3.8l head gasket leak

Jeep Monkey

Jeep Monkey

Jeep Newb
i spotted a wet spot on my garage floor on my way to work this morning. when i got to work i popped the hood and checked it out. apparently the head gasket area on the front, drivers side of the engine. i saw a large drip on the gasket and witness stains an the axle housing.

does anyone have experience with this issue? i have done my fair share engine work in the past (2000 jeep xj 4.0l) but not on the 3.8. is this something i should do myself to save money or is it a big enough issue to take in. this is my daily driver and may not be able to get a second vehicle while i fix it.
 
WillysJKJeeper

WillysJKJeeper

Jeep Owner
How many miles u have on it? Will depend on how much u need to replace cause if ur taking the heads off u mights aswell get the heads redone and resurfaced and new valvle seals. So if there not a engine machine shop around u. You might want to let mechinic shop do the job. Also good things to replace when getting this job done is waterpump and theromstat.
If its your daily driver then u might want to get rental car while its getting done.
 
Jeep Monkey

Jeep Monkey

Jeep Newb
WillysJKJeeper said:
How many miles u have on it? Will depend on how much u need to replace cause if ur taking the heads off u mights aswell get the heads redone and resurfaced and new valvle seals. So if there not a engine machine shop around u. You might want to let mechinic shop do the job. Also good things to replace when getting this job done is waterpump and theromstat.
If its your daily driver then u might want to get rental car while its getting done.
Click to expand...
it only has 74,000. the water pump/thermostat are brand new.
 
WillysJKJeeper

WillysJKJeeper

Jeep Owner
Which coolant have u been running it? What year is your jk? Hopefully u are running the orange HOAT coolant. If u run the wrong coolant it can be pretty catastrophic to the engine block and heads. It will form crystals in the block and heads and pretty much block the coolant passages and warped heads usually happen.
 

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