Head Gasket Question

[FJ45KC]

I recently had the head on my 76 fj40 resurfaced and installed new guides and seals. I re-installed the head and the truck runs great and doesn't overheat (I didn't overheat prior). I have noticed that the reservoir is bubbling heavily after the truck warms up. What could be wrong? There is no oil in the antifreeze and the plugs look normal. Could I have the wrong head gasket? I appreciate any advice.

 

[Poser]

Did you use a Toyota head gasket?

Sound to me like you are loosing compression pressure into the coolant...


Good luck!

-Steve

 

[60wag]

Retorque the headbolts and cross your fingers. It does sound like a combustion leak. Just for yucks, try removing one plug wire at a time to see if it affects the bubbling. You might be able to localize which cyl is leaking. It won't fix it but when you get the head off to inspect it, you'll know where to start.

OTOH - any chance you've still got air in the cooling system from the work? You might try venting the cooling system to get the air out - maybe the bubbling will stop.

 

[FJ45KC]

Great idea taking the spark plugs out one at a time. The system is definitely devoid of any air due to reassembly.

I didn't use a Toyota gasket because I couldn't find one quickly or for a reasonable price (under $100!) I used a Felpro and it looked identical to the original.

Thanks

 

[dmaddox]

also, not sure of the steps you took, but sometimes when scraping off the original head gasket, huge chunks of material can fall down into the water jackets, causing a plug somewhere.

Is your thermostat new/clean? How is power, acceleration, etc?

How much torque did you put on the head bolts?

Did you torque in the correct order?

-ragman

 

[FJ45KC]

I tried to be as carefull as I could scraping the gasket. I initially torqued the bolts to 90lbs in the proper order. When I noticed the problem, I went back and retorqued them to 100lbs.

The truck runs great and has good power and accleration.

I didn't replace the thermostat because the truck was not overheating before I did the job. The guides were worn and it was subsequently burning a lot of oil. This has fixed that problem.

I hate to have to pull the head again!

 

[dd113]

Many shops will have cooling system testers. Once it is hooked up it will show combustion gasses entering the cooling system and by pulling the plug wires you can get an idea of which cylinder is leaking. A leak down test can also show you where you are leaking or if you are.

 

[CruisinGA]

GThe system is definitely devoid of any air due to reassembly.

Are you sure of this?

Seems to me that is a likely cause...

Might try re-burping the system again. A lot easier than pulling the head...

 

[FJ45KC]

It will definitely not hurt to recheck for air in the system. This will be my first test... again.

 

[60wag]

Is there any chance you've got a weak radiator cap? If the cap is leaking, the system won't build pressure and may boil. Its a longshot but worth the price of a new cap. I like the 16lb relief cap better than the 13lb but my rebuilt 2F has a head shave and might be running a bit hotter than stock.

 

[FJ45KC]

I couldn't stop thinking about this problem so I pulled the head. #1 exhast port has a thin layer of white cake. I think the issue was/is the alighment on the front head bolt pin. There is a good bit of rust on the head and block sides. I am going to clean and put a new gasket on. We'll see.

 

[60wag]

Make sure the gasket goes on right side up - the rockers need oil

 

[froggy]

It's nice to have a second chance to get a OEM gasket. Don't waste it!

 

[Mark W]

You can use the Toyota gasket but aftermarket will be just fine. I've lost count of how many I have used with no problems.

You didn't mention retorquing the head. Did you? If not, there's your problem. You HAVE to.

 

[Poser]

You can use the Toyota gasket but aftermarket will be just fine. I've lost count of how many I have used with no problems.

You didn't mention retorquing the head. Did you? If not, there's your problem. You HAVE to.

Any luck with the steel skinned units?

 

[Mark W]

I usually use the Felpro gaskets. And the others I use are similar. I really like the ITM head gasket. I used a Victor-Rienz the other day, labeled as a NAPA house brand. I really didn't like the apparent quality. It didn't even have the copper reinforcing ring around the pressurized. oil passage to the head.

I don't think I have used any with an external steel surface.