2002 Revs high and engine shakes

[holyduke]

Have spent over 10K on this car...Wifes Chrismas present 3 years ago.

Replaced coils (twice), sparkplugs, all "fan parts" (twice), head gasket 5K bill, had heads presser tested, "air" purged, etc. Finally to stop the overheating drilled a hole in the thermostat. Running rough after 2 years and 100 miles after all those repairs. Brought into a new mechanic and they are saying it's the head gasket. I do not believe that and not going to pay another 5K bill for something that was done 100 miles ago. Yes, sat 2 years because the wife is too scared to drive it anymore.

Symptoms.
Miss fire when idle.
Rev to about 3K and it feels the like engine is going to shake out of the car.

Thoughts? Any advice is appreciated.

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[biddle]

do not believe that and not going to pay another 5K bill for something that was done 100 miles ago.

Thoughts? Any advice is appreciated.

What you believe doesn't necessarily equate to reality. There are pressure tests to check for head gasket issues. Get a second opinion.

Also, to clarify the car has been sitting two years and you changed the head gasket 100 miles ago, but when?

 

[highwayghost]

Are there any codes present??
Misfire and rough idle could be a sign of a vacuum leak. Have the intake leak checked by a smoke test. Check that all vacuum hoses are in good condition are attached properly. With all the work you had done, could they have been reinstall wrong?

There is a computer controlled rev limiter when not in gear (park or neutral, likely reverse too, but I never tested that out 😉 ) that will cutoff the fuel injectors at 3K RPM. Could this be what you are seeing?? This is normal for these cars. Could the wires for the fuel injectors or coils have been mixed up and are in the wrong positions?

Bad heads can leak to several places. Most likely are to the outside of the engine or into the cooling system(most common). I agree it would be wise for you to get a second opinion, verified by some testing before proceeding to change the heads.

 

[charliec]

Have spent over 10K on this car...Wifes Chrismas present 3 years ago.

Replaced coils (twice), sparkplugs, all "fan parts" (twice), head gasket 5K bill, had heads presser tested, "air" purged, etc. Finally to stop the overheating drilled a hole in the thermostat. Running rough after 2 years and 100 miles after all those repairs. Brought into a new mechanic and they are saying it's the head gasket. I do not believe that and not going to pay another 5K bill for something that was done 100 miles ago. Yes, sat 2 years because the wife is too scared to drive it anymore.

Symptoms.
Miss fire when idle.
Rev to about 3K and it feels the like engine is going to shake out of the car.

Thoughts? Any advice is appreciated.

It is possible your headgaskets were installed in reverse, or to say another way, upside down. This will cause the block to not cool properly.

 

[WesTxStoner425]

Did you solve the problem @holyduke?