just tell the buyer what's up. No deception involved. No dishonesty. No big deal.

Fix it if the car is in good shape. Also, determine exactly what is wrong and shop around for better valued repair.
 
Originally Posted By: chartrue2
‘06 Taurus. Bought used two months ago. 157K miles. Looks and usually runs well. CEL keeps coming on for P304–misfire on cylinder four. Shop says it needs head gasket for about $1K in repairs. Paid $2K for the car. Won’t sell it with defect in good conscience. Should I put money in to this or cut my losses?


Is the only reason you believe it to need a head gasket because your mechanic told you so? Have you checked the coolant levels? Is it overheating? Water running out of the tail pipe? Blowing steam going down the road? Did you pull plug #4 and inspect it?

P0304 alone could indicate any of several possible problems, and I would definitely do some more investigation on my own before blindly trusting the mechanic.

https://repairpal.com/OBD-II-Code-P0304

I would hate for you to be taken for a $1k ride by an unscrupulous mechanic when you may have only needed something simple like a plug or coil.

If it does end up being a head gasket, you may want to dedicate a weekend to changing the head gasket yourself or try some blue devil.

https://store.gobdp.com/head-gasket-sealer-directions/
 
Originally Posted By: jk_636
Originally Posted By: chartrue2
‘06 Taurus. Bought used two months ago. 157K miles. Looks and usually runs well. CEL keeps coming on for P304–misfire on cylinder four. Shop says it needs head gasket for about $1K in repairs. Paid $2K for the car. Won’t sell it with defect in good conscience. Should I put money in to this or cut my losses?


Is the only reason you believe it to need a head gasket because your mechanic told you so? Have you checked the coolant levels? Is it overheating? Water running out of the tail pipe? Blowing steam going down the road? Did you pull plug #4 and inspect it?

P0304 alone could indicate any of several possible problems, and I would definitely do some more investigation on my own before blindly trusting the mechanic.

https://repairpal.com/OBD-II-Code-P0304

I would hate for you to be taken for a $1k ride by an unscrupulous mechanic when you may have only needed something simple like a plug or coil.

If it does end up being a head gasket, you may want to dedicate a weekend to changing the head gasket yourself or try some blue devil.

https://store.gobdp.com/head-gasket-sealer-directions/


That. Make sure it's ACTUALLY a head gasket. If it's the Vulcan (OHV) engine, those are all cast-iron and plenty tough. If it's a Duratec (DOHC 24V), those aren't forgiving of overheating, but not really known for head gaskets.

A misfire could be something as simple as a bad plug, coil, a plug wire, or even a vacuum leak.

First, check the spark plug. If it looks good, swap the plug wire on #4 to a different cylinder. Misfire goes with it? Change the plug wires. (If they're original, they're past due for changing anyway.)
 
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