[skizzik]

Hi everyone,

I could use some advice about what action to take and how much it would cost. Does it sound like I need another head gasket already, or is this engine block bad?

I have an 89 Suburban with a standard 350 5.7L V8 TBI engine. I had the engine completely rebuilt in April 2015 because the head gasket was at a point that it needed to be repaired (I overheated and it had been burning coolant out the tailpipe badly for 2 days prior), and it had been burning oil and I was tired of topping it off. The mechanic replaced the water pump and radiator too.

After the rebuild, it drove like butter. It was amazing. But the temperature gauge occasionally would show the engine overheating and then it would usually drop back down to operating temperature within 20 min. I told the mechanic and he replaced the temperature sensor. It continued to act the same way, but the mechanic didn't think anything was wrong. I heard a small amount of gurgling in the coolant backup tank once. Otherwise, no obvious signs of definite overheating.

Fast forward to this past November. The suburban isn't my primary vehicle, and I used it on average every 2 months and kept the battery hooked up to a trickle charger most of the time. I only put about 1,300 miles on the engine since the rebuild. I used the Suburban to pick up a Christmas tree and had no problems. I checked the fluids before leaving and they were all fine. The next day, I tried driving the Suburban to work and it overheated within 15 minutes and left me on the side of the road. I had it towed to a local shop and the mechanic said the head gasket needs replacing and the engine won't even start. The truck is unusable. When I explained the recent rebuild, he said he suspected the engine was bad and needed replacing (cracked block maybe?).

I have been trying to contact the mechanic who did the rebuild, but he is ignoring me. He was a guy at the edge of town who speaks little English and I received no written warranty of any kind.

What would you all do here? Is it likely that it just needs another head gasket, or does it sound like this engine is unfixable? How can I determine this? Thanks.