assuming you drive nicely, turn up the interior heat to keep coolant temps down a bit, and have extra fluids with you, it SHOULD make the trip.

how long do you plan on keeping the car for before you swap it? on a trip that long, you are risking warping your heads.

 

I don't even think I will drive it much at all once I get home, I'll just be waiting for a donor to do the swap.

 

Internal headgasket leak will cause the coolant to boil very quickly. Usually an internal headgasket leak means the combustion gasses are being pushed into the coolant which causes the boiling and overflowing into the overflow tank. If that is the case with this car it will not make the 1100 mile trip.

If coolant is leaking into the oil this is very bad for the engine internals. Wouldn't be good to make an 1100 mile trip with water in your oil.

It might be a small leak now and it might make the trip, there is no way to know for sure. It might strand you halfway.

 

If coolant is leaking into the oil this is very bad for the engine internals. Wouldn't be good to make an 1100 mile trip with water in your oil.
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The coolant leaking into the engine is the issue. Coolant destroys bearings FAST. A "small" amount of water in your oil will not cause much trouble, it will actually steam up and evap out before it becomes an issue. If there's enough water to make a milk shake out of the oil, then you've got a problem. Of course there's always the option that the stealership was trying to take you for a new HG. I think I'd get a second opionion.

 

I just talked to the tech and he said the mechanic was only speculating that the leak was there and that it should make it back fine as long as I treat it well. $4050 for a car with a HG leak that I'm going to swap still a good deal? I duno..

 

That seems doable provided the rest of the car is in decent shape. Dump a bottle of conditioner in when you pick it up. If anything goes wrong, stop at a jiffy lube and change the oil.....keep an eye on the coolant temps and just be prepared. If you know there might be an issue, it becomes an inconvenience instead of an emergency.

I'd do it!

 

I tried to negotiate with him and he wouldn't budge so I guess he was planning on me paying the same for a perfectly running car and one with blown HG's. I cancelled my plane ticket but i already found another car in Vermont..

 

Borrow a truck and a trailer if you know anybody. Yeah, the engine is going to be gone anyways, but it would really suck to get 400 miles out and have everything go to hell. If anything, just get a u-haul trailer and pay your buddy some cash to drive you. It'll save you a lot in place of getting towed to the nearest town and being told that you need a new engine (Ayuk...I ken fix'er)