How much would it cost to replace a cracked head gasket?

If there's white exhaust, oil in your radiator, or your engine oil has a whiteness to it, then yes you have a cracked head.On average a head gasket replacement will take 7 to 9 hours labor plus parts, the average cost of parts to On average a head gasket replacement will take 7 to 9 hours labor plus parts. You can expect to pay around $1000 to $1600 on the job. You can get a whole rebuilt engine with a 3 year warranty, around the same price.

wow, no year stated.!?? no location, no night time temperatures.?
ever to the work>?
costs vary by country, state and even the town.,
parts and labor.
before the gasket blew, did you run 50% antifreeze, and check it
each fall for 50% with the$2 tool> and 5min work?
if not , you will crack the head or block, (unless in key west .FL)

costs vary too, by what is wrong?, most times there are far more things wrong.
case in point, Rad leaks, hoses shot. water pump bad, and leaking
green at pump weep port. (signs)
new head gasket.
here is an example.
mech removes head , finds 2 head bolts snapped and 2hr wasted hrs.
then finds the head warped, (ask, measured .005" is bad)
then tests the valves and they leak (ask how) so sends it to the
machine shop and its $350 to grind valves and get head not warped
(heat relaxed and milled and pressure tested )he then installs the head, and times CAM and such.

as he puts on hoses, 2 snap in half, so asks owner, owner says,replace only the 2 bad hoses and ignore, the other very old
and near cracked hoses, mech rolls eyes,,,
flushes rad, new coolant, checks for leaks , it runs.

90% of all just head gaskets changed, fail, fast because all the checks were skipped.":
warp check
surface condition on deck and head.
cracks not seen or pressure tested
valves bad. and ignored.

so the cost can be as cheap as $25 , DIY, gasket
or $500 . DIY, (head bad)
not DIY , labor varies, can be $500 alone.

Cracked head means replace your engine, head gasket if you do it yourself approx $150 , dealership cost $800. Remove the oil cap on the top of the engine block , put your finger in and see what color the oil is if it's dark it's not a cracked head , if it's white and or milky looking, you have water in your oil, cracked head !

*White milky oil on dipstick = coolant in oil.
*Coolant on sparkplugs = cracked head or blown head gasket
*White smoke = burning excessive oil in the cylinders, which can be caused by a number of things including valve seals, cracked head or blown head gasket.
***All three of these symptoms together, however, means its the head or head gasket. Both are costly but better the head gasket than the entire head.

Coolant is mixing with the oil, so it is turning milky.The most possible problem is an cracked cylinder head or head gasket.Check them and get it replaced before it damages the engine worsly.. Dain the oil and have it refilled after replacing then broken part.

sounds like you have blown head gasket, or cracked head, did the motor run hot, if so, you can try head gasket, maybe you will get lucky, also i would replace intake gaskets, parts should be anywhere from 50.00 to 200.00 dollars, depends were you get them,need to clean out cyclinder with antifreeze in it, and check other ones too, pull plugs out get somebody to turn motor over watch for antifreeze coming out of spark plug holes, maybe you can put head gasket on and keep on riding...

Considerations
1. Many internal engine problems, such as a blown head gasket, cracked head or cracked piston, can be repaired without having to replace an entire engine.
Potential
2. While taking the time to replace an engine may seem labor-intensive and costly, it will add years to a vehicle's life and will save a car owner from the cost of having to buy a new car.
Benefits
3. Taking a car to a mechanic and replacing an engine with a used engine can cost between $1,000 to $2,000 for parts and labor.
Solution
4. Car owners interested in replacing their engines with new ones can expect to pay anywhere between $2,000 to $4,000.
Speculation
5. For those interested in doing the engine replacement themselves, purchasing specialized tools needed for the job is a cost to consider in addition to the price of a replacement engine.

The most likely source of your problem is NOT a head gasket or cracked head, but the black plastic plenum or "upper intake manifold". These GM engines tend to melt, crack, or warp the plenum because of the hot EGR tube sticking up through the plastic.

If water is getting into your oil (milky looking), your lower intake manifold gasket is probably cracked. Once the plenum is off the engine, there are only about a dozen bolts holding the lower intake manifold on. When you replace the gasket, it is recommended to use an ALL METAL gasket with rubber seals to prevent this from happening again. The metal gaskets cost about $80 where as the plastic ones that are prone to breaking cost about $45. Better to fix it right once than to do it wrong several times.

Also, if you are still using Dexcool coolant (orangeish), be sure to change it every two years or so as it does bad things to seals when it gets old.

I would change both, as well as use new head bolts. Make sure your heads are not warped or cracked, especially the one that is leaking. There may not be any need to change the head if it is not cracked. These are prone to blowing a gasket especially after 150K miles or so. It will not cost a huge additional amount to change both head gaskets since the engine will have to be disassembled down to the heads anyway. Hope this helps you, Rick

liquid glass works well and there are a couple of others that work as well and the average cost is about 6.00 maybe a little more but its not expensive