Before anyone says anything, I did check the search and didn't find too much.

I took my car for a quick oil change today (I had a free coupon, so I figured why not) and to check about some coolant leaking. Apparently (according to the mechanic), the cause of this is a blown head gasket. How much do these typically cost to have replaced professionally on a stock 94 Integra LS, what kind should I replace it with, and would it be simpler to replace myself (I don't have a ton of mechanic experience)?

 

its probally going to cost over $500 at a garage, and you should get the OEM gasket kit. A headgasket is not that easy if you dont know what your doing

 

I just came back, and the mechanic showed where the coolant was leaking and warned about getting water in with the oil, the thing is, I've had that leak for a little while (I didn't think too much of it because it was so small) and driven through plenty of rain and puddles without any problem, but I did have the idle RPM bounce. He said it would cost a lot because it was DOHC as well (he said his brother got his head gasket replaced for a 4-cylinder truck and it cost 950 dollars).

How urgent is it for me to fix it, and is there something I can do temporarily so no larger problems occur until I get the money to actually fix it? He also said that the head may need to be machined as well.

 

Well if you are leaking coolant into your oil galleries, then your oil is getting thinned out... and that could lead to a spun bearing and more engine work. If you check your oil levels often, you will see that your car seems to be producing oil. A fully blown head gasket will lead to overheating your engine badly.... and a warped block. Is there white vapor in your exhaust trail yet?

You should really change that head gasket NOW. If you can't do it on your own, find some mechanically savvy friends to help you.

Go with oem parts and Honda coolant. How many miles on your engine?

 

About 114 almost 115k. I'm not getting vapor or anything, and the leaking I'm getting seems really minor.

 

I've never hesistated in doing the maintenance on my cars. I guess it depends on your style of driving and what your longterm intentions are with your LS. Sure the leaking is minor, but come summertime when it's really hot and you're stuck in traffic, you're going to blow your head gasket bigtime. The leaking is only going to get worse. And it's far cheaper to replace the head gasket now than do more major headwork later... plus the fact that you still can control when your car is going to be worked on. Even if you were thinking of doing some engine swap in the future, doing your head gasket now just keeps your LS engine worth something. At 115K, your car has the potential for many miles ahead of it. But again, it's your car and your investment. I would protect it and get the work done.

BTW was your timing belt and water pump changed at 90K miles?

 

If you have the tools, buy yourself a Helms manual and try and take a crack at it. The only way to learn in this case, is to try it. It is just a ton of unbolting and then you replace the gasket and then you put it all back together.

Have you done the basic diagnostics of determining if it is a blown headgasket? Coolant in oil, vice-versa, compression test, exhaust fumes from open radiator cap, etc would be a good place to decide whether it actually is the headgasket or some other unrelated problem.