head gaskets

[Ellex the 470th]

Ok people, clearly I didnt do my homework...I bought a 2000 Lexus LX 470 back in July 2022 with 157,000 miles on it and after bringing it to three different mechanics the truth is inevitable, that I NEED head gaskets, but probably more realistic, I need a new motor.
Im trying to decide if the $5500 is worth it, given that it seems that these trucks routinely sell for $15k and up in what appears to be in sililar condition. Or, I can take the hit and sell it probably for about $5500-6000 and let someone else deal with it.
I guess Im looking for feedback
Thanks

 

[Patron100LC]

Hey.

The first question you'll get from every mud member that has some knowledge of this engine is: How do you know it's a head gasket problem?
Basically, what type of diagnostic work has been done, and specially, by whom? Was the diagnostic work done based on the FSM? or by some shady mechanic that wants part of your wallet?
The reason for it is bc the 2uz isn't prone to head gasket problems, unless overheated. And to overheat a 2uz you need to be blind, or really careless. Coolant loss, either because a leaky radiator or hose leak is very slow. And a heater T or hose burst is really aggressive, meaning a lot of steam from under the hood.

If the head gasket IS the issue:
Sadly, less and less mechanics choose the rebuild route, and go straight to the swap avenue. Have you explored that?
Just my personal opinion, but I wouldn't feel comfortable paying $5k for a rebuild. Specially being in the industry and knowing the amount of short cuts most shops have to do to stay in budget. For that money you can get a good used engine, and have a lot of change back.
If you rebuild yourself, it is super rewarding and no one will do it better than you. But it's extremely time consuming, and you'll need tools you won't use again unless it's your business.

The industry has changed. I know of 2 shops that did head work that went down. They did a couple of block clearance for strocker aircooled VWs for me, and just couldn't keep up with the china aftermarket. You can get a CNC'd head from china for the price of half a valve job here. You will find some pro's working the muscle car powertrains, but they're not interested in a 260hp toyota job.. or they'll be way above the $5k.

Sorry for the rant.

Regarding selling it as is, everybody will lowball you if the car has a bad engine. I took a 2016 BMW 650 Gran Coupe with a bad engine 2 months ago for $1500. Only the headlight sells for $1000 on ebay. Didn't have the time to deal with it so I sold it at auction for $3k.

 

[Ellex the 470th]

Hey.

The first question you'll get from every mud member that has some knowledge of this engine is: How do you know it's a head gasket problem?
Basically, what type of diagnostic work has been done, and specially, by whom? Was the diagnostic work done based on the FSM? or by some shady mechanic that wants part of your wallet?
The reason for it is bc the 2uz isn't prone to head gasket problems, unless overheated. And to overheat a 2uz you need to be blind, or really careless. Coolant loss, either because a leaky radiator or hose leak is very slow. And a heater T or hose burst is really aggressive, meaning a lot of steam from under the hood.

If the head gasket IS the issue:
Sadly, less and less mechanics choose the rebuild route, and go straight to the swap avenue. Have you explored that?
Just my personal opinion, but I wouldn't feel comfortable paying $5k for a rebuild. Specially being in the industry and knowing the amount of short cuts most shops have to do to stay in budget. For that money you can get a good used engine, and have a lot of change back.
If you rebuild yourself, it is super rewarding and no one will do it better than you. But it's extremely time consuming, and you'll need tools you won't use again unless it's your business.

The industry has changed. I know of 2 shops that did head work that went down. They did a couple of block clearance for strocker aircooled VWs for me, and just couldn't keep up with the china aftermarket. You can get a CNC'd head from china for the price of half a valve job here. You will find some pro's working the muscle car powertrains, but they're not interested in a 260hp toyota job.. or they'll be way above the $5k.

Sorry for the rant.

Regarding selling it as is, everybody will lowball you if the car has a bad engine. I took a 2016 BMW 650 Gran Coupe with a bad engine 2 months ago for $1500. Only the headlight sells for $1000 on ebay. Didn't have the time to deal with it so I sold it at auction for $3k.

yeah the $5500 was for a new (used) replacement motor. one toyota dealer and one lexus dealer, and a local dealer all agreed that since there is coolant in the oil that it is a head gasket issue and there have been compression tests, white smoke out of the exhaust and so on. apparently the prior owner must have overheated the CRAP out of the motor, is my best guess....;i know these are relatively bulletproof which is why its so galling that I had to be the guy that buys one with a bad motor

 

[Patron100LC]

yeah the $5500 was for a new (used) replacement motor. one toyota dealer and one lexus dealer, and a local dealer all agreed that since there is coolant in the oil that it is a head gasket issue and there have been compression tests, white smoke out of the exhaust and so on. apparently the prior owner must have overheated the CRAP out of the motor, is my best guess....;i know these are relatively bulletproof which is why its so galling that I had to be the guy that buys one with a bad motor

Ok, so if the consensus after several techs is that the head gaskets are gone, it means heads resurfacing, including valve job and very probable, block job, unless by some miracle the block didn't warp during the overheating. Lots of work for the typical mechanic. You might see your LX back in a couple months if lucky.

To replace an engine you don't have to fall into the $250/hour dealership, most of the cost there is labor, there's some members that found used engines for less than $2k. The job is pretty simple, any mechanic can do it if you don't have the time. Just have to make sure you get the correct engine so you don't have to deal with incompatibility in the software, and that isn't really much of an issue cause they'll be swapping most of the auxiliary from the old one anyway.
It is easy to fall into the rabbit hole with additional stuff you might wanna do "while you're in there" like headers, timing job, starter and alternator, painting the valve covers Ford blue and so on..

Edited to add.

I guess it depends mostly on the condition of the "rest of the car". If it's really nice and the only issue is the engine, or if the engine is just one of it's issues..

 

[white_lx]

There is a probability that the engine did not overheat and the head gaskets are deteriorated. Before condemning the engine, I would at least inspect the condition of the gaskets and the heads. Here is a video that may lift your spirits.

 

[rexington14]

yeah the $5500 was for a new (used) replacement motor. one toyota dealer and one lexus dealer, and a local dealer all agreed that since there is coolant in the oil that it is a head gasket issue and there have been compression tests, white smoke out of the exhaust and so on. apparently the prior owner must have overheated the CRAP out of the motor, is my best guess....;i know these are relatively bulletproof which is why its so galling that I had to be the guy that buys one with a bad motor

3 shops saying the same thing may be enough, but you could send your oil for an analysis to a company like Blackstone and they can tell you for sure if any coolant is in the oil. Many 100s will blow white looking smoke on startup for a bit, especially when not run for a while, but it's just condensation.

If HG is blown typically causes blatant operating issues - misfires (check engine light) / overheating / engine running awful / losing significant amounts of coolant after drives / etc

 

[100d ua]

Might be worth draining the coolant and engine oil as a good baseline to make sure it wasn't contaminated somehow, then purchasing one of those combustion leak tester kits.

Remember, we live in the age of people that think horn juice, blinker fluid, and summer coolant are real. You'd be surprised how clueless some people are (or not).