Head Gasket repair

shadowdude22

New member
Hey all.
I am new to the forum and my 1990 4runner blew a head gasket and I wanna fix it because I picked up the truck for 1400$ not saftied and I believe I've spent about 2000$ in parts repairing the truck and well... I got angry when it blew and tired to sell it and well I can't sell it with a blown head gasket. So I am gonna fix it myself but I'm not to sure what I need to take off or where to start so if someone could please give me a link to a repair guide or if someone is nice enough to write a guide for me that would be great.


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1990 4runner 285,000 km
2' lift and junk
 
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I think I am going to try the thermagasket. Whats to lose? except for the $40 or so in S/H costs, plus I think once its fixxed I am going to sell it because ever since I've had it everything keeps breaking down and I have to buy a plan ticket to south america soon and I could use the money. But when I get back I think I will look for another 4runner, one that's not broken lol
 
wow ur 4runner story sounds all too familiar sad thing is i still havent been able to part with mine just only drive it 2000 miles a year now all offroad lol
 
Hey all.
I am new to the forum and my 1990 4runner blew a head gasket and I wanna fix it because I picked up the truck for 1400$ not saftied and I believe I've spent about 2000$ in parts repairing the truck and well... I got angry when it blew and tired to sell it and well I can't sell it with a blown head gasket. So I am gonna fix it myself but I'm not to sure what I need to take off or where to start so if someone could please give me a link to a repair guide or if someone is nice enough to write a guide for me that would be great.


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1990 4runner 285,000 km
2' lift and junk

Gasket repair could be expensive especially if your car is quite older. and it's true that fixing it on your own makes your money valuable. There are some signs you'll observe like overheating and white smoke coming from the exhaust. Once you observe such symptoms, that is the time you need to replace the head gasket. However, inappropriate position of this stuff might lead to blockage or even cracking. The first thing that you should watch out is the temperature. Higher temps could result to quick damage. I highly recommend cleaning it first and reassemble it afterwards. in replacing the gaske, you should take off the manifold as well as the valve train first. Then, take off the head. But then, don't forget to switch off all the ignitions to avoid further damage. Finally, start diagnosing the problem and reassemble it once again.

even if you're not a handyman or a skilled guy, you can still do it on your own. all you need is common sense and manual. but of course, you will also need the help of an expert or it could be better if you ask help from a legitimate Toyota repair outlet. :thumb3::thumb3:
 
I just got my heads back from the machine shop 240 bucks for both.

They resurfaced them, leak test, retapped the 2 of the spark plug holes (Previous owner was an idiot), and cleaned the hell out of them. They look amazing. Now time to put it all back together.

Like I said its really not that bad took me 6hrs with some help to get ever off
 
head gasket problems

hey guys,

I'm dealing with the same problem right now as I just picked up a 1990 v6 and it needs a head gasket replacement. While this seems like something someone with a little know how can do if tney put in the time and are careful, ive also been seeing a popular engine swap both for peoples whos 3vzfe engines lose their head gaskets or just want to swap up for the better power and fuel mileage.

while I'm not scared to get my hands dirty, I would love the extra power from the 3.4L 5vzfe engine since I'm looking to actually do a fair bit of mods so I can go play I the mudd with my 4R.

Any advice on the pros/cons of the swap over just repairing my headgasket myself?
 
a small block chevy would fix power and head gasket problems, but might cut your mileage a bit if its not running good
 
How much are you willing to spend?

What's your knowledge of engine swaps?

Do you have another vehicle to drive while the 4runner is down?

These are the main questions you should answer first. If any of the answers don't fully support a swap, then do the head gasket and call it good.

While a 5VZ would be a good gain in power and reliability (ie., newer engine, less miles), to do it properly, you really should look at a cheap donor vehicle so you can get all the peripherals and wiring harness/ecu/gauges for the dash. I don't know all of what will transfer with the 3.4l, but I can tell you that its not for someone who has not done at least an engine swap! Its not like you pull one out and slap the other in and all is well! Mating the 4runner's wiring with the new harness and ecu requires a good amount of wiring skills and the ability to at least follow a schematic.

Not trying to talk you out of it, but you really need to understand what all goes into an engine swap. I've seen a lot a friends start a project, only to sell everything off dirt cheap after a few years of not getting anywhere with the swap. Either too much money was spent without getting close to finishing it, or they simply didn't have the technical skills to make it all go together.

And yes, I've done several now, including a 350 into my old '80 2wd longbed, a 6m HKS turbo engine into my '85 supra, several swapouts for similar engines, and right now working on a 1UZ swap into the '85 supra.

Just some caveats to think about. Even though you may have a complete engine, you may still need to tear it down and rebuild it. I got 2 1uz engines from a close friend for free, including all the wiring and 2 ecu's, but I knew I would need to rebuild the heads and clean everything up. I'm already 3 grand into the swap (including trans adapter kit for a W58 trans to 1UZ engine) and not quite finished buying parts just yet. I still have the whole exhaust system to rework and a hundred little parts/pieces that will add up quickly. You don't think about the little things until you're into it knee-deep! Stuff like spark plug wires, caps and rotors (the 1uz has two of each) and plugs already cost me 300 bucks!

If you are truly interested in a full swap, and you have at the very least, 4 grand to get the donor vehicle and a good set of metric tools, including impact wrench and a good torque wrench, then I'd say go for it! Once the vehicle's done and you're on the road, you'll be the happiest guy on the street, knowing YOU built that thing from the ground up!

And, if you have a lot more to spend, you can eliminate the issues with wiring by just buying a pre-made harness for the swap. That alone is worth the high cost for those who are afraid of wiring!

EDIT: Here's a good writeup for doing this exact swap:
http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota-section/68-toyota-section/toyota-tech/56-toyota-30-to-34-3vz-fe-to-5vz-fe-engine-conversion
 
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