HELP! What are my options?!?!?

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

EDWARDSR

EDWARDSR

Joined
Jul 25, 2021
Threads
2
Messages
35
Location
Bakersfield CA
Good evening all, new 80 series owner! Just bought a 1996 LX450 w/ 154k miles.

Just got some bad news at the shop, the tech found oil was leaking pretty heavily into the engine coolant system and without taking the entire engine apart to save me money in labor, they’ve narrowed to either a broken/cracked head or a broken/cracked block.

What are my options going forward? Does my unit need a full engine replacement? Any thoughts or insights would be absolutely appreciated!
 
Hmm pretty sure a blown headgasket could get you the same thing with oil in the coolant, as well as the engine oil cooler under the exhaust manifold see (

1572166010) for a visual on where i am talking about... maybe I am wrong. I don't think cracked blocks are common or even likely and cracked heads are not even that common on these. Headgaskets blowing and oil cooler​

 
clx16 said:
Hmm pretty sure a blown headgasket could get you the same thing with oil in the coolant, as well as the engine oil cooler under the exhaust manifold see (

1572166010) for a visual on where i am talking about... maybe I am wrong. I don't think cracked blocks are common or even likely and cracked heads are not even that common on these. Headgaskets blowing and oil cooler​

Click to expand...
Damn, I’m wondering how these dudes would miss this, I’m dealing with 2 techs with over 25 years experience at my local Lexus store. Or is that where I went wrong by taking it to Lexus?
 
I wouldn't be to hard on them, I bet they haven't seen too many 1fzfe engines there anyway. I am not saying they are wrong, just saying the evidence being oil in the coolant is not often (even rare) a cracked block or cracked head. there are lots of blown head gasket threads here, and some of those have exhaust in the coolant, or coolant in the oil, but some even have oil in the coolant. it depends on where the blow happened. There have been several who found problems in the engine oil cooler mounted to the side of the block under the exhaust manifold.

did the provide you with any information on what tests they ran? leak down, compression tests, etc?
 
clx16 said:
I wouldn't be to hard on them, I bet they haven't seen too many 1fzfe engines there anyway. I am not saying they are wrong, just saying the evidence being oil in the coolant is not often (even rare) a cracked block or cracked head. there are lots of blown head gasket threads here, and some of those have exhaust in the coolant, or coolant in the oil, but some even have oil in the coolant. it depends on where the blow happened. There have been several who found problems in the engine oil cooler mounted to the side of the block under the exhaust manifold.

did the provide you with any information on what tests they ran? leak down, compression tests, etc?
Click to expand...
I will make sure to ask those directed questions in my next opportunity to touch base.
 
if it is a head gasket, the head will need to be removed, resurfaced and a new gasket put on. Great time to replace some hoses and valve guide seals etc, but once it is all back together, i am betting that 154k engine will be like a new engine as that is pretty low miles. doing it yourself will take some time but isn't too expensive. paying a shop will cost you, but still cheaper than a new engine.

if it is the engine oil cooler, that is a much much easier job and i think the most expensive parts new from partsouq would be about 400 bucks.

if they are right and you have a cracked block, I would just look for a good used engine and swap. you can put new hoses on that before putting it in and you will be off to the metaphorical races.
 
clx16 said:
if it is a head gasket, the head will need to be removed, resurfaced and a new gasket put on. Great time to replace some hoses and valve guide seals etc, but once it is all back together, i am betting that 154k engine will be like a new engine as that is pretty low miles. doing it yourself will take some time but isn't too expensive. paying a shop will cost you, but still cheaper than a new engine.

if it is the engine oil cooler, that is a much much easier job and i think the most expensive parts new from partsouq would be about 400 bucks.

if they are right and you have a cracked block, I would just look for a good used engine and swap. you can put new hoses on that before putting it in and you will be off to the metaphorical races.
Click to expand...
What prompted this was I took it in for a full inspection and I explained that when I drove it up a steep hill at 70 MPH The engine temperature went up and the gauge was pointing almost all the way to high and the AC stopped blowing as cold, but when the terrain leveled off still driving at 70 MPH, it went back to where it normally pointed right in the middle of the gauge and the AC returned to blowing cold air.
 
EDWARDSR said:
What prompted this was I took it in for a full inspection and I explained that when I drove it up a steep hill at 70 MPH The engine temperature went up and the gauge was pointing almost all the way to high and the AC stopped blowing as cold, but when the terrain leveled off still driving at 70 MPH, it went back to where it normally pointed right in the middle of the gauge and the AC returned to blowing cold air.
Click to expand...
edit: Head gasket would be my guess.
 
Last edited:
How long was it running overheated, in the red?

Some worthy search terms include: "Head Gasket Failure", "Raventai Mod", "Overheat" and "Radiator 1FZFE".

Given your update above, I'd put folding $$$ bet on your head gasket failing and probably the #6 cylinder, closest to the firewall, the most common location due to oil and coolant flow paths within the engine. It's not an exhorbitantly expensive job - as far as 80s go - and with those miles, if it's never been done, it'll be good to know it's been replaced. Good luck, and please report back with what a (competent 80) mechanic tells you,
 
LongDuck said:
How long was it running overheated, in the red?

Some worthy search terms include: "Head Gasket Failure", "Raventai Mod", "Overheat" and "Radiator 1FZFE".

Given your update above, I'd put folding $$$ bet on your head gasket failing and probably the #6 cylinder, closest to the firewall, the most common location due to oil and coolant flow paths within the engine. It's not an exhorbitantly expensive job - as far as 80s go - and with those miles, if it's never been done, it'll be good to know it's been replaced. Good luck, and please report back with what a (competent 80) mechanic tells you,
Click to expand...
It ran up in the red for about 5 minutes and then returned back to normal. When it was running hot the AC stopped blowing cold. But when the temperature levels returned back to normal the AC returned to cold.

some great people have sent me DM’s and have recommended that I get the truck out of Lexus service and take it to a shop that specializes in cruisers. With that being said the closest that people have listed on the forums are back down in LA approximately 100 miles away. Considering the truck is still drivable (I was able to drive from LA to Bakersfield last week when I purchased the truck)

do I risk big things going wrong attempting to drive it back down to south the shop?
 
FMC80 said:
FYI, that list is relatively old and I’m not sure when it was last updated. There may be closer options to you.
Click to expand...
With that being said , does anyone on here know of anyone in the Central Valley of CA that would be a trusted mechanic? Bakersfield Tulare Visalia areas?
 
Your AC turning off is normal with an overheating situation, when the temperature of the trip gets over I believe over 222*, a cut off switch on the AC system turns the compressor off. When the temperature goes down the AC cuts on again.
 
How is the rig running right now? Any weird noises from the engine up top? When you crawl under it, any weird noises coming from the bottom? Based on this, and whether it's behaving and running well - you may be able to drive it to where it can be looked at and worked on.

Have a read of the MANY threads using the search suggestions. Thats your best start,
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

IH8MUD Forum | Toyota, Lexus & Off-Road Community
Community platform by XenForo® © 2010-2026 XenForo Ltd.

© 2000-2026 Tie Rod Media LLC

Back
Top Bottom