Head Gasket PM

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OG 91 LC

OG 91 LC

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Dec 19, 2010
Threads
100
Messages
1,203
Location
San Juan Cap.
Hi again fellas. As some of you know I recently purchased my low mileage 1997 LX 450. I'm trying to learn as much about the 97 LX. I keep running into the head gasket issues that the 96/97 ran into. Some claim no head gasket issues even with 200K+ miles. Sooooo.........

1. I have swapped all fluids except coolant. I'm afraid coolant was never flushed in the last 14 years. Want to flush coolant within the next couple of weeks. I keep reading about RED or GREEN? NO MIXING!!!!!!! What do you say?

2. Heater Hose/Hoses. I know PHH is a fairly common mod. Do I need to replace heater/hoses on such low mile truck? And if so. Can any of you guys help? Or suggest a local shop/dealer. YotaMasters? BTW all of my hoses LOOK new. Non look brittle or even close to it
What do you say?

3. What else?
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Is this the 80 with 32k on it?

If so, leave it be on the hoses if they're soft and the HG is fine. I'd do a coolant swap for sure. The PHH mine as well be done so you don't have to worry later.

As far as a shop goes, head over to Yotamasters and talk to Eric.. tell him Druck sent you :D

My truck will be there tomorrow getting some work done to it.
 
Hey Dave. Thanks for the advice. Do you have a rough estimate on the PHH work cost at Yotamasters?
 
And yes on the 80 with 32K.
 
OG 91 LC said:
Hi again fellas. As some of you know I recently purchased my low mileage 1997 LX 450. I'm trying to learn as much about the 97 LX. I keep running into the head gasket issues that the 96/97 ran into. Some claim no head gasket issues even with 200K+ miles. Sooooo.........

1. I have swapped all fluids except coolant. I'm afraid coolant was never flushed in the last 14 years. Want to flush coolant within the next couple of weeks. I keep reading about RED or GREEN? NO MIXING!!!!!!! What do you say?

2. Heater Hose/Hoses. I know PHH is a fairly common mod. Do I need to replace heater/hoses on such low mile truck? And if so. Can any of you guys help? Or suggest a local shop/dealer. YotaMasters? BTW all of my hoses LOOK new. Non look brittle or even close to it
What do you say?

3. What else?
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I'm not an expert by any means, but I have 188K on my '95 and HG issues yet (fingers crossed!). I am concerned, and I feel like I'm waiting for the "shoe to drop".

1. Don't mix! I've heard that mixing can lead to coagulation, clogged passages, etc... My understanding is either red or green will work, though red is OEM. I recently flushed mine (easy job) and used new red.

2. PHH is a PITA, but it's doable.As rubber ages, it dries out, gets brittle, and eventually fails - regardless of the mileage on the vehicle. If all your hoses look like they're in good condition and have been recently changed, then that's probably the case. Inspect them all and note if any look or feel different. The easiest way to check the PHH is to turn your steering wheel to full lock (I can't remember if it was left or right, sorry), and peek up from the driver's side with a flashlight. You might need to remove the rubber splash guards.

3. Have you checked your spark plugs, boots and wires? The OEM wires actually have a date printed on them. If they're old, you might consider replacing them. Front bearings re-packed any time in the recent past? Other than that, I think it's just "Legendary Toyota Reliability".

Good luck with your new truck. I love mine. It's the best vehicle I've ever owned (which should be expected, I guess, since it sold new for around $50k!).
 
Red coolant is Toyota OEM. Nuf said there.
While the truck may only have 32K (bastard), the hoses are 14 years old for god sake. If you have the $$, time and/or inclination, change them due to age if nothing else.

Great find btw!!!
 
DRJoe and Brent. Thanks for your advice. I do have the time(I'm off for the summer) and inclination for changing the hoses. As for the $$$$$$ well........ you know, but about how much is needed to replace the hoses. And since all of this is new to me I wonder which hoses need to be changed. I guess I could call Yotamasters and ask about how much it would cost for the PHH mod. I was thinking about heading over to South Coast Toyota and doing a coolant flush, but I would love to learn how to flush the coolant on my truck myself. I don't have the FSM, but will be ordering it from HELMinc. Anyone want to school me on this?
 
