F Engine (5/72) Blown Head Gasket??? (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jun 8, 2013
Threads
1
Messages
5
Location
Denver
Valve Job and resurfaced head in 3/2016

I noticed the other night that it took a while for the thermostat to kick on. Today, I noticed white smoke from tailpipe and coolant was about 1/2 gallon low. Thinking blown gasket or cracked head??? The oil appears dark but not cloudy (but that's only the dip stick). Yes, the white smoke is of great quantity . It does not continue after warm up. does have a sweet smell. The engine does not appear to be missing, feels like it may have less power. unfortunately it's my daily driver.

Which gasket is the best if I'm doing the job? Where do I get it?

If its cracked and I need a rebuilt head, who is the best source.


I'm kind of bummed and not looking forward to dishing out a ton of $$$ if it's just the gasket. It doesn’t appear to be that hard of a job. Any thoughts or guidance would be great.

THANKS,
David
 

I know it’s a different engine, but this is where I bought my remanufactured B head after mine cracked
 
Here is what I would do:
Pull spark plugs and inspect to determine what cylinder may be affected
Perform a compression check for same purpose
Change the oil and filter, inspect for coolant contamination

If it appears the coolant did not get into the oil and only one or two cylinders are affected, it's most likely just the head gasket.
Pull the head and inspect gasket to locate the breach.
If I could not find where it failed, I would have the head tested for cracks.
Replace head gasket.

Cruiser outfitters would be my first call for parts.
@cruiseroutfit
 
I just talked to Jim C (tlc) because he seems knowledgeable and recently rebuilt a carb for me. Supposedly, the head was shaven, and valve job 5 years ago but I really don't know, I've heard a lot of stories about unethical repair people just replacing the gasket and not doing the work. But I have only heard good things about Colorado Toyota Specialist in Aspen Park, CO and Joe seemed like an ethical guy. So I assume that they did the work that they said they did, but maybe just an interior gasket...

Jim C said that the older heads were overbuilt and rarely crack. He even said the factory manual says that the old ones have a tolerance of .100 that can be removed. (that's 1/10th of an inch). He said that it will probably be obvious what the problem is once the head if off and the gasket can be inspected. Furthermore, he said that he suggested that if the head is off it should be inspected for cracks and shaven again.

It seems like a lot of work to do it myself, and when you add everything up (car rental, etc) it will end up being the same if I have someone else do the work because of convenience. It is possible to get a completely rebuilt head for around $1,200 delivered (from Cruiser parts), and just swap them. Best case scenario, take it off have it resurfaced and new gasket, do it myself (couple hundred bucks). Worst Case, I take it to a shop, they remove it and test it and find crack, then I have to buy the rebuilt one anyway and rent a car for a month(probably 3k). So it may be a better choice just to plop down the $$ on a rebuilt one. But it would probably be around $1,500 to do the same repair that was done before. All because of a faulty gasket. I guess that their are different qualities of gaskets, and don't know what's they used

I am a bit upset because I just went through this 5 years and about 25K miles ago. Should get at least 100k out of this from what I've read.

ANY LINK TO A HIGH QUALITY F ENGINE GASKET WOULD BE HELPFUL
 
I just talked to Jim C (tlc) because he seems knowledgeable and recently rebuilt a carb for me. Supposedly, the head was shaven, and valve job 5 years ago but I really don't know, I've heard a lot of stories about unethical repair people just replacing the gasket and not doing the work. But I have only heard good things about Colorado Toyota Specialist in Aspen Park, CO and Joe seemed like an ethical guy. So I assume that they did the work that they said they did, but maybe just an interior gasket...

Jim C said that the older heads were overbuilt and rarely crack. He even said the factory manual says that the old ones have a tolerance of .100 that can be removed. (that's 1/10th of an inch). He said that it will probably be obvious what the problem is once the head if off and the gasket can be inspected. Furthermore, he said that he suggested that if the head is off it should be inspected for cracks and shaven again.

It seems like a lot of work to do it myself, and when you add everything up (car rental, etc) it will end up being the same if I have someone else do the work because of convenience. It is possible to get a completely rebuilt head for around $1,200 delivered (from Cruiser parts), and just swap them. Best case scenario, take it off have it resurfaced and new gasket, do it myself (couple hundred bucks). Worst Case, I take it to a shop, they remove it and test it and find crack, then I have to buy the rebuilt one anyway and rent a car for a month(probably 3k). So it may be a better choice just to plop down the $$ on a rebuilt one. But it would probably be around $1,500 to do the same repair that was done before. All because of a faulty gasket. I guess that their are different qualities of gaskets, and don't know what's they used

I am a bit upset because I just went through this 5 years and about 25K miles ago. Should get at least 100k out of this from what I've read.

ANY LINK TO A HIGH QUALITY F ENGINE GASKET WOULD BE HELPFUL
I would guess SOR carries gaskets, I would assume they are pretty common to find at any vendor website like cruiser corps or cool cruisers since it is a pretty common US spec engine part that goes somewhat often to different people. Look through the SOR catalog and you should find something. If not, cruiser corps or someone else idk. SOR has high shipping costs
 
Try these folks---DougAustinTx says they are good----

"Stone JA-11149 Head Gasket"​

 
Last edited:
Here is what I would do:
Pull spark plugs and inspect to determine what cylinder may be affected
Perform a compression check for same purpose
Change the oil and filter, inspect for coolant contamination

If it appears the coolant did not get into the oil and only one or two cylinders are affected, it's most likely just the head gasket.
Pull the head and inspect gasket to locate the breach.
If I could not find where it failed, I would have the head tested for cracks.
Replace head gasket.

Cruiser outfitters would be my first call for parts.
@cruiseroutfit

I would do as @pjohnson suggests first. If it turns out you actually need a head, Im pretty sure I can beat the price you were quoted.

www.marksoffroad.net
 
In your avatar it seems your bezel is upside down, I think this upset your engine x)
 
Update please. It looks like I am about to go through the same process with my 12/69. Thank you.
 

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