Decisions, decisions...

[jpbz28]

I'll try to be as succinct as possible... I bought a 2004, 1 owner, clean carfax, leather, third row sr5 with 155k in Milwaukee on Jan 13th. I drive it home from Milwaukee to Philly area with no issues other than obvious brake concerns (which I was willing to eat). As soon as I hit home, I had my mechanic replace brakes, Daystar lift, new tires and plugs. I replaced oil with Mobil one and installed a new stereo and rear view camera. All in, I'm at approx $11k including the above, purchase, and taxes. Within a week of driving at home, the CEL came on and after a couple of weeks of troubleshooting, I have the head gasket issue (cylinder 6).

I've read the threads and called around for reman engines, spoken with the stealership and local mechanics regarding the HG replacement, and I'm leaning towards a reman for $2900 with a 3yr unlimited miles warranty plus approx $1500 for install, etc.

Now to the question- if you were in my shoes, would you sell, do the HG repair, or reman engine?

EDIT- OPTION 3- I saw others have tried Bar's HG-1... assuming I will replace the engine anyway at some point, does it hurt to give this a try? Even if it is just a stop-gap for some time?

This is my daily driver.

Thanks for input!


2004 SR5 4WD Leather | Third Row | Daystar 2.5/1.5 | Falken WILDPEAK A/T3W 265 /70 R17 | Kenwood DDX9703S | Pioneer Backup Camera ND‐BC8 |

 

[Bob22222]

I'll try to be as succinct as possible... I bought a 2004, 1 owner, clean carfax, leather, third row sr5 with 155k in Milwaukee on Jan 13th. I drive it home from Milwaukee to Philly area with no issues other than obvious brake concerns (which I was willing to eat). As soon as I hit home, I had my mechanic replace brakes, Daystar lift, new tires and plugs. I replaced oil with Mobil one and installed a new stereo and rear view camera. All in, I'm at approx $11k including the above, purchase, and taxes. Within a week of driving at home, the CEL came on and after a couple of weeks of troubleshooting, I have the head gasket issue (cylinder 6).

I've read the threads and called around for reman engines, spoken with the stealership and local mechanics regarding the HG replacement, and I'm leaning towards a reman for $2900 with a 3yr unlimited miles warranty plus approx $1500 for install, etc.




Now to the question- if you were in my shoes, would you sell, do the HG repair, or reman engine?

This is my daily driver.

Thanks for input!


2004 SR5 4WD Leather | Third Row | Daystar 2.5/1.5 | Falken WILDPEAK A/T3W 265 /70 R17 | Kenwood DDX9703S | Pioneer Backup Camera ND‐BC8 |

What's the dealer want to do the head gasket? That's what I'd consider if it hadn't been severely overheard and otherwise looks well-maintained. Unless you know a great independent shop with and with deep enough pockets to deal with a come-back correctly. Re-manufacturers engines can be iffy too and then you deal with double labor in the best case senerio if something goes wrong. Buying an engine from one place an having it installed by a third party often leads the a lot of blame being past back and forth if something goes wrong and the customer likely winds up eating the whole deal. I think you'll take a big $ hit to sell it as is and be back to square one, no?

 

[jpbz28]

Thanks for the reply...

I have a contact in the dealer service dept who I trust. He gave me numbers for the HG replacement, and they are not pretty... ~$3,500 ($2,800 in labor + $250 gasket kit + $300 for timing chain and water pump- which he said to do while it's open, and I agree), then if the heads are screwed, then that potential cost as well. The "new" engine install is ~$4,200 ($1000 labor + $2900 reman engine + $300 for timing chain and water pump. So, the reman will be well within $1,000 of the HG. So, if you were me, and the extra $1,000 will not present a hardship, would you do the reman?

Regarding selling the truck, I can't really see that as an option, but thought I'd throw it out there.

 

[blind squirrel]

My question to you is, how long are you planning on keeping it? If the answer is forever than I would try the snake oil fix until it blows up then replace it with the reman. If you aren't planning on keeping it forever a car with a reman engine is pretty much worthless, unless selling it to someone that trusts you. When I worked at a dealership we considered reman engine cars as "mileage unknown", even with the paperwork. We would take them straight to the auction and sell them cheap.

Personally I would sell it and start over while it still runs.

 

[asdfman7]

Thanks for the reply...

...The "new" engine install is ~$4,200 ($1000 labor + $2900 reman engine + $300 for timing chain and water pump...
Regarding selling the truck, I can't really see that as an option, but thought I'd throw it out there.

So if the engines been reman'd why are they quoting another 300 for the timing chain and water pump???

I'd, personally, have the heads checked on the current engine and if within spec have it repaired. You start to run into a lot of issues with motor swaps. Sometimes, if repairable, It's best to just fix what you have.

 

[jpbz28]

I'm going to try the quick-fix, then take it from there. I plan to drive it for the next few years, then give to my now 11 year-old. Hopefully the Bar's HG-1 will hold for a while.

Thanks for the input!