I know in San Diego that John at SD trucks has done the PHH for about $100 in the past since they do so many. I personally used green coolant on the flush when I got my cruiser a few years ago since it already had green and since it is readily available and much cheaper. It did have evidence of the sludge from the mix prior to ownership. The hoses may be OK but should be checked for cracking or if brittle replaced. Keep in mind replacements were probably made years ago as well if not common replacement parts so old age does not necessarily mean time for replacement but may add peace of mind.
 
Thanks again fellas. So is it a matter of someone checking out the ALL of the hoses and deciding the ones that need to be replaced? Changing hoses seems to be the consensus. Landcruising. Is SD Trucks the name of the shop? Also, I took pics of the coolant currently in my truck. Red and green make brown, yes? I'm afraid that somewhere down the line the two types were mixed. Or am I wrong. It looks green in some light and angles. And it looks reddish in other. And it looks like a clear brownish to me. I am flushing asap. What do you guys think?
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Ooops. I forgot to ask. Is there a way of knowing which color coolant was used when the truck was purchased new?
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OG 91 LC said:
DRJoe and Brent. Thanks for your advice. I do have the time(I'm off for the summer) and inclination for changing the hoses. As for the $$$$$$ well........ you know, but about how much is needed to replace the hoses. And since all of this is new to me I wonder which hoses need to be changed. I guess I could call Yotamasters and ask about how much it would cost for the PHH mod. I was thinking about heading over to South Coast Toyota and doing a coolant flush, but I would love to learn how to flush the coolant on my truck myself. I don't have the FSM, but will be ordering it from HELMinc. Anyone want to school me on this?
Click to expand...

Since you're new, you may not have heard yet of CruiserDan @ American Toyota, in New Mexico. He gives a great Mud discount and ships promptly. I think he's the best source for Toyota OEM parts. I ordered all new hoses from him (except the PHH - I got the upgrade kit from another Mudder. I don't remember his name, but you should find it on a search of the 80's Tech Forum thread) a while ago and changed them myself. It was time consuming, and a little frustrating to get to some of the hoses, but all in all it wasn't too bad. As to the flush, mine was simple. I had original red, flushed with clear water (drain radiator at petcock, re-fill with water, run engine a few minutes, repeat until the water is draining clear enough for your satisfaction), and replaced with red. The PHH was a bear to get to, but I felt a personal sense of accomplishment doing it myself. I'm not sure I'd pay $100 for someone else to do it. Maybe $50 (but, I'm cheap...). An advantage to doing it yourself is gaining a little confidence to work on your own truck. Someday, you may need to do a field repair on the trail. It's all up to you how deep you want to wade in. Best of luck with your truck!
 
Thanks again Joe. I've had several conversations with Dan on other cruiser subjects. I'll see about ordering hoses from Dan. On the subject of flushing, do I run straight tap water or is it better to use something else?

Hey fellas? What do you guys think about the color of the coolant? Does it look right? Normal? Or does it look like at some point the two colors of coolant were mixed? This is a concern and I'm hoping there wasn't any coagulation within the radiator.
 
That coolant looks horrible. It is time for a very, very good flush! x2 on CDan and his great sidekick Beno. Use Yota red coolant.

It's SD Trux off Miramar Blvd in San Diego. His moto is 'We put them back together like Toyota built them'. Nuf said on that since we all agree on how well built our trucks are to begin with...except for that PHH! YotaMaster is closer and just as good at what they do. You can't go wrong with either.
 
That coolant looks like the original out of the factory that has been used for 14 years. Flush it!

While you're doing the flush I would put in a new thermostat and radiator cap. If the coolant has never been changed the thermostat most certainly has not and can cause overheating issues.
 
Thanks again fellas. I was afraid that this was the original coolant from 14 years ago. Should it be a great concern? Or is it one of those "we'll see what happens?" kind of situation. The truck was rarely used and was never ran hard. I'll get right on that flush, thermostat, and cap. Mo' Money!!!!!!
 
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