Believe me, I totally get the preventative maintenance idea. I’m a big fan of it myself. I just don’t know how one can choose to replace just the main timing chain over all of the other components there unless it is out of spec per the service manual. There are 3 chains, 4 chain guides, 3 tensioners and two sprockets. All of the components, if replaced with OEM, will cost anywhere between $600 and $1000 depending on where they are bought. Going aftermarket with working timing components doesn’t make sense to me. If your goal is to keep the total cost down, then keep that in mind since the labor costs are the biggest part of this job. My opinion of course.

It sounds like you are on the right track though. Keep us posted…

Got the call this morning from the shop I dropped my truck off at, expecting it to be confirmation on headgasket and estimated bill. They told me they spent the past few days diagnosing, did a full leakdown test as well as stuck a camera down the cylinder heads and found no signs of headgasket issue. From the call it seemed like they examined every possible option on the engine and wanted to confirm how I suspected it in the first place since they could not find anything relating to headgasket issues.

They did find a very small leak in the radiator and the thermostat is stuck in one position, but the engine never overheated and they are going to replaced thermostat and radiator. This would explain the coolant loss...

However, I am confused as to why coolant was appearing in the oil analysis from blackstone. Still a bit concerned on this one. I did tell the Toyota dealership I suspected a headgasket leak, so I am wondering if they gave it a bad diagnoses to collect a paycheck.

Well that is fantastic news!

I was about to reply to this thread saying that (if I were in your shoes) I would repair that engine rather than swap in a used one. You know the history of yours, and all is well, minus the faulty head gasket issue. If you feel like driving it for another 10 years, then I wouldn't hesitate to have it fixed. Just find the right shop at a reasonable price (not necessarily the cheapest). ~$5k is a lot to drop, but it's cheaper than a new (or new/used) car.

That is good news for sure. My radiator was leaking but was not visible until I removed the shroud to take a better look. I wish I could comment on the Blackstone analysis, but I never did one. I'm sure others may chime in.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the Blackstone report especially if it wasn't obvious when visually checking the oil after an oil change. I would fix the radiator and thermostat and call it a day. Just my opinion of course...

Dang 5.7k for hg's!
Is this back the future 4 in 2032?

I would always reccomend learning by way of toyota build book and or haynes manual an engine stand and crane and some patience in your own time. This takes weeks or months for home build. Also comes with its own quality and cleanliness risks for the amateur, but i would never advise against learning.

I have built 4 previous toyota variants of engine, 3 on the bench and one in the vehicle, F doing one in the vehicle again, But at 5.7k i'm sold on that idea.