I recently found out that my 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser had a cracked head gasket. I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and what they did. The Car has 157,000 miles on it and we think it was from the car being ran hot. Can anyone tell me if this is correct and if putting head gasket stop leak in the engine would work.
1997 Landcruiser Head Gasket (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter chips45b
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It's pretty common on these. If you do a search for head gasket in the 80 section, you'll be amazed at the sheer number. Expect to pay quite a bit for a shop to do the repair, or buy the Head Gasket DVD from one of the members here, do it yourself and learn a lot about your ride while you do it.
It's so common that a lot of people do it as preventative maintenance here. I did it because my HG blew two weeks after I bought the truck.
It's so common that a lot of people do it as preventative maintenance here. I did it because my HG blew two weeks after I bought the truck.
More likely, the engine ran hot because the HG failed; not vice versa. It is not advisable to continue driving the vehicle. It is not advisable to use "stop leak" for a failed HG. The job is ~12 hours flat-rate time so figure about $1,200 labor depending on your mechanic's rate. Since you know the engine was run hot, you should have the head pressure checked at a machine shop. At the same time, they can take off .010" (max) and grind and adjust the valves by a process called "tipping".
The valve grind kit will include valve seals which the machine shop will install. Expect the machine shop costs to be ~$500 and the parts cost to be ~$300 (minimum) to much more depending on what you decide to do "while you are in there." There are dozens of threads with recommendations on what to do in conjunction with the HG job; rad, water pump; injectors; sensors; FP regulator; hoses; and on and on. It adds up quickly.
-B-
