98 LC Blown Head Gasket, who to call in SF Bay???

[lexpowers]

1998 LC 2UZFE 360k

Had a recent recent overheat associated with a cracked radiator. Replaced with OEM. Mech did not detect Head Gasket failure. Good to go or so we thought.
Ran great for 30 miles, then rough with cyl #5 misfires. Replaced spark plug and coil. Good again!
Ran great for another a couple days, then rough again. Replaced all plugs (looked okay, maybe a little wet with fuel) and one more coil, #7. Runs great again. Maybe that's the last of it. Nope...

Now heavy white sweet smoke on a very hard, long, surge-y start. Combustion leak test (10 minutes!) shows no exhaust in overflow tank, doesn't seem to be using coolant either, tank still topped off. Clean under oil filler cap. No red (immobilizer?) light next to clock. EFI Fuse still 20A but looks great. No OBDII codes. Once warm, she runs smooth as ever. Restarts like a dream. Maybe vacuum leak? Waiting on new vacuum lines from Wits End. What should I check next?

 

[lexpowers]

I've since replaced all sketchy looking vacuum lines, cleaned the throttle body and maf sensor, and dumped some techron fuel injector cleaner in the gas. She runs like a champ, more pep than ever, but still smokey on startup. Coolant loss is minimal if at all.

Could it be a cracked head that seals up when hot? What should I try or check next?

 

[awesomeissquid]

Are you still having misfires on cylinders 5 and 7? They are next to each other. White smoke typically means coolant and should smell sweet. Next check would be a leakdown or compression test to see what the engine is doing.

 

[SteveH]

You could try pressurizing the cooling system for an hour and watch the gauge to see if it drops. Do this with a completely cold engine. Couldn't you also borescope all the cylinders before a cold start and see if one has coolant in it?

 

[YezusLX]

For what its worth; I had this issue when my vacuum lines coming off my power steering pump were dry rotted. Replaced and no more white smoke as it was allowing ATF/PS fluid into the intake.

 

[nissanh]

On a cold engine, check the level of coolant inside the radiator and in the coolant reserve tank. Drive few days and check again to make sure all levels are same.

Does that white smoke comes only in the morning? You are in WA, so white smoke is just ocondensation of moisture in the combustion gases.

 

[lexpowers]

On a cold engine, check the level of coolant inside the radiator and in the coolant reserve tank

You nailed it. Turns out I was losing coolant out of the radiator while the reservoir stayed full. Took almost 3/4 gal of water to top her back off. I'm now quite convinced it has a blown head gasket or cracked/warped head and that my previous attempt at a combustion leak should have been directly with the radiator instead of the reservoir.

I'm down in California at the moment and I found one promising San Fransisco Bay indy shop who sounds very familiar with 2UZs and is willing to tackle it, but is expecting at least 3 weeks before he can get to it. Any referrals to trusted mechs in the Bay area would be very welcome and appreciated!

 

[SteveH]

Turns out I was losing coolant out of the radiator while the reservoir stayed full.

This also means your radiator cap is not working properly and/or the hose to your overflow tank is cracked or leaking. Be SURE to fix these problems along the way of getting everything else fixed. I just went through this on an RX 350, among other issues.

 

[newbielx470]

I'm down in California at the moment and I found one promising San Fransisco Bay indy shop who sounds very familiar with 2UZs and is willing to tackle it, but is expecting at least 3 weeks before he can get to it. Any referrals to trusted mechs in the Bay area would be very welcome and appreciated!

This thread from 2022 has the most recent recommendations for bay area mechanics specializing in 100 series:

Need Shop Recommendation in SF Bay Area for a 100 Series

I just purchased a 2005 LX that I need to get baselined and checked out to fully understand the current condition. I try and do that with most of my purchases and the idea is to take it to a reliable and dependable shop. I unfortunately do not know where to take this. I am in SF East Bay around...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[excessive]

Get a combustion gas tester to confirm the headgasket issue

Amazon product ASIN B083M9K4SK

 

[lexpowers]

Just a little update to close the loop... I found a used 1998 2UZ-FE with 110k (carfax shows timing belt done by dealer at 90k in 2017) and had it installed by a Bay Area Autoworks and Towing in Redwood City. I paid 1800 for the engine and about 1850 for the install. I'm back on the road and wildly impressed with the turn-around and cost.

