head gasket repair costs

I'm curious, are the 348 heads supposed to be periodically retorqued like on the 308/328/Mondial series? Just wondering if you have any diagnosis as to why or how the headgasket failure occurred?

 

ouch SPIDERMAN, when the engine was into before did you get a warranty? i have no idea how much time has passed but since the engine was into for a failed oil pump , and overfilled once i am wondering if you have any recourse to get it fixed for less $$$$. ATLANTAMAN seems to be very versed on the engines as well as costs and common fixes. perhaps if he does not respond to your thread you can PM him. Charles is a great guy and has helped me a great deal with my 308 quest and questions. sorry to hear about this with your car. michael

 

Unfortunately I thinks it's going to cost alot more than $5000 even if it's just one side. The labor is almost the same whether it's both sides or one.
You have to R/R the engine.

My guess is $12k.

 

Yes the price is probably right if not low.
Due to the fact that they would probably have to send the heads out and have them checked for cracks and straightness.

As for F*ing Ferrari's.... You did like to drive one around right....
You gotta pay to play....

Good Luck to you

 

I don't understand how a bhg job could cost 12k on any modern car. How does that pricing break down?

At 12k for a 348 head gasket job - i'd be tempted to get a lift put in and pull the engine myself.

 

Thats crazy money some people charge for head gasket job,jezz how much are the parts couple of grand if that,i could probably have the gaskets made to a better spec and use ARP stud kit for even less,the labour in my case would be £0 cus id DIY it,

Dale.

 

I am sorry, but 12K for a head gasket R/R! Break it down. 6 hrs to take the engine out,approx, disassemble BOTH sides, 6-8hrs, repair, chk heads, clean and reassemble another 8. These are just my estimates from doing my own work and they are being generous with the hours. 22 hrs at $100/hr plus parts, say another $1500, which is way more than necessary and your still way under $12! These guys are totally taking advantage and should be stopped. These cars are different, but they aren't fighter jets! Some nuts and bolts, use your head and a basic internal combustion engine. I guess it is part of the "mystique". You could teach yourself to do it and be ahead of the game.
David

 

I guess I was preparing the guy for the worst at my $12k estimate.
I figured the cost of a 30k service plus removing 2 heads plus all the gaskets plus machine shop work plus ?

Could be worse than that even.
Could be a cracked head or even a cracked block.

Has anyone diagnosed the problem down to exactly what it is ?
Or are we just assuming it's a head gasket ?

 

David bang on there sir,anyone would think these guys are fixing jet engine
module's,no way is it hard to remove a engine on one of these and do the work,ever removed an engine on a morgan +8 crazy amount of time involved,


Dale.

 

1) I've donw everything there is to a 348

2) 12k is not unreasonable at all. In fact it could be way more! It take a long time to pull these motors. Also you are paying for special equipment like the lift not just labor. On a chevy you only need a cherry picker. Well what about the lift, engine hoist with ferrari lifting equipment? I got $12k in tools and I'm just a home mechanic.

3) You also have to properly dx your motor before you take it apart. It is already toast. You need to do a leak down test to isolate and point you in the proper direction. You also don't want to say fix a major leak in 1-4 only to find a few months later a pin point leak in 5-8 and do this all over again.

4) I never retorque heads ever! This is from a former Ferrari head mechanic from an infamos Ferrari shop. He said they do it per Ferrari but he never does it on his "own" stuff because it breaks up the seal of the head to the block deck. If a head is properly torqued the first time it will never go bad. I'm on my third Ferrari and 1 maserati and I never retorque heads during a major. I race my 348 and never torque heads. I have fixed other friends Ferraris and never torqued heads. I have never seen a head gasket leak to date.

5) on the rare occasion I was asked to retorque heads on friends Ferrari with friend there I set my wrench and torqued per pattern only to hear my wrench click meaning the torque was fine. Some people recommend untorque and then retorque in sequence which is a sure recipe for disaster imo.

6) in you are'nt 100% absolute sure you know why you have a HG leak you need to check eveything which costs you more money. So 12k is certainly not out of the question.

 

I can't find anywhere in my shop manual or owner's manual where something is said about retorquing the heads on a 328. Would you please cite a reference.

 

Some say head gaskets gone ive got oil in the water,its loosing water,retorque is NO fix its gone and its head's off,head re torque no need never,if it has to be done recomended by the manufacture the head stud qaulity is crap,by disturbing head bolts yer just asking for trouble,

Dale.

 

Lawrence,
http://bingo.cdyn.com/ferrari/328_bulletins.pdf see pages 84-86. The bulletin implies that previous to the change in studs, that V-8 engines required periodic retorquing of heads. This new stud was designed to eliminate that. BUT, you will note that they ask for checks to still be done, and feedback to FNA on what they find (experiment?). Anyway, my independant Ferrari tech says he will usually check on a car he has not previously worked on. When I got my 328 he checked the torque during the major service and at least two studs were not at the proper torque.

regards,
Dave