1992 FJ 80 3FE Head Gasket Repair (Hopefully) (1 Viewer)

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Nov 29, 2022
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Salt Lake City, UT
Hello IH8MUD.

I am new to the site, but have been working on Toyota's for years. Mostly up-armored Landcruiser's and Hi-Lux's overseas. This year I sold my Taco and bought two cruiser's. A 100 Series, that I daily, and an 80 series for an overlanding rig. I got both for 5k.

When I bought the 80 Series, the PO told me that it was "eating coolant". There is water in the exhaust and a mixture of oil and water on the top of the oil cap. No overheating. Rough idle. The coolant needs to be topped off every couple of weeks, indicating that the internal coolant leak is small. I have started to take the head off. I am hoping to find that it is the head gasket that is blown, and not a crack in the head or block.

I wanted to document this project because there does not seem to be a lot of threads or videos on doing a head gasket on the 3FE. Many of the posts I have seen, seem to end in a cracked block/head. Such as Rush's thread: 3FE Head Gasket - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/3fe-head-gasket.1161924/ Head gasket will be the best case scenario since 3fe blocks are hard to come by.

Stay Tuned

Cruisers.jpg
 
Did you do a compression test?

I watched a guy start tearing into a 3FE because he had convinced himself that the head gasket was leaking because of all the stories he was reading about HG issues. He didn't know the difference and hd no idea what he was doing. He ended up selling the truck for pennies on the dollar because he tore it all apart and couldn't get it back together.

Milky stuff under the oil cap mans nothing.
Water out the exhaust, particularly in winter is normal.
Is it blowing WHITE smoke (not water vapor) out the exhaust that smells like maple syrup?
Are you sure there's not just a coolant leak somewhere? (heater core, hose)
Did you do an exhaust gases test on the radiator?
 
As mentioned above, look very closely for a coolant leak, radiator and hoses, rear heater pipes and hoses, hoses coming off the water pump (3FE), leaking freeze plugs, etc,etc. You might just find a colored stain (whichever color the coolant is) near the hoses, pipes, etc.

You could also collect a sample of used engine oil and send it off to Blackstone Laboratories for an Engine Oil Analysis which will tell you if there's coolant in the oil.

 
The head gasket change is not bad on a 3fe but check your oil cooler and compression first. Also look at the throttle body because coolant goes through there too. I think I have a thread on her somewhere when I did mine about 3 or 4 years ago.
 
Hello IH8MUD.

I am new to the site, but have been working on Toyota's for years. Mostly up-armored Landcruiser's and Hi-Lux's overseas. This year I sold my Taco and bought two cruiser's. A 100 Series, that I daily, and an 80 series for an overlanding rig. I got both for 5k.

When I bought the 80 Series, the PO told me that it was "eating coolant". There is water in the exhaust and a mixture of oil and water on the top of the oil cap. No overheating. Rough idle. The coolant needs to be topped off every couple of weeks, indicating that the internal coolant leak is small. I have started to take the head off. I am hoping to find that it is the head gasket that is blown, and not a crack in the head or block.

I wanted to document this project because there does not seem to be a lot of threads or videos on doing a head gasket on the 3FE. Many of the posts I have seen, seem to end in a cracked block/head. Such as Rush's thread: 3FE Head Gasket - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/3fe-head-gasket.1161924/ Head gasket will be the best case scenario since 3fe blocks are hard to come by.

Stay Tuned

View attachment 3223783

Goodluck and send me a pm if you decide you need a new block.
 
Was the PCV valve working?

FWIW I would still send out a sample of the used engine oil for oil analysis; that could tell you if there's coolant in the oil but also if the metal levels are high from excessive wear of the bearings, rings, etc, etc.
 
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Only use the OEM Toyota gasket. I didnt have any machine work done, just cleaned both surfaces with several green scotch bright pads. I used an engine hoist to get the head off and back in. I needed the truck back on the road quick so I did the entire process on a Saturday. I had planned to bring the head to a machine shop but they were going to take a week just to inspect and resurface it. I did most of the job by myself. The only time I needed a second set hands was removing the hood. I have put over 25,000 miles on it since the job and have had no problems. This is an iron block/head engine and unless it have overheated significantly the head and block should be "fairly" straight. I did look thoroughly for cracks but found none. Get the intake/exhaust gaskets and the coolant gaskets for the front of the head. I also replaced the valve cover gasket but probably didn't need to. Adjusting the valves was the worst part of the job.

Mine failed because of an aftermarket head gasket used by a machine shop. The prior owner bought the truck from a someone that let it sit 10 years without running. He got it started and drove it a couple of hundred miles with the old oil in it which clogged the oil passages and ruined the bearings. He dropped $5000 at a machine shop having it rebuilt and they used a Failpro gasket I think. The link below shows the difference between the oem gasket and the aftermarket.

 
Was the PCV valve working?

FWIW I would still send out a sample of the used engine oil for oil analysis; that could tell you if there's coolant in the oil but also if the metal levels are high from excessive wear of the bearings, rings, etc, etc.
PCV valve is pretty clogged from the water/oil mixture.
 
Got the head back from the shop. Torqued to spec. I am going to continue re-assembling. Knock on wood, but this job does not seem that bad. Cylinders looked good. Crosshatch was still visible. Only thing I've found that needs to be replaced is the egr vacuum solenoid. Plastic housing is cracked.

Stay tuned.
 
@Murry534 I’m new to the site as well and new to LC ownership. I’m impressed with getting both for 5K! I am also new to wrenching your own vehicle so I appreciate the post.
Peace
 
Don't forget that coolant in the engine oil can damage your bearings. Coolant going out the exhaust can damage your O2 sensors and cats if bad enough. I hope you're good to go with the head gasket change. Just an FYI.
 
Don't forget that coolant in the engine oil can damage your bearings. Coolant going out the exhaust can damage your O2 sensors and cats if bad enough. I hope you're good to go with the head gasket change. Just an FYI.
Definitely a concern if mine. Taking my time. Combing through everything.
 
I am wrapping the project up. It was a bit of a pain to get cylinder 1 to TDC, but we got it done. Injectors, fuel rail, and intake chamber is all that's left. Hoping she fires right up.
 
I am wrapping the project up. It was a bit of a pain to get cylinder 1 to TDC, but we got it done. Injectors, fuel rail, and intake chamber is all that's left. Hoping she fires right up.
So, were you able to determine if the HG actually let loose or was this solely an exercise in PM?
 
So, were you able to determine if the HG actually let loose or was this solely an exercise in PM?
Parts of the gasket were gone. I also believe the head bolts were not torqued correctly. There were two that took little to no torque to let loose. I’ve combed through everything and haven’t been able to find an indicator of something else being the culprit.
 
Note: I did find that the throttle body gasket was toast. Replaced it. I have heard that coolant runs through the throttle body and a bad gasket can lead to coolant getting sucked in the intake. This may have been a part of the problem. May also be why there was more water in the head then in the pan.
 

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