Not the typical HG failure (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jul 12, 2007
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Location
Gilbert, AZ
So Sunday night I was driving back from Tucson to Phoenix when I noticed a misfire. More like a rough idle actually since it was only noticeable from idle to 1500 RPM. Figured it was something minor and kept on driving home. All gauges were reading “normal”. Soon the CEL came on, but nothing else noticeable other than a slight power loss. Once home, I read the code which showed a lean condition. After a couple of hours of finding nothing out of the ordinary, I decided to pull the valve cover and take a look.

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Nothing. So off with her head!

Once the head was off, my eyes instinctively looked at cylinder #6 and, nothing other than some nasty pistons that the PO likely didn't clean up before.

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About now I’m starting to wonder if I should have pulled the head. After all, the PO had replaced the HG 25K ago, so it should be ok, right? Plus, rarely if ever do you hear about a 1FZ-FE HG gasket going where the engine either hasn’t been overheated or isn’t blowing steam.

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Well, after staring at the rear of the engine I looked elsewhere and realized my decision to pull the head was vindicated. A nice blowout between #1 and #2.

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Oh, like the nasty diarrhea looking substance around the coolant holes? No surprise since this is the same engine that produced these memorable pictures…

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Let the fun ($$$) begin!
 
After all, the PO had replaced the HG 25K ago, so it should be ok, right?

Are you certain about this 'cause that does not look like the improved HG that Dan was showing me at the store a few weeks ago.

I know there are pics around here somewhere. Any possibility that is a non-Toyota head gasket?

-B-
 
I know for certain the HG was replaced shortly before I purchased it. I'm not a HG aficionado, so hard for me to say if it is OE or not. My guess would be it isn't since the PO was a cheap SOB and had the work done by some special ed garage. But at least he switched to long-life coolant at 25K:hillbilly:
 
I have a hard time believing the HG was replaced only 25k ago. Did he give you receipts? Very odd to me. That #1 fire ring is cracked in other spots as well.

DougM
 
a few things come to mind:

- wow! when most there brace themselves for months to dig in the engine a bit, let alone do the HG, you just went in there just like that, making it look easy too... Good for you!

- man, that head is clean! Was scrubbed 25K ago too? Synth?

- that piston is a doozy though

- and yes it would be very interesting to find out if that could possibly be the new Toy HG which until now was widely thought to be nigh indestructible...


Good call altogether!
 
Yeah, receipts were shown to me when I purchased it. There are plenty of signs (not neccessarily good ones) that it's been cracked open before.
 
More HG pics:

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New Toyota 1FZ-FE head gasket.

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Old Toyota 1FZ-FE head gasket.

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Yours is either the old HG or, more likely, a non-Toyota head gasket. What a waste of time and money. Someone was selling some "old style" 1FZ-FE head gaskets on eBay a few years back. I'm guessing that your PO got one of those 25K special jobs and saved himself $50.

-B-
 
definitely not an OEM replacement. Good for you in following your gut and diving right in. I'd measure all the head bolts to be sure they can be used a third time.

I have a set of ARP studs for a Supra I'm thinking about using. Either way, the current bolts won't be reused.

Maybe the original stretched head bolts were reused and they were not all able to get properly torqued. Were new head bolts on the parts list?

I'm guessing they weren't. They did have Permatex ultra copper silcone on the threads though :hillbilly:
 
well, the famed reputation of the new HG lives on... :)

It is interesting that the passage of gases between the 2 cylinders would manifest itself only as mild misfire and a lean (?) condition. How does this work again? Forgot. Where is #2 when 1 is firing and v.v.?
 
I have a set of ARP studs for a Supra I'm thinking about using. Either way, the current bolts won't be reused.

I am kicking myself for not upgrading both the HG from an OEM to either a custom HG or multi-layer copper gasket. The studs as well from ARP are really top notch.

Oh well, next time I go in.

X2 what LT said....way to go with the feeling that something was just not right....
 
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I used the Supra studs on an engine and while everything went fine I would have liked a longer stud. When done the stud was just short of protruding out of the nut. Studs that were 10mm longer would have been just right.

Could you measure the length of the studs you have? I might want to use them on another engine and would like to see if they can be had in a longer length.
 
I used the Supra studs on an engine and while everything went fine I would have liked a longer stud. When done the stud was just short of protruding out of the nut. Studs that were 10mm longer would have been just right.

Do you know which set you used? ARP makes two sets. One is for the 5MGE/7MGTE, the other for the 2JZGE/GTE. IIRC, the latter application is the longer version.

Although total overkill for a non-turbo'd or blown 1FZ-FE, I've also considered going to a 1/2" stud kit.
 
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I used the Supra studs on an engine and while everything went fine I would have liked a longer stud. When done the stud was just short of protruding out of the nut. Studs that were 10mm longer would have been just right.

FYI...

ARP's 202-4702 kit features 1/2" longer studs.
 
That looks like a Rock head gasket. I have never seen one for an '80, but have used and had problems with them on 20R's.
 
I looks like there's no reinforcing around some of the oil an coolant holes. Bummer that type of product is out there.

DougM
 
***Update***

Looks like the head is toast! The coolant passages are corroded so badly that the passage openings are too close the fire ring. Welding and grinding are an option, so is industrial filler. Neither can provide the long term reliability I am looking for.

The block doesn't look too much better either. I'll know more tomorrow when it comes out of the corrosion tank.

Moral of the story...change your coolant!!!

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