How much does it cost to repair a head in an engine?

Answer 1

Short answer:

It depends on your engine, and your make of vehicle, like if you owned a Mercedes, it would cost more than if you have a Chevy.

The Whole Story:

Typically, when a head gasket blows, it blows because of a much more severe underlying problem. Gasket kits (the 'parts' required to simply replace the head gasked) cost very little, sometimes as little as $20 to $30USD.

The common underlying problems that can cause a blown head gasket are a cracked or warped cylinder head, which are both caused by overheating. Sadly, a blown head gasket usually means that your vehicle is going to need a lot of money in repairs before it will run again...

You see, once the bad gasket is replaced, the cracked or warped head must also be replaced or sent off for repair by a specialty machine shop. After that, you still must fix the problem that caused the overheating, which could be anything from a $20 valve to a $300 radiator replacement.

Taking all this into consideration, a blown head gasket is a major crossroads for a vehicle owner - they must decide whether or not to spend $500 to $1500 USD, or to replace their vehicle. Tough call, and of course, the blown gasket usually never happens on payday!