[sherwoodsri]

Have an 02 Odyssey with 135,000 miles that has been very well maintained. For those with higher mileage vehicles, when can the head gasket be expected to fail? I'm fearing that my number is up on my 1992 Mercedes with 225,000 miles....we'll know shortly. Anyway, just trying to estimate how far the Ody could go before I'd have to worry about that. Also, how many hours labor to replace?

Thanks!

 

[gregersonke]

I've seen Ody's with over 300k and no head gasket failure. It happens, but not very often. Just make sure to adjust valves, change fluids, and follow timing belt replacement cycle. I'd bet the transmission fails before the engine. Even if the engine fails, its usually cheaper to buy a used one with good compression and install that.

 

[sontakke]

what makes you think head gasket is bound to fail? unless there is inherent design problem and/or abuse such as overheating the engine, the head gaskets are not wearable item.

 

[sherwoodsri]

what makes you think head gasket is bound to fail? unless there is inherent design problem and/or abuse such as overheating the engine, the head gaskets are not wearable item.

Perhaps an unwarranted assumption on my part. Over on my Mercedes forum, many seem to think it's fairly common around the 250,000 mile mark, even in cars that have never overheated.

 

[DavidGSR]

Head gasket failure is not a common problem. Then again, I don't know how many members have over 250,000 here.

 

[redmondjp]

I wouldn't worry about it either on the Ody motor as it is not common. The most important thing to do to prevent this from happening is to properly maintain your cooling system so you never overheat the engine, as most modern engines with aluminum components don't react well to getting overly hot.

These days, with respect to cooling systems, the radiator can be considered to be a disposable item after 200K miles or so, something to keep in mind. Even if it is not leaking, buildup tends to happen inside which reduces its ability to transfer heat over time.

Replacing the thermostat with an OEM one (not a discount-parts-store replacement) every timing belt/water pump change is a good idea as well.