Cylinder Head + JB Weld = ?

[Adventure208]

Hi all,

New FJ80 owner here.

I just acquired a ‘97 80 series with a known issue: someone has repaired the cylinder head with (what appears to be) JB Weld. See pictures. The price of the 80 was reflected more than fairly with this known issue.

The engine runs perfectly and the repair ***seems*** sound; albeit it leaks very (very) slightly. However I would eventually like to properly repair this issue, hence this post.

Some things:

1. Would it be wise to devote any effort to repairing (ie. Weld repair) the current head?

2. If I decide to source a new (to me) head; how do I find one that isn’t also cracked? What would be a fair price for one?

3. Any other thoughts about this?

Thank you.

 

[12bit]

Regarding sourcing another head, I purchased a brand new OEM head (11101-69107) from a toyota dealership back in July of this year. Came to around $1300 total after taxes, shipping and discounts.

 

[reklund5]

Looks like some hack cross threaded the bolt that holds the coolant pipe there and broke the boss off the head. If its not leaking oil, it'll probably be just fine for years.
That said, I'd source a used head, have it decked and gone through, and do a HG job because it'll probably need it anyhow.

 

[ppc]

Not a common problem but I recall two or threads in the last couple or years. It was suggested grinding out the crack and do a weld repair. No update ever posted.

 

[Ecliff5]

My buddy @PFRELENG had a cracked head on his 96, cracked in 2 spots on the exhaust side. It leaked a decent amount of oil but drove fine for years until he put a different head on it. The crack will grow over time and enough heat cycles. The crack also may be larger than you think too, this crack was all the way through and almost down into the bucket area. Now the cracked core is sitting in my garage if anyone wants it lol.

 

[Adventure208]

Regarding sourcing another head, I purchased a brand new OEM head (11101-69107) from a toyota dealership back in July of this year. Came to around $1300 total after taxes, shipping and discounts.

Thank you. It’s nice that they still sell the part.

 

[Adventure208]

Looks like some hack cross threaded the bolt that holds the coolant pipe there and broke the boss off the head. If its not leaking oil, it'll probably be just fine for years.
That said, I'd source a used head, have it decked and gone through, and do a HG job because it'll probably need it anyhow.

Thank you. Any suggestions for sourcing a used cylinder head?

 

[Adventure208]

My buddy @PFRELENG had a cracked head on his 96, cracked in 2 spots on the exhaust side. It leaked a decent amount of oil but drove fine for years until he put a different head on it. The crack will grow over time and enough heat cycles. The crack also may be larger than you think too, this crack was all the way through and almost down into the bucket area. Now the cracked core is sitting in my garage if anyone wants it lol.

View attachment 3763328

View attachment 3763329

That looks like similar/same location as mine. Good to know I’ve got some time to ramp up a solution.

 

[CharlieS]

Drill to stop the crack from traveling, grind out the crack, clean incredibly well and tig weld it.

 

[reklund5]

Thank you. Any suggestions for sourcing a used cylinder head?

I'll have one here in a few weeks...

If you need sooner, call Georg at Valley Hybrids or the boys at Cruisers and Company

 

[Fj80oregon]

That repair might last forever! If it’s not leaking serious it might never give you problems. If not I have rebuilt cylinder heads that I sell occasionally. Hot tanked, sand blasted, machined for flatness usually .003-.007 thousandths taken off. Three way valve grind, OEM valve guide seals installed and valves adjusted to middle of Toyota spec. Pm me if you’re interested.

 

[TomH]

I was "lucky" enough that both of my trucks ended up with cracks in the head. Both were replaced with good used heads.

Some more reading on cracked heads if interested.

Hairline Cracks In Cylinder Head -- Advice Please!

Greetings, first off great site and forgive me if this issue has been covered. I recently bought a locked '96 with 73K miles (!!!) on it. Truck runs great, no problems, no rough idle, no power loss. The previous owner mentioned he'd replaced the head gasket. This seems to be pretty typical...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Adventure208]

That repair might last forever! If it’s not leaking serious it might never give you problems. If not I have rebuilt cylinder heads that I sell occasionally. Hot tanked, sand blasted, machined for flatness usually .003-.007 thousandths taken off. Three way valve grind, OEM valve guide seals installed and valves adjusted to middle of Toyota spec. Pm me if you’re interested.

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View attachment 3763581

PM sent. Thanks

 

[DaviMH47]

Careful sourcing used heads, I bought a used one that was supposed to be ready to go from a machine shop, turns out it was warped .035" and the cams were binding. Luckily I was able to get my money back from AmEx. Bought a new one from toyota for peace of mind.

 

[smorkington]

Paint the jb weld silver to match the head and keep driving it