 

[vipergrhd]

Just a little update to close the loop... I found a used 1998 2UZ-FE with 110k (carfax shows timing belt done by dealer at 90k in 2017) and had it installed by a Bay Area Autoworks and Towing in Redwood City. I paid 1800 for the engine and about 1850 for the install. I'm back on the road and wildly impressed with the turn-around and cost.

Glad to hear the good news, where did you find the engine and $1850 for install labor? It's a 20+ hours labor book time and being in the bay area that's a steal.
Reason I ask is I purchased a 100 about a month ago that could possibly have a bad engine I still haven't figure out if that's the issue.

 

[SteveH]

Did you or the shop pull the head on the old engine to see why it was using coolant, or for that cheap price, did you just drive away with a smile on your face?

 

[lexpowers]

Glad to hear the good news, where did you find the engine and $1850 for install labor? It's a 20+ hours labor book time and being in the bay area that's a steal.
Reason I ask is I purchased a 100 about a month ago that could possibly have a bad engine I still haven't figure out if that's the issue.

We found the engine on car-part.com. It was at a junk yard in Long Beach and I went down to look at it and the wrecked LC it was pulled out of prior to buying it. The story lined up so I ran the carfax and had the yard pull the valve cover. Both looked great. The engine itself was only $1300, I paid another $500 for the shop to arrange to get it up to Redwood City in a hurry.

For labor, I hit up the local favorites but was staring down a couple months wait and significant financials. For s***s, I requested a quote on Yelp and the Bay Area Autoworks and Towing guys offered to do it for less than half of the next lowest quote. Not likely the highest surgical-quality work, but hey, it runs. They towed my LC to the shop and replaced the valve cover gaskets, oil pan gaskets, and few other goodies at that price as well.

 

[lexpowers]

Did you or the shop pull the head on the old engine to see why it was using coolant, or for that cheap price, did you just drive away with a smile on your face?

I never looked at the old engine after they pulled it, but I'm guessing my wife just torched the ever living piss out of it when the radiator blew up on the drive up from Santa Barbara. I wasn't with her when it happened. The SB shop replaced the radiator but didn't suspect the head gasket since the 2UZ-FE is so resilient and it didn't have any of the blown HG symptoms for a couple weeks.

 

[VentricularFib]

We found the engine on car-part.com. It was at a junk yard in Long Beach and I went down to look at it and the wrecked LC it was pulled out of prior to buying it. The story lined up so I ran the carfax and had the yard pull the valve cover. Both looked great. The engine itself was only $1300, I paid another $500 for the shop to arrange to get it up to Redwood City in a hurry.

For labor, I hit up the local favorites but was staring down a couple months wait and significant financials. For s***s, I requested a quote on Yelp and the Bay Area Autoworks and Towing guys offered to do it for less than half of the next lowest quote. Not likely the highest surgical-quality work, but hey, it runs. They towed my LC to the shop and replaced the valve cover gaskets, oil pan gaskets, and few other goodies at that price as well.

May I ask where this junked cruiser in long Beach is at? It's local to me and having a hard time finding yards in my area. The only one I know is in Sacramento.

 

[lexpowers]

May I ask where this junked cruiser in long Beach is at? It's local to me and having a hard time finding yards in my area. The only one I know is in Sacramento.

They were called Honda and toy parts. The name changed in the last couple weeks but the address is 1421 W Anaheim St, Long Beach, CA 90813. As far as I know there is just the one 98 LC there, but if it's local maybe worth a look

 

[VentricularFib]

They were called Honda and toy parts. The name changed in the last couple weeks but the address is 1421 W Anaheim St, Long Beach, CA 90813. As far as I know there is just the one 98 LC there, but if it's local maybe worth a look

Hey I appreciate it! I'm going to head out tomorrow to take a look. Would you by chance remember how bad of a wreck it was?

 

[lexpowers]

Hey I appreciate it! I'm going to head out tomorrow to take a look. Would you by chance remember how bad of a wreck it was?

Pretty smoked, front end collision. But only 110k miles