Cost to replace valve cover gasket?

Hi all,

I'm about at my wit's end here. I'm currently on my 4th mechanic, and
am very worried he's going to go through the $900 I still have left,
and then some. Problem is: car doesn't start.

The first mechanic is a guy who just fixes cars in his driveway,
without a shop or proper tools.
He said it wasn't the fuel filter or fuel pump, but he thought it was
something electrical.
I told him I expected the spark plugs were bad, and he didn't even
look at that.

next, I took it to Pep Boys. They said that cylinder number one was
bad, that the engine had no compression, but they they don't know
about fixing no engines so I'd have to go to a place that does fix
engines. $100 please.

Next, I took it to the Saturn Dealership. They said the compression is
fine, the engine is still good, but it needs a valve cover gasket.
Apparently they didn;t even try to figure why it won't start; they
just took a look at the spark plugs and said: "oh they are covered in
oil, that's got to be the reason." They also said it needed some other
minor stuff that is not about getting it to start, like a coolant
temperature sensor and a tuneup. $915.00. So I took it out of there
to get
another opinion. $95 Please.

Now it's at mechanic number 4. At least he said: "let's get it to
start first, then figure out what else is wrong." Ok so he's
replacing the spark plugs and spark plug cables, putting one new tire
on it (that went flat while the car was just sitting for a month), and
doing his own diagnosis.
$550. wow. I only have $350 left.

So if I can't afford to pay this guy to do anything else, which I
think is likely, I may have to take
it somewhere to have somebody just open up the engine, slap a valve
cover gasket on it and close it back up again without doing anything
else. Shouldn't it be possible to get that for
about $350?

I understand it takes specialized tools and training to be able to do
it, but shouldn;t I be able
to find some place that would just change the gasket and get it done
for about $350?

"> I understand it takes specialized tools and training to be able to do
> it, but shouldn;t I be able
> to find some place that would just change the gasket and get it done
> for about $350?

I dont know much about Saturns, and I would guess the particular engine
and configuration in your car would be a determining factor.

On some cars, you can have the valve cover off, the gasket changed, and the
whole thing back together in just a few minutes.

And then there are the OTHERS, which a valve cover gasket replacement is
similar to an archeological dig.

Maybe if you post the year, model, and engine of your Saturn, someone can
get to specifics.

But in general terms, yes, on "most" engines I think you can replace a valve
cover gasket for $350 or less.

Oh right, I have a '93 saturn SW2 station wagon.

I just got word from the mechanic, and he says it's fixed and ready to
go,
that eventually it will need the gasket replaced, but not yet.

It just needed the plugs and cables replaced. So I went through all
that,
and $750, just to replace one tire, spark plugs and cables. faugh.

Thanks hls.

Oh right, I have a '93 saturn SW2 station wagon.

I just got word from the mechanic, and he says it's fixed and ready to
go,
that eventually it will need the gasket replaced, but not yet.

It just needed the plugs and cables replaced. So I went through all
that,
and $750, just to replace one tire, spark plugs and cables. faugh.

Thanks hls.

"kohlrabi_croce" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Oh right, I have a '93 saturn SW2 station wagon.
>
> I just got word from the mechanic, and he says it's fixed and ready to
> go,
> that eventually it will need the gasket replaced, but not yet.
>
> It just needed the plugs and cables replaced. So I went through all
> that,
> and $750, just to replace one tire, spark plugs and cables. faugh.
>
> Thanks hls.

Good Grief...
This car, as far as I can tell, is a standard four cylinder. Replacing the
valve
cover gasket, unless there is something unusual, should be a piece of cake

Ditto plugs and cables.

A tire should not run much over a hundred bucks.

Maybe I am very wrong, but seems out of line.

kohlrabi_croce wrote:

> Problem is: car doesn't start.
>
> The first mechanic is a guy who just fixes cars in his driveway,
> without a shop or proper tools. He said it wasn't the fuel filter
> or fuel pump, but he thought it was something electrical. I told
> him I expected the spark plugs were bad, and he didn't even look at that.
>
> next, I took it to Pep Boys. They said that cylinder number one was
> bad, that the engine had no compression, but they they don't know
> about fixing no engines so I'd have to go to a place that does fix
> engines. $100 please.
>
> Next, I took it to the Saturn Dealership. They said the compression is
> fine, the engine is still good, but it needs a valve cover gasket.
> Apparently they didn't even try to figure why it won't start; they
> just took a look at the spark plugs and said: "oh they are covered in
> oil, that's got to be the reason." They also said it needed some other
> minor stuff that is not about getting it to start, like a coolant
> temperature sensor and a tuneup. $915.00. So I took it out of there
> to get another opinion. $95 Please.
>
> Now it's at mechanic number 4. At least he said: "let's get it to
> start first, then figure out what else is wrong." Ok so he's
> replacing the spark plugs and spark plug cables, putting one new tire
> on it (that went flat while the car was just sitting for a month), and
> doing his own diagnosis. $550. wow. I only have $350 left.
>
> So if I can't afford to pay this guy to do anything else, which I
> think is likely, I may have to take
> it somewhere to have somebody just open up the engine, slap a valve
> cover gasket on it and close it back up again without doing anything
> else. Shouldn't it be possible to get that for
> about $350?
>
> I understand it takes specialized tools and training to be able to do
> it, but shouldn't I be able to find some place that would just change
> the gasket and get it done for about $350?

Did you pay all those places to fix or diagnose your problem or to
merely take your money? I can understand paying a mechanic a
diagnostic fee without getting the car fixed, but if they say they're
going to fix it or they replace parts, shouldn't your car come back to
you with the problem resolved? I hoped you paid by credit card so you
can get your money back easily, and if any of the garages are AAA
approved, AAA will arbitrate any dispute, even for non-members.
Another thing: in some areas AAA has diagnostic centers, but I think
they're only for AAA members.

How can a valve cover be in such bad shape that it actually prevents a
car from starting? Wouldn't it have to be losing chunks and letting
tons of oil drip out? OTOH if it's just leaking a bit, can't you just
keep checking the oil level and wipe off the drips every few days?
BTW it doesn't take much oil to create a fairly large puddle -- try
pouring a tablespoon of water on the driveway and see how much it
spreads.

When Pep Boys said that one of the cylinders had no compression, did
they actually measure the compression? Because I heard a local Pep
Boys tell a customer who was getting a tune-up that his engine had no
compression in one cylinder, but I think it was due to the spark plug
not firing, not due to a leaky cylinder. BTW don't take a car to Pep
Boys for diagnosis because around here they're terrible at that, and
in the case of that customer I mentioned, when he asked the mechanic
what the printout from the tune-up computer meant, the mechanic said
he didn't know.

Wow, $350 to change a valve cover gasket. At some places you can get
a head gasket replaced for that price.