Help Help Help!!!

[stevek]

I was driving the 93 today for about 10mins and at the first stop light I came to the truck started to idle rougher than it ever has! The rpms are very steady at 600 but the whole truck shakes as though one cylinder is missing. It is also belching white smoke through about 2K rpm when the issue clears up and it run normal. At idle small amounts of smoke can be seen and it smells like oil not coolant. The truck just clicked over 116K and has always been a champ...any ideas?

 

[IdahoDoug]

Stop driving it immediately as I suspect a blown head gasket. White smoke means water/coolant, not oil, but a serious failure of the gasket would also allow some oil to burn. Check your coolant for oil, and your oil for coolant. That may require a garage if you're not experienced.

Continuing to drive it will quickly destroy the bearings throughout the engine as coolant in the oil will attack them. This would change it from an expensive head gasket issue to a very expensive total teardown/rebuild.

As an aside, I once saw these same symptoms soon after filling the tank at a station where they'd accidentally put diesel fuel in the ground tank.

Dougm

 

[stevek]

Thats what my fear is :-[ After closer inspection it would appear that I am also getting those cool little bubbles in the over flow so all signs are pointing that way. Damn side is I need it back up asap so I might get stuck taking it to a dealer...

 

[stevek]

So is this something I can tackle in my garage? Anyone have any pointers?

 

[Beowulf]

Replacing the head gasket can be done in your garage but the job is not for the feint of heart. It's a big job. I believe Robbie allocates 2 days and he's done it several times. Another guy that is an experienced airplane mechanic did it in 3 days (working days) though it took him a week or so to complete the job. (Sent injectors out for flow testing, head out to machine shop, etc.)

Cruiserman is a regular here and he has done the head gasket plus a little more.

-B-

 

[tucker74]

I don't know where you are located - but I would consider finding a good LC specialist to replace the head gasket if you can. A buddy of mine drove his '96 (70k) home doing that and hosed a cylinder to the tune of a $4000 crate motor from Japan (dealership wanted 8K to rebuild). Hate to be the bearer of bad news - but I wouldn't drive it if you don't absolutely have to.

 

[Scamper]

:'( Sorry dude...been there myself. Take the advise here and park it quickly.

If you attempt to do the work yourself, you'll probably want a hoist or some strong buddies around... I was watching the dealer do my head gasket and those heads are heavy looking, not to mention they're at a height/position that will make lifting it pretty tough. Not for the meek or those in a rush.

 

[cruiserman]

If it's just a bad head gasket, that's not too bad of a repair job. You'll need basic tools, torque wrench, and a factory service manual. Rent a hoist for a day to remove the head if you don't have one already. It's not that heavy, but somewhat unwieldy.

The directions are clearly laid out in the FSM. Think ahead of time if you want to replace the timing chain, guide, and slipper. You'll need to remove the timing cover if you want to do that.

The gasket set is not cheap, but more than likely you will only need the head gasket itself. All my secondary gaskets were fine at 146k miles.

Yes, you can tackle it in your garage, or even in your driveway .

 

[stevek]

Talked to all the local dealers and the only one that I would let touch my truck has a two week lead time! I found a local garage (they are the authorized Ferrari/Lamborghini place) that I think I am going to take it to. The owner owns a 1997 Cruiser and was by far the most helpful/honest person I talked to.

So what are the odds I wont have to mill the head?

 

[cruiserman]

The probability is very good you won't have to mill the head. If you have another rig to drive, I would definitely do it yourself. You do need a FSM though. Order the parts ahead of time from Dan. He can tell you what parts to get. You'll save a ton of money doing it yourself. It's not technically challenging, nor is a lot of experience required.

 

[stevek]

Thats the down side, going down to a one car family for longer than needed is not going to work well. This is our busy time at work so getting extra time off is not going to happen before the new year. Guess the fund for the ARB Bull Bar and OME suspension will be drained a little early

 

[cruiserman]

OK. At least save a little dough by ordering the parts yourself.

 

[Beowulf]

>> Think ahead of time if you want to replace the timing chain, guide, and slipper. <<

Leave the timing chain cover on or plan for an additional 2+ days.

-B-

 

[Riley]

[quote author=Beowulf link=board=2;threadid=8848;start=msg76607#msg76607 date=1071621539]
Leave the timing chain cover on or plan for an additional 2+ days.

-B-
[/quote]

Hey -B, sounds like you've spoken to someone who's going down this road.

Man I hope this doesn't happen to me. :-\

 

[Beowulf]

>> Hey -B, sounds like you've spoken to someone who's going down this road. <<

I lent a little moral support this afternoon. To remove the timing chain cover, both oil pans have to come off, the valve cover, spark plugs, the fan shroud, the fan, the alternator, the water pump, the thermostat housing, some blower pieces, the PS pump, the battery and holder, and the A/C has to be moved aside. The distributor has to come out, the crank pulley bolt, and the crank pulley, and I think the engine has to be raised slightly to get the pans off. I saw front sway bar spacers on the table so it probably came off. According to the FSM, the head has to come off but Dan was able to get the cover off without removing the head. (Thank goodness!) These are the big pieces... there was lots more stuff taken off (tensioners, belts, hoses, EGR modulator, wiring, ... simple stuff.)

And all this stuff has to be cleaned, gasketed, O-ringed, FIPG'd, before reassembly.

Mechanics have a tough job. My hat's off to the guys that do this day in and day out.

-B-

 

[stevek]

Took the Cruiser into the shop today and man is it sad seeing your baby on a trailer :-[ Anyway, the HG has definately let go so its time for the fun stuff. While the head is off does it make sense to do a valve job? Anything else I should do while its apart?

 

[cruiserman]

Yes. Check clearances before doing any work, so they can match them to avoid shim changes. Send out the injectors for cleaning, and clean up the top of the block plus intake chambers. Change all the hoses, etc.