Chevrolet: not shore whats rong, chevy corsica, head gasket


Question
i was told by a naberhood mechanic that my 1992 v6 chevy corsica needed a new head gaskit but then i took it to a machanic out of town to make shore and they told me that i needed a whole new mottor. i don't know who to belive, and i was told that the was going to cost at lest $600 because the car is pritty old. what do you think?

Answer
Ebony,
     I would have to have just a little more info before I can give you an opinion on it. If you could answer a few questions for me I could give you a better answer. What is the car doing, ie: is it overheating, or is it smoking, does it burn oil, is there water in the oil (Identified by the oil turning a milky white when the car is run a while), is there a leak anywhere, does it lose antifreeze that is not going into the oil, and is there steam and an antifreeze smell coming from the exhaust? Also, which head gasket needs replaced? If it is the one back by the firewall (Closer to the dash) then 600 seems fairly reasonable, simply because it is a lot harder to remove and work on back there, but if it is the one by the radiator, 600 seems to be a little steep to me.