FJ60 Head Gasket ? (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Apr 17, 2010
Threads
3
Messages
13
Hey guys,
I posted here last week about a 1986 FJ60 2F that seemed to have and odd leak behind the EGR cooler. I have had Jury Duty until a few hours ago and finally had a chance to look closer. Seems there is antifreeze running down the side of the block from above and (behind?) the carb/manifold area...about a drop a minute,,,
Is this the symptom of the beginnings of a blown/leaking head gasket or is there something else in that area that could be leaking? (and I sort of know there isn't...)
Thanks!
 
There are some freeze plugs on the top of the head, outside the valve cover, between the air-rail nozzles. Check those.
 
Top of the head is dry, freeze plugs not leaking, sending unit dry as well, freeze plugs on side of block OK as well........Looking grim?
 
There is also a 90 degree hose junction that threads into the head next to the sending unit. May not be the culprit as you stated the head's dry, but could be worth checking.

Brad
 
If you can't find anything obvious, you need to go to Vatozone and rent a pressure tester (if you don't have one) and pressurize the system and search for that leak.

You'll also need an adapter to fit your radiator ... And FWIW, the original rad has a large filler. Aftermarket ones will have the smaller, later Toyota style.

And make sure the wetness isn't just tears in your eyes for your wounded cruiser...

:D:crybaby:
 
All dry up top; strong light shined through the left wheelwell reveals coolant running down the side of the block above the freezeplug that is directly above the EGR cooler; about a drop a minute...
 
I suppose it could be coming from a bad Head Gasket, leaking between the gasket and block/head ... There's really nothing else around there. Cracked block?
 
Look carefully at the coolant line on the driver side at the very back of the head. I had a tiny coolant leak that I chased for years, that turned out to be that hose, which I didn't even realize was there. I had to remove the throttle linkage support to get access.

The only reason I found it was I had the transmission out and was getting a tiny green drip off the other side of the bellhousing. It turns out, it was dripping on the top and rinning to the other side. To make it stranger it's 1/2 inch hose, and everything else on the truck is 5/8.
 
I thought of a cracked block....is it common for 2f's? and to be higher than the freeze plugs.. (1986)..rig runs fine up the mountain I live on, no overheating, this leak started a week ago (138,000 miles), no steam out the tailpipe, no apparent power loss. I have'nt done a dry/wet compression check yet, but will.
 
Not common, but not impossible... Before rushing to something like that, I'd check very carefully the T'stat housing upper and lower, and all those fittings, and make sure you don't have a slow leak that's traveling somehow and dripping on that side of the block.

Again, get a pressure tester and you'll find it.
 
Turned out to be the block cracked about 2 inches above the freeze plug........always 'sumpin.
 
JB Weld ?

Seriously.

:D
:rolleyes:
 
Turned out to be the block cracked about 2 inches above the freeze plug........always 'sumpin.

Well that sucks. I'd try the JB Weld too. Probably won't work but little to loose so....
 
Believe it or not, a 2F with a free flowing, unclogged cooling system using a Toyota 4 core brass/copper radiator (or equivalent aluminum or copper) with a 180º thermostat does not need a pressurized cooling system to run cool. It won't boil over or over heat, even in the desert, when the temp is over 100º.

I ran my car with an unpressurized cooling system for 6 years after I discovered my head had cracked [ Edit: not cracked but was new AFT HG leak] and was burning coolant. I couldn't deal with it when I discovered it... and soon found out I didn't really need to. I removed the spring valve in the radiator cap so the cooling system wouldn't be pressurized and the coolant could expand freely into the overflow tank when the engine warmed up. I never burned another drop of coolant again and the engine always ran at the proper temperature.

The only time I heard the coolant bubbling inside the engine was after an immediate shut down after a hard drive up a steep mountain with the engine floored on a hot day. The engine was not overheated according to the temp guage, but hot enough to cause the coolant to start to bubble in the engine a minute or so after it was shut down. If I allowed the engine to cool down properly by fast idling at 1200-1500 rpm for a few minutes after a hard run (like we all should be doing anyway) the coolant would never boil.

Micro-boiling of coolant in on hot spots in the engine occurs normally in a properly functioning and pressurized cooling system anyway (especially with a 190º thermostat).. So it is not like having a few bubbles form in the coolant is anything unusual.

This is something good to know for all of us, and I think it is a good idea to have a spare radiator cap in the glove box with the pressure valve removed for an emergency fix…and maybe a permanent one… Beats replacing a head.. or engine.
 
Last edited:
That stinks! I will agree with the system not needing to be pressurized. I once forgot to put the radiator cap on and drove a good 100 miles before realizing it, middle of summer too.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom