Biff said:
Sign me up too. (Just to support the cause of course, I'm not anywhere that many
of a mechanic.)
AAAAAAAAGH! Head gasket's blown!! (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter IdahoDoug
- Start date
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Sign me up too. (Just to support the cause of course, I'm not anywhere that many
of a mechanic.)
- Thread starter
- #42
Rick - Hey, I listen to your sage advice ALWAYS. I even PM'd you (thanks for the tips), man!! Heh...
I've been running around all day trying frantically to get stuff done so I can take one truck out of service. Whew.
I like the HG video suggestion, and will give it a shot. You guys want voice over, or my music which will be 70s/80s rock? heheheh.
Great advice guys. Coincidentally, I already had an oil spring on the way just because I wanted to see if it makes a difference.
No water/milkiness on the dipstick at all. Did get a blob of light brown peanut butter colored stuff on the bottom of the oil cap just in the last few days. No other signs of distress other than the coolant use which lead to the whole huge thread with the pipe-sniffing and catalytic converter listening.
I think what happened is that the leaking hose let the coolant get low enough that it damaged the HG a few weeks ago (can't recall the thread I posted on it). So, I did the damage myself rather than it being a random failure. Interestingly, I'll be able to confirm this at some point. Get this. A couple months ago I took an oil sample intending to send it in but did not until I could also get one from my bro in law's 290k '93. Never happened. So, I may actually be able to pinpoint exactly when this happened by sending the other sample in. If it's coolant free then I can confirm it was my fault. Somehow I don't feel like spending $30 at the moment to confirm I'm a moron, ya know? But I promise I will. Unique opportunity.
Ironically, I also have a printout of the excellent mod to add a coolant level alarm to the coolant reservoir. It's the height of irony that I don't have the time to do that at the moment because I'm, ah....well, I'm changing the head gasket due to low coolant.....hmmmm.....
The HG kit is about $175. This includes valve seals, intake and exhaust gaskets, o rings for various water passages, throttle body gaskets, etc. I added a few things (alternator brushes, a few exhaust manifold nuts in case I need to split any, distributor o ring). I plan to just clean up the heads with a brush and slap it back together unless I see anything else while in there. No injector cleaning, or valve work. This thing is such a smooth running engine I don't want to change a thing 'cept that thin slab o'metal atop the block... The engine wire harness routing on my 97 is clearly better than the 93 and shows no stress at all, so at some point Toyota changed it for the better.
I'll check the EGR wires, also.
Junk, I don't know how to do the cute emoticon things but I think you know which one I'd be displaying here { } just for you! Heh.....
DougM
I've been running around all day trying frantically to get stuff done so I can take one truck out of service. Whew.
I like the HG video suggestion, and will give it a shot. You guys want voice over, or my music which will be 70s/80s rock? heheheh.
Great advice guys. Coincidentally, I already had an oil spring on the way just because I wanted to see if it makes a difference.
No water/milkiness on the dipstick at all. Did get a blob of light brown peanut butter colored stuff on the bottom of the oil cap just in the last few days. No other signs of distress other than the coolant use which lead to the whole huge thread with the pipe-sniffing and catalytic converter listening.
I think what happened is that the leaking hose let the coolant get low enough that it damaged the HG a few weeks ago (can't recall the thread I posted on it). So, I did the damage myself rather than it being a random failure. Interestingly, I'll be able to confirm this at some point. Get this. A couple months ago I took an oil sample intending to send it in but did not until I could also get one from my bro in law's 290k '93. Never happened. So, I may actually be able to pinpoint exactly when this happened by sending the other sample in. If it's coolant free then I can confirm it was my fault. Somehow I don't feel like spending $30 at the moment to confirm I'm a moron, ya know? But I promise I will. Unique opportunity.
Ironically, I also have a printout of the excellent mod to add a coolant level alarm to the coolant reservoir. It's the height of irony that I don't have the time to do that at the moment because I'm, ah....well, I'm changing the head gasket due to low coolant.....hmmmm.....
The HG kit is about $175. This includes valve seals, intake and exhaust gaskets, o rings for various water passages, throttle body gaskets, etc. I added a few things (alternator brushes, a few exhaust manifold nuts in case I need to split any, distributor o ring). I plan to just clean up the heads with a brush and slap it back together unless I see anything else while in there. No injector cleaning, or valve work. This thing is such a smooth running engine I don't want to change a thing 'cept that thin slab o'metal atop the block... The engine wire harness routing on my 97 is clearly better than the 93 and shows no stress at all, so at some point Toyota changed it for the better.
I'll check the EGR wires, also.
Junk, I don't know how to do the cute emoticon things but I think you know which one I'd be displaying here { } just for you! Heh.....
DougM
- Thread starter
- #43
Thanks for the offers of phone numbers. Stand by for news (Paul Harvey) I'll be doing this with regular hand tools, but I'm going to go buy a few odd extensions, 90 degree screwdrivers and borrowing a top notch torque wrench (mine's good for most stuff, but head bolts??).
