LJ78 Head quetsion

[spazzah]

Hey lads, im looking at buying a 2nd LJ78 and one has popped up for a great price but before I pull the plug I'd like to know your thoughts on this.

The guy im talking to is saying the head on the truck has been cracked for over a year and he's been daily driving it with no issues around town ever since it cracked. When i asked him why he thinks its cracked he said the cooling system pressurizes and fills up the overflow. He mentioned there is no smoke coming out of the exhaust. Now the reason I haven't gone and tested it myself is the car is and hour and a half away from me and I'd like to only make the journey once and drive the truck back home.

He has mentioned the radiator is rotten and has a few leaks, and he said the only time it overheats is driving uphill.

My first thought was... Is it even possible to drive on a cracked head for over a year? and is there any other way the cooling system would pressurize?

TIA

 

[coldtaco]

no experience with that engine, but I had a cracked 2H head that I think I could have driven indefinitely around town or for longer drives if I keep the speed at 55mph or less. Any stress and it would blow fluid out the reservoir. I didn't try and see how long I could run that head since I was doing lots of driving that would stress the head, but interesting test if one was able to do that. That said you probably won't be able to drive it home unless you have a flat road and can keep the speed below where it would over pressurize the over flow.

 

[Eurasiaoverland]

I had a 2L with hairline cracks between the valves, never overheated but would always use a bit of coolant. I had no idea they were there until I pulled the head to rebuild the engine for oil consumption levels.

There is a risk of block surface corrosion if coolant has been running through the engine regularly, so be prepared to machine the block if you buy the thing.

 

[Dprio34]

Can affirm the above. I had a cracked head between valves as well when I purchased mine. Bought my LJ70 in Tampa, Florida and drove it over 2000 miles to Vegas, NV as such (with the crack)... you can do it, (you could drive it as such) but I wouldn't recommend it. If you are up for doing a Head Change, make the purchase. Otherwise, walk away. I would ask for a serious discount on the price. At least seller is being honest.