The first head gasket cracked at 70,000 miles. Oldsmobile recognized that the 1992 and 1993 Achieva's had faulty head gaskets, but felt they fixed the problem in the 1994 model. Oldsmobile did not help with the $1,400 bill to replace the cracked head gasket. Now two years later, the second head gasket has a crack. Both head gaskets have cracked in the same exact location. The head gasket that we put into the car was a new head gasket for our 1994 Achieva, not a rebuilt part. That head gasket only lasted for 25,000 miles. So, now only two years later we are needing to put in the third head gasket. Oldsmobile should realize that they did not fix the faulty part for the 1994 model. They should cover the cost of having to put in two head gaskets in to our Achieva.
Faulty head gaskets for 1994 models.
I wonder if the head gasket failure the first time might be from over heating. Low coolant, this would cause the head to warp.There's no comment noted about the head being checked for flatness. I believe this head to be aluminum, which warps more than cast iron heads. Also if the head gasket blows in the same place each time that sounds like a low spot in the head. I own a small automotive machine shop and seen several heads that show flat and when I surface them have imperfections you can't see with the eye. I always suggest surfacing on aluminum heads just as a precaution. Hope this will help.
Note: A Comments RSS Feed is available. New comments appear in the Members Area before the main site