I'll post the Blackstone numbers when I get them. I simply got the verbal coolant presence and the'll be sending the normal report by email. It's www.blackstone-labs.com by the way. I think because of us, they've got the best 1FZ database in the world...
DougM
I'll post the Blackstone numbers when I get them. I simply got the verbal coolant presence and the'll be sending the normal report by email. It's www.blackstone-labs.com by the way. I think because of us, they've got the best 1FZ database in the world...
DougM
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canyoneer said:
Nope
Are you having any work done on your head? Or at least having a machine shop check it for flatness?
IdahoDoug said:
LMFAO,
Doug you are too funny. Right to the bitter end you won't concede that there is a problem with the original HG design.
It's not your fault or most anyone's who has had this happen. The price for running low on coolant for a little bit because of a failed hose shouldn't be replacing the HG, that's just crazy!
As for the exhuast nuts, I'd go to sears and get ba set of torx sockets and pull the studs, mine came right out and then you can slide the manifolds up and off the Y-pipe while it's in place.
And try not to think about having to do this job again in 9 months to the other truck while fixing this one.
powderpig
SILVER Star
Their is no EGR to intake manifold gasket in the valve grind kit, or water pipe to thermo housing gasket either. Just about every other gasket you will need besides these two. As for torque wrench for head bolts is a good one for the 29 flb for the intinal first pull, then it is 90 degrees(paint pen works real well, 12 mm 12 socket also needed) , then 90 degrees. The rest is 35-40ftlbs for the exhust nuts, 70 ftlbsfor the distributor drive gear on the cam. All is little torque setting.
It is not your fault, it would of gone sooner than later. It just chose now, it also not the heavy towing as one person is asking about.
Timing chain does not need replacing unless the guide brakes while you are cleaning up stuff. Then it is time to pull the pan as well as it make it way lot easier to remove the timeing cover. have fun take brakes when you get tired and loose paintance. good luck robbie
It is not your fault, it would of gone sooner than later. It just chose now, it also not the heavy towing as one person is asking about.
Timing chain does not need replacing unless the guide brakes while you are cleaning up stuff. Then it is time to pull the pan as well as it make it way lot easier to remove the timeing cover. have fun take brakes when you get tired and loose paintance. good luck robbie
what I've done a while back is to let the trucks get really really cold and then add coolant in the overflow reservoir to precisely the max line, within 1/16" or so. That way I have a good reference point and can monitor for any leak... (Hoping evap in the res does not play too much of a role...)
Of all of the things that could be done to your truck "as long as the head's off," if I could do only one, it would be to have a machine shop resurface the head. You don't know at this point if it's warped or not, right? If it is, a new HG's probably not gonna help.
canyoneer said:
I believe Toyota recommends replacement if the head is warped. Resurfacing is limited to a teeny, tiny amount as I recall. Definitely not enough to correct a warped head.
-B-
I didn't know they recommended replacement rather than resurfacing. Odd. But that gets him in even deeper.
Sure, a machine shop can tell you if they think a head is warped. The ones I dealt with back when I was fixing cars for a living preferred to shave just a teeny amount off to be sure. I think they were doing that to cut down on come-backs -- not generate more business.
Sure, a machine shop can tell you if they think a head is warped. The ones I dealt with back when I was fixing cars for a living preferred to shave just a teeny amount off to be sure. I think they were doing that to cut down on come-backs -- not generate more business.
As far as Toyota is concerned the head should be replaced if there is any issue with the gasket sealing surface. Resurfacing is not mentioned at all. The experience of several board members is that a minimal ammout can be removed safely. It seems the key is to be sure the surface is smooth so as to allow shifting of the dis-similar metals without sawing the gasket apart in the process.
D-
D-
Another issue is that milling of the head will change the cam timing. You can get away with a little but you have to be aware of the issue.
-B-
-B-
Doug: Sorry to hear you have a hard weekend affront of you.
Please, do not beat yourself up - running a little low on coolant especially as your temp gauge didn't say you over-heated did it? - does not blow a head. It's just the same old design fault that about 15% of us ultimately get to experience.
And to help costs I too will buy a video if you make one. Keep the music low in the background then add a voice over after editing. Drop the level of the background music tract while the voice-over is live. Keep you halogen work lamps on to illuminate anything you shoot and as in all video most of your shots should be closeups. Keep the wide shots just to establish the setting then move to close-ups - no zooms or pans. And plenty of naked Filipino women walking around the garage.
Please, do not beat yourself up - running a little low on coolant especially as your temp gauge didn't say you over-heated did it? - does not blow a head. It's just the same old design fault that about 15% of us ultimately get to experience.
And to help costs I too will buy a video if you make one. Keep the music low in the background then add a voice over after editing. Drop the level of the background music tract while the voice-over is live. Keep you halogen work lamps on to illuminate anything you shoot and as in all video most of your shots should be closeups. Keep the wide shots just to establish the setting then move to close-ups - no zooms or pans. And plenty of naked Filipino women walking around the garage.
MH_Stevens said:
Can we pre-order that head gasket video?
-B-
If you make a vid I will buy one.
