Need feedback on Z26 blown head

[andrewheatherly]

Greeting yaw'll,
Here goes, I have a 1996 Beretta Z26 has 37850 original miles on her/ Has been sitting for years. Long story, bought it from an estate sale. Of course all fluids changed, belts, tires everything. Has exhaust coming out of coolant, no other signs of head gasket failure, no milky oil, no exhaust smoke etc. I have 3000 in it after paint work, I don't want to put another 1.5 k-2 k for heads, unless I wait about a year. are there any products anyone would recommend to quick fit, I know they don't always work, but its scrap pile or quick fix help!

[Slinky]

in my opinion it's not worth it to try to use a quick fix snake oil product on your head gasket excetera, all that stuff will do will cause you more issues by clogging up your radiator and coolant system when it Co your head gasket and only will keep it running properly for maybe an extra two weeks, you're going to have to you just tear the heads off and do it anyway..

[ifixalot]

I do not endorse these products but they do sometimes work for a year or two.
When we had a used engine put in my daughters car, unknown to me, the engine
he brought had a bad head gasket. He used one of those pour in products.
About a year and a half later, it started leaking again.
That is when I changed the head gaskets.
I found all this crud in the water jackets of the block and I used a wet vac and water
to suck out as much as I could. I had changed the radiator for other reasons but
I imagine it could have gotten plugged up by all that crud.
Where are you at? Is the car clean? Maybe someone would buy it from you as is
if you don't want to fix it. Why is it a choice to quick fix or scrap?
At 36K miles, it must be pretty clean.

[Money pit Beretta]

There is no quick fix. I two do not understand why you would junk a car that is 10 times better than mine(other than the head gaskets).

[Asylum]

Ok here is the fix for your situation.

DO NOT even think about replacing the head gasket. Once you confirm that is in fact what is the issue.

Swap that 3100 for a 3400. Easy swap and at that at that mileage the car is likely worth saving.

http://www.car-parts.com will find you a good engine cheaper than doing the head gasket.

Either that or post some pics of the ruddy thing, and it will sell on here if it's legit.

Just my .02 and better than the $300 you might get for scrap.

[Money pit Beretta]

That is one good looking car. Hope it is saved from the scrapper.

[themixer]

Ok here is the fix for your situation.

DO NOT even think about replacing the head gasket. Once you confirm that is in fact what is the issue.

Swap that 3100 for a 3400. Easy swap and at that at that mileage the car is likely worth saving.

http://www.car-parts.com will find you a good engine cheaper than doing the head gasket.

Either that or post some pics of the ruddy thing, and it will sell on here if it's legit.

Just my .02 and better than the $300 you might get for scrap.

agreed

[Ixion]

I'm not sure the the OP or car are still around, but if so ...
1. Swapping the engine would likely cost you less than repairing it. And as Eric suggested, you might as well go bigger if you're going that route, (unless, of course, you're a purist and intend to preserve originality). 3x00 engines can be found from anywhere between $300-600 on car-part.
2. If you're not mechanically inclined, by all means save up and have someone else repair it. 37,850 miles is EXTREMELY low for a car that age, and the engine should last you quite a long time. The years of enjoyment you'll get from driving it will be worth the extra $1500 or so.
3. Place the car for sale/offer here and attempt to recoup most of your investment thus far. The GTZ/Z26 is the most sought-after factory trim, and the 1996 production year in general is desirable. There is no doubt in my mind that, (barring any issues such as rust/rot), it should sell quickly.

Should you decide to go with option 3, please provide us with your location and many, many pics!