 

[TrueBlue]

I don't know how well Bars HG-1 works but the Blue Devil Head Gasket sealer is rumored to be a permanent solution if it works.. it's a pricey bottle but if it doesn't work Blue Devil will fully refund you the money. It's about $50 so definitely nice to try before a big ol price tag of a motor swap


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[Gatafly]

All I can say is ouch!! You might have $15k into an '04 with 155k. . . .that has to hurt. I personally would get rid of it. Trading it in you will probably take less of a hit because the dealer can fix and resell and not consider the full labor bill as a cost when they sell it.

 

[jpbz28]

I don't know how well Bars HG-1 works but the Blue Devil Head Gasket sealer is rumored to be a permanent solution if it works.. it's a pricey bottle but if it doesn't work Blue Devil will fully refund you the money. It's about $50 so definitely nice to try before a big ol price tag of a motor swap


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I did some research, and although the reviews vary, it seems as though people have had good luck with the Bar's, especially if a smaller leak, which I have. If there is a larger leak, and the engine is overheating, prolly not going to work. Waiting for the engine to cool completely now. Then on with the experiment!

 

[TrueBlue]

I did some research, and although the reviews vary, it seems as though people have had good luck with the Bar's, especially if a smaller leak, which I have. If there is a larger leak, and the engine is overheating, prolly not going to work. Waiting for the engine to cool completely now. Then on with the experiment!

Alright let me know how it goes.. Good luck!


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[jpbz28]

All I can say is ouch!! You might have $15k into an '04 with 155k. . . .that has to hurt. I personally would get rid of it. Trading it in you will probably take less of a hit because the dealer can fix and resell and not consider the full labor bill as a cost when they sell it.

I hear you, but I feel like I'm in so deep already, I might as well go all-in. Assuming no trans issues, I should be able to keep it in the family for a long time to come.

 

[Bob22222]

The dealer's quote seems high? Are you in an area with only one Toyota or Lexus dealership? We have two within 60 miles of here and funny while they are both owned by Larry Miller,inc. the service departments are like night and day in my experience. In service and price I mean.

 

[jpbz28]

So if the engines been reman'd why are they quoting another 300 for the timing chain and water pump???

I'm assuming the timing chain and water pump would not be included in the reman, and I'd rather replace them, as opposed to taking them from the old engine. I only know what I've learned in the last two weeks about reman engines. Do they come with the timing chain and water pump?

I'd, personally, have the heads checked on the current engine and if within spec have it repaired. You start to run into a lot of issues with motor swaps. Sometimes, if repairable, It's best to just fix what you have.

I'll check on the price to have the heads checked, but do you have any idea? Is that something that requires the engine to be removed?

Thanks for the input!

 

[jpbz28]

The dealer's quote seems high? Are you in an area with only one Toyota or Lexus dealership? We have two within 60 miles of here and funny while they are both owned by Larry Miller,inc. the service departments are like night and day in my experience. In service and price I mean.

The issue with dealer quotes, that I have found, is that they don't want to quote something like this. They don't know what they will find when they open it up, so they won't give an estimate without looking at it. They also won't take my word for the issue. So, I would need to pay them to run a compression test, etc. So, I am likely to be a few hundred dollars in before they even give me a quote. The only reason I was able to get the numbers I did is because he is a friend. Are your experiences different?

 

[jpbz28]

Did the Bar's HG-1...followed the directions to the letter... just finished the 15 minutes at 1500 RPM's (final step), and am still getting the cylinder 6 misfire after a test drive... maybe it will cure better overnight????

 

[KingPrat]

I'm going to try the quick-fix, then take it from there. I plan to drive it for the next few years, then give to my now 11 year-old. Hopefully the Bar's HG-1 will hold for a while.

Thanks for the input!

If this is the plan, why not just fix it properly? Your profile doesn't say where you're from, but most states have a graduated licensing system. Which makes it a 10+ year vehicle for the family.

Yes, the number is a doozy, but try to get a couple quotes from independent mechanics. it's a head gasket, not a flux capacitor.

 

[Bob22222]

If this is the plan, why not just fix it properly? Your profile doesn't say where you're from, but most states have a graduated licensing system. Which makes it a 10+ year vehicle for the family.

Yes, the number is a doozy, but try to get a couple quotes from independent mechanics. it's a head gasket, not a flux capacitor.

Couldn't agree more, but he already put that crap in his cooling system. I'm not certain you can ever get rid of it all. He might wind up with a vehicle that will always overheat under stress due to restrictions in the cooling system, no? Maybe swap out the radator and heater core. Ive never seen any of these snake oil fixes that held up in the long run. I think the primary market for stop leaks primary is so A-holes can cover up the problem long enough to sell it next "sucker" that is unfortunate enough to trust the creep. Might be what happened to the OP in the first place.

 

[jpbz28]

So, quick update... I put in the "crap" on the 7th. It did not work immediately. Fast-forward to yesterday, and I had no hesitation or CEL. I assumed it was a fluke, but it's still good today. I did not think it would work, but given the money back guarantee, thought I'd give it a shot. For now, I am happy. I will still address the issue with a repair or new engine, but this seems to have bought me some time.


2004 SR5 4WD Leather | Third Row | Daystar 2.5/1.5 | Falken WILDPEAK A/T3W 265 /70 R17 | Kenwood DDX9703S | Pioneer Backup Camera ND‐BC8 |