1997 GMC Jimmy head gasket?

VAILBABY

MEMBER
1997 GMC JIMMY
6 CYL
4WD
AUTOMATIC
150,000 MILES

Hello! My car has been leaking antifreeze for a few months now, I have been filling my radiator every couple of days with antifreeze. And the overflow has only emptied on me once. When I open up the radiator to fill it, it almost looks like there is oil mixed with the fluid. It is only a tiny bit- hardly even noticeable, but it's there. (It's not in the overflow, however.) I've heard from others it may be my thermostat clogging, but for the most part I've heard it's my head gasket. No smoke (or steam) has showed coming from my tailpipe, and the leaks seem to happen in huge pools instead of little by little- almost as if there's air in the cooling system that ends up "burping" out. What do you think it sounds like? And at this point (between the year and the mileage) do you think it would be better to fix the problem or try to find a new car? How expensive do you think it would be to fix the problem? Is it possible to do it yourself, and how hard is it? Thanks for listening, I'm worried about my baby.

1 Reply

ALRIGHT

MEMBER
4 POSTS

I had to replace the head gasket on my 97 Jimmy. It's a pain in the. Thanks to all of the stuff they pack into the engine bay - mostly cables/hoses.

It was a rather involved process, but with proper labeling / organization it can be done for very little 'cost', as in dollars and cents. The time required was extensive so I suppose it's a matter of how quickly you need your vehicle back and the value of your time.

The only 'parts' you're going to need (assuming you don't have to buy a lot of new tools), from memory, are several new gaskets, gasket maker, radiator fluid.

This was a few years ago so I may be forgetting some things. Careful planning during the removal will go a long, long way.