New Head Gasket vs. New Engine???

[SwiftRunner]

Thanks SR! I was pretty intimidated before I started doing timing belts and looking back they seem pretty easy too. I agree that it seems like a manageable job if I can take a couple weeks and as long as I label everything. I have a good ol '82 22r 2wd toyota pickup I can drive while I work on the 4runner. I pretty sure I'm too cheap to pay someone to do a HG. I might pay someone to drop in a new engine but that's just because I'd be walking away with a new engine.

First of all, the way you proceed will depend on a major decision. I have been advised since my last post by a Mechanic friend not to do the job myself partly because it requires specialty tools. Spending more on a vehicle than it's blue book value can be a hard pill to swallow, but I have some experience with used cars as a salesman and it may be the best way to go. Think of the price of a new 4 runner for starters. You don't want to start collecting vehicles which need work, either. $5,000 can buy you a better vehicle before the repair, but will it buy a better vehicle compared to what it will be like after the repair? Oil is leaking from my rear main seal, too. One guy said that may be due to a bent drive shaft. Then there's the cost of shopping around for a used truck, getting rid of your old vehicle, changing the papers, etc. Right now I am leaning on the decision to put a rebuilt engine in. You can bypass a lot of excessive costs that way. Where can I find one? There's some people in Colorado who will sell one for cheap. I saw that here. Rather than have the shop find an engine, I do think you can save by delivering one at their door.

 

[ToyoTech]

Well, the overheating was always a sign of blown head gasket in my mind,... I just didn't want to accept it. I recently got the white crap under the oil cap so that's sign number 2 I guess. With a new radiator, tstat, water pump, and fan clutch, I can't think of any other reason than HG for the thing to overheat in 45 degree weather. I also get white smoke when I first start it up but It is cold outside and I've always gotten white smoke on cold mornings.

That engine kit looks like a pretty good deal btw. Is this Kit something you've purchased and used or did u just happen to run across it online?

Have you been needing to top of your coolant since the repairs?

What is a few bucks to make sure you have a blown headgasket vs $1000 in repair and still the needle says your overheating because it was maybe a bad sensor or incorrect timing. It's best to diagnose the problem when it's still together than apart.

Again white residue on oil cap is not a good indicator of a blown hg since I see this with vehicles that don't get driven much or reach operating temp or just be a leak somewhere that is sucking in air/moisture when engine is turned off

Another thing I have see is people put stop leak in the coolant and plug up coolant passages. If you didn't find any during a coolant flush. You might be fjne there. But You might find it once you tear into it and by than you will need new gaskets anyways and unplug the block if possible. Or replace what is needed

Not saying you are wrong. If your already questioning the repairs than I would at least make sure. If it a blown hg and your not blowning smoke all the time. Than your lucky you caught it early and it will just need a new hg and related seals along the way.

 

[calinaki]

Have you been needing to top of your coolant since the repairs?

What is a few bucks to make sure you have a blown headgasket vs $1000 in repair and still the needle says your overheating because it was maybe a bad sensor or incorrect timing. It's best to diagnose the problem when it's still together than apart.

Again white residue on oil cap is not a good indicator of a blown hg since I see this with vehicles that don't get driven much or reach operating temp or just be a leak somewhere that is sucking in air/moisture when engine is turned off

Another thing I have see is people put stop leak in the coolant and plug up coolant passages. If you didn't find any during a coolant flush. You might be fjne there. But You might find it once you tear into it and by than you will need new gaskets anyways and unplug the block if possible. Or replace what is needed

Not saying you are wrong. If your already questioning the repairs than I would at least make sure. If it a blown hg and your not blowning smoke all the time. Than your lucky you caught it early and it will just need a new hg and related seals along the way.

Agreed. When I got the white residue it was after I got it running again AFTER it sat for two weeks in the cold after I hit the deer--so maybe it just got some moisture in the system. I was gonna take a pic of it today but evidently I already cleaned the oil cap. I'll take 'er in for a compression test before I go in after the HG. And if it's a HG, I'll hit up engnbldr for the goods and walmart for the beer.

