tell tale signs of head gasket failure and stop leak

[baja1]

I foolishly believed my well maintained '97 with 188K was indestructible....where my head gasket said adios calling a tow truck wasn't an option, I had to limp home pegging the temperature gauge numerous times.
what instrument could I add that would give me advance warning of a head gasket failure and in a pinch would stop leak ( I know few believe it works) possibly be worth carrying to give it shot to limp home?

 

[JayRolla]

I foolishly believed my well maintained '97 with 188K was indestructible....where my head gasket said adios calling a tow truck wasn't an option, I had to limp home pegging the temperature gauge numerous times.
what instrument could I add that would give me advance warning of a head gasket failure and in a pinch would stop leak ( I know few believe it works) possibly be worth carrying to give it shot to limp home?

Nothing you can do really. The only issue this motor really has is head gasket failure.

 

[amalik]

Nothing you can do really. The only issue this motor really has is head gasket failure.

That's a pretty big only :lol: -- a lot of people also get cracked heads.

The 3.0 was worse.

 

[amalik]

I foolishly believed my well maintained '97 with 188K was indestructible....where my head gasket said adios calling a tow truck wasn't an option, I had to limp home pegging the temperature gauge numerous times.
what instrument could I add that would give me advance warning of a head gasket failure and in a pinch would stop leak ( I know few believe it works) possibly be worth carrying to give it shot to limp home?

Are you a 2nd (or more) owner with unknown maintenance history? 188k is a little young for the death of a head gasket on the 3.4L 5VZ-FE.

 

[3bears]

if you drove it home several times pegging the temp gauge I suspect your going to have more than just head gaskets in your future

 

[baja1]

Are you a 2nd (or more) owner with unknown maintenance history? 188k is a little young for the death of a head gasket on the 3.4L 5VZ-FE.

2nd owner but 1st owner was my daughter in law's family car and always dealer serviced

 

[baja1]

if you drove it home several times pegging the temp gauge I suspect your going to have more than just head gaskets in your future

yup, thats why I opted for a new old motor!

 

[nc-grayson]

yup, thats why I opted for a new old motor!

well that escalated quickly!

how did you diagnose the blown headgasket?

and you already went ahead with a replacement?

 

[baja1]

well that escalated quickly!

how did you diagnose the blown headgasket?

and you already went ahead with a replacement?

the car started running really crappy than at highway speeds the upper radiator hose blew off, reattached it added some water, lots of white smoke, limped home removed heads yup blown head gasket. decided new old motor was my best option......now im just preparing for a similar event!

 

[reelamin]

I blew up a radiator a few months ago. I am not sure I actually had a head gasket leak....but the two vapor tests I did had different results. I have no idea if the Blue Devil worked...but I dumped it in. Still running fine....but I did have to put in a new T-Stat today. Don't know if the Blue Devil caused any issued with it. I am a firm believer in dumping snake oil in some things. Worse case it doesn't work and best case it does.


http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/229040-96-3-4-radiator-blew-up.html

 

[Formidable]

Have you tried a product called blue devil? Any Oreily's or autozone should have it. $40 fix vs $2500. Forms a polymer seal at the site of the temperature discrepancy. Worked to seal my small head gasket leak. Supposedly the fix is permanent. Follow the directions on the bottle exactly.

 

[StreetCreeper]

Ok, I think some things have been lost in translation here.

If I understand the OP correctly, he was not asking how to diagnose his old engine with a blown head gasket, as that engine is gone and has been replaced it with a used motor. I think he is asking how to prevent a blown head gasket from occurring again with his new "used" motor that he has already installed (or soon will).

If that is correct, you really need to examine or at least contemplate what happened last time to blow the gasket. Which, from what I read, was an improperly maintained cooling system that failed at allowed the engine to overheat.

My 100% unprofessional opinion is to overhaul the cooling system. Unless you know for a fact that your radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, hoses, constant-tension hose clamps, coolant recovery reservoir (including the internal recovery hose) and coolant is functioning properly and not in need of replacement — then I think you should replace those as they aren't very expensive and will help to ensure that your engine does not overheat in the future.

Also, you absolutely can't rely on the factory engine coolant temperature light. It is only useful in letting you know that you have probably destroyed your engine. The gauge doesn't even move above halfway before you have already entered the danger zone.

My advice would be to order a ScanGauge or Ultragauge or even some type of Android OBD2 reader that lets you watch the coolant temps via your smart phone. Watch your coolant temps and you will have a great view into the health of the engine in terms of being able to see and recognize when something is not working properly.

Once you establish where your engine like to operate at temperature-wise, you will quickly notice when your coolant temp rises for no apparent reason. This is your chance to stop driving and start diagnosing what component of your cooling system is not working properly before it becomes a problem and you cook another motor.

Links for gauges that will show you accurate coolant temps (and other systems):

https://www.scangauge.com/products/scangauge-ii/

http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/

 

[baja1]

thank you gentlemen, will get a scan gauge and there will be Blue Devil on board. its all about getting me home!