I've had nothing but headaches from my discovery. It's been in the shop more than my garage.

120,000 mi blue D2. Bought for 5,200 and have over 3,000 in repairs.
Things I've done.
Power steering pump
Front spring
Thermostat
Head gaskets twice but still over heated. We then added a sealant. This kept if from over heating for about 500 miles. I'm torn as what to do? Try the sealant again and hope it lasts? A new engine is not possible.

I would really appreciate some help. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place!

Thank you

 

When the head gaskets were replaced, was the block and heads thouroghly inspected for cracks or warping? If a head is warped, you can pull them, have them machined and do a valve job while you're at it for not that much $$. If your block is cracked, that almost certainly requires replacement... Ouch!! but, on the bright side, that would be a good excuse to step up to a 4.8L Hi-tourque motor $$$$ :-)

Sealant in your cooling system is never a good idea. It's simply a bandaid that attempts to cover up the real wound giving it more time to fester. it also plugs everything up (radiator, stat, etc.) :-/ I would get to bottom of why it's overheating, then asses from there. How's your water pump and radiator?

 

Hi Lucky139, or should I say, unlucky. Chucking sealant into the cooling system won't solve your issues. You need to stop, take stock of the situation as there are obviously issues with the truck. Q: is the engine right and the cooling system overheating causing engine failures OR is the engine wrong and causing the cooling system to overheat? I would suggest before throwing more cash at the problems you check the cooling system out with a pressure test and ensure it's circulating correctly. IMO the cooling system is probably overheating and causing engines to overheat, cook and fail. Once you have the cooling system working correctly then address the engine issues.

I also think you need to study the RAVE manual and then get into some home 'spannering' to save yourself some cash. Personally, leak sealant is what it is, a quick temporary fix but if it's blocking leaks think about what else it's also blocking like the rad, heater matrix, stat, waterways etc, etc. If it were me I'd address the issues logically and try to establish what is causing what rather than the 'band aid' approach. Painful it might be, but at present you are throwing cash at the problems and with no resolution.

 

Find a new mechanic. Preferably an Indy shop(rover specialist).. Your mechanic is just throwing your money at it and hoping for a fix.

Other option is turning a wrench yourself.. this requires time and research.

 

Only worth fixing if you can do the head gaskets yourself.

If you can't - head gaskets at Indy shop are $2,500 to $3,000.

Not worth it.

Get rid of it.

Indy shop may tear into it and find the engine has a cracked block or a slipped liner.

That's why if you can't do it and evaluate it yourself, just get rid of it.

It's your money.

 

I should add. The truck is now at a shop I fully trust. A different shop did the head gaskets twice. It still overheated so I took it to my friends shop. He is not a fan if sealants either but pressure tested the engine and it came back heads again. He researched and found a sealant that Cadillac uses. It supposed to be a permanent fix. Obviously isn't.

Cooling system is running fine.

 

I should add. The truck is now at a shop I fully trust. A different shop did the head gaskets twice. It still overheated so I took it to my friends shop. He is not a fan if sealants either but pressure tested the engine and it came back heads again. He researched and found a sealant that Cadillac uses. It supposed to be a permanent fix. Obviously isn't.

Cooling system is running fine.

 

The original shop billed you twice, and didn't fix the original problem? I suggest you check up on consumer law in your state, you should be entitled to get them to fix it for free, or get your money back.

I would take it back to the original shop, tell them to fix it, refund your money, or be taken to the small claims court and have a complaint filed with the Bureau of Automotive Repair (California).

 

No billed me once fixed the heads twice. The first one wasn't good. I got my money back from that job.

 

Surely the second one wasn't good either?