Regarding the overheating,... the temp sensor also seems to be working appropriately (no weird or irregular readings). The "overheating" is in the form of temperature rising when I come to a stop after hwy driving, but I will have to check the timing and make sure that's in check. I can always get the temp to drop by turning the heater on or by reving the engine. Are there really passages in the head small enough to get clogged? I was imagining the passages were at least 3/4" diameter or so? And if there is a small leak in the HG, is there any harm in just living with it for a while to buy some time (and $) before I can commit to the Job? (I'd like to get through the winter at least before I take the 4WD out of commission and go back to my 2WD pickup--I hate chains)

 

[calinaki]

I'd change out/service anything you touch on the way in to the heads, and I'd strip down and clean the parts that aren't wear parts (valve covers, intake plenums, throttle bodies, etc). I think you'll go past your timing belt and water pump, so you might as well change those out while you're in there. Test out your TPS, check/replace all the temp sensors and thermostats, etc. No sense stripping down your top end and putting used crap back on, not if you don't want to do this again in another 20k .

Regarding the gasket, if you had a 22RE I'd tell you to call engnbldr. He doesn't do 3.0 stuff though, so your next best bet is probably going to talk to the guys at LC Engineering. Give them a call, tell them you're doing this for the first time, see what they can tell you and if they'll sell you a good set of gaskets. Have them tell you about their header, too.

How did you know your exhaust manifold was warped? Was it that noticeable or did you submit it to the shop for them to check it?

 

[ToyoTech]

honestly i dont think you have a blown HG
compression test wont show a blown HG. you want to do a leak down test or a radiator pressure test with it running

cools down when reving up or with heater on... hmm the rev up tells me that it could water pump (even tho you said new) could have a broken blade *not likely*. you said new fan clutch, where did you get it from? OEM? maybe your fan isnt working properly or where i have see the drive belt for the fan was just a hair loose causing the fan not to spin fast enough even tho at idle it looks like it is. check your drive belt.

if you want to make it thru the winter, have it test to see if you really do have a blown HG. if you dont do any testing, just make sure you keep an eye on the temp and dont let it go into the RED and you should be fine

 

[KidVermicious]

How did you know your exhaust manifold was warped? Was it that noticeable or did you submit it to the shop for them to check it?

It wasn't enough that you'd notice it from a casual glance - I had an exhaust leak when I put everything back together, so I was chasing that down and looked at it closely to see if it looked true. It didn't, so I put a straight edge on it and then it wobbled like a teeter totter . The FSM has specs for how warped it can be.

The problem with driving on a possibly-blown HG is, what if you're right? You run the risk of a catastrophic overheat or getting stranded if it gets worse, and you may be mixing oil with coolant and vice versa which isn't good for either system. I still think if you don't know for sure, have a shop check it out and then you'll know and can make a better educated decision about what direction to go in next.

 

[calinaki]

honestly i dont think you have a blown HG
compression test wont show a blown HG. you want to do a leak down test or a radiator pressure test with it running

cools down when reving up or with heater on... hmm the rev up tells me that it could water pump (even tho you said new) could have a broken blade *not likely*. you said new fan clutch, where did you get it from? OEM? maybe your fan isnt working properly or where i have see the drive belt for the fan was just a hair loose causing the fan not to spin fast enough even tho at idle it looks like it is. check your drive belt.

if you want to make it thru the winter, have it test to see if you really do have a blown HG. if you dont do any testing, just make sure you keep an eye on the temp and dont let it go into the RED and you should be fine

Got the fan clutch from auto zone. The fan roars when I first start the engine and then slows down to normal after a few minutes--so I know it has the potential to run full speed, I just never hear that same roar when I slow down and the temp rises. drive belts are tight too. I lose a little bit of fluid but barely any. I attributed the loss to water boiling out of the system. Even if I'm not "overheating" and I turn the engine off, I pretty consistently hear bubbling into the expansion tank. I thought the rad cap wasn't holding enough pressure so I changed it out (another item from the local parts store) and didn't make a difference. So aside from a HG, the water pump is the only thing left that I can think of. I'm taking the shop's word that it was actually changed since they did this work just before I bought the rig from the dealer. I suppose on the way to the HG, I'll get a good look at the Water pump but I'm gonna take it to a shop first to have them give me a diagnosis on the HG.

 

[calinaki]

this is a super random question, but can you guys see my pic under my name on these posts? I uploaded a pic for my "profile pic" but I don't see it on my screen. Just curious.

 

[KidVermicious]

Profile pic is what people see when they click on your name and look at your profile. Try uploading an avatar pic. :

 

[calinaki]

Profile pic is what people see when they click on your name and look at your profile. Try uploading an avatar pic. :

Thanks man,... I was feeling pretty lame without a pic. I'll get a better one up once I get around to taking one.