Real Time Emergency HELP!

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Couple more:
Tow Pics 004a.webp
Tow Pics 005a.webp
 
Glad to all went well Brent.

Now the more difficult question on how you are going to proceed with the possible HG issue.

I am just hoping that it is a coolant leak some place where the coolant is leaking onto the block or hot engine component and burning off.

Keep us posted.
 
I am glad you got home, but I think I would have rather walked......

Your 80 is significantly heavier than my pig was...
 
Glad to all went well Brent.

Now the more difficult question on how you are going to proceed with the possible HG issue.

I am just hoping that it is a coolant leak some place where the coolant is leaking onto the block or hot engine component and burning off.

Keep us posted.

We'll see. When changed the oil Saturday late afternoon, it was very runny telling me a lot of coolant was in the oil. HG or something more I don't know. I do know I never hit the red line on the coolant temp so hopefully the engine block and head are ok and it's just the gasket.

Other thoughts?

Wife's Z has starter acting up, so got to take care of that first. 80 can sit for awhile.
 
I am glad you got home, but I think I would have rather walked......

Your 80 is significantly heavier than my pig was...


Actually it towed like a dream. Full well realizing that between my built up 80 and the trailer there was probably a good 8500 pounds back there assuming the web info on the trailer at about 2200 lbs was correct. Kept the speed between 55-60 the entire way home. Up the grapevine was no problem and the truck down shifted on the downhill grades automatically to allow the engine to help with darn near all the braking. I did not have to put the truck into a lower gear manually which surprised me.
 
I could go pull my service records and see what a HG will run, but that was years and years ago.

What, gulp, am I looking at ballpark? :crybaby::crybaby::crybaby:

...assuming that's it?
 
dang Brent....

I'll take that roof rack and rear bumper off your hands to help fund the HG job....I'll even do the labor!

glad you made it back.
 
dang Brent....

I'll take that roof rack and rear bumper off your hands to help fund the HG job....I'll even do the labor!

glad you made it back.


Me too Pablo! Grand scheme of things cost of the truck, trailer and gas to get my daughter, her possessions and my truck home safely...and in that order, wasn't bad at all.

Believe me, I've thought about having to sell the newly acquired trailer from Pasquale to fund the cruiser repairs. We'll just see how bad it is.

I'm truely happy about all the sage advice dispensed on this thread to me Saturday evening. This is a great group here. Part of me wishes the truck was in Norcal, because if Mudrak had been able to fit it in, I KNOW the job would have been done well. Didn't even dawn on me how close I was to him until Andy mentioned it. That tells you just how out of it I was.
 
oh bummer, Brent!
I feel for you, bud.
Good thinking to tow it back.
good luck with the repairs. (Check out the leakdown tester from HF)
Let me know if I can help somehow.

Man, it's quite the epidemic these days, isn't it?

E
 
oh bummer, Brent!
I feel for you, bud.
Good thinking to tow it back.
good luck with the repairs. (Check out the leakdown tester from HF)
Let me know if I can help somehow.

Man, it's quite the epidemic these days, isn't it?

E

Yea - seeing other HG threads also.

How many have had two fail tho? Assuming it's the HG, this will be my 2nd in 15 years and just over 200,000 miles.
 
Yea - seeing other HG threads also.

How many have had two fail tho? Assuming it's the HG, this will be my 2nd in 15 years and just over 200,000 miles.


the 2nd was the revised design OEM HG?
 
Coolant can mix with oil in other ways than just the HG. I'd run a compression and leakdown test before assuming it's the HG.

Still wouldn't have wanted to drive it home, regardless. Towing it was the smart option, and in the long run no doubt saved you money.
 
Eric - IIRC it was the revised design, but like I said, It's been many years and I haven't pulled the paperwork on it for the gasket part no. to check.

Ebag333 - will certainly ask about a compression and leakdown test when I take her in. Am I stupid to think that any decent shop wouldn't do that as part of the diagnostic first? What other possibilities are there? I'm just hoping the engine isn't toast.

The :princess: and I will have a real arguement over repairs if it is. She called the truck 'old' last night. :censor: At this point, I'm thoroughly convinced that the years of stressing the engine to the max towing the boy scout trailer has taken it's toll on this portion of the engines life!
 
Brent,

Sorry to hear man, sux.

Did you decide which mechanic to use? I was at K & H Imports last week and he was working on a 80 HG. He is a straight shooter and he can run the leakdown & compression test for you and give a honest answer.

If you need any help, let me know.

Good luck with everything.
 
Glad to see you made it back safe. Not a trip that you'll soon forget - what an adventure! :rolleyes: BTW, good decision on the truck rental, considering the distance + the pull over the Grapevine. Sorry to hear of the HG. How many miles and what month of manuf. is your '94? Mine is 10/'93 and I've got 222K. Just wondering if I'm looking at a HG failure soon. I know there's no way to tell for sure, but if they're close in these 2 areas, I might be able to get a leg up on it, so to speak.
Edit: Sorry Brent, just saw this was 2 page thread. I just noticed in post # 30 you have over 200K and this is 2nd HG! Ouch!
 
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Edit: Sorry Brent, just saw this was 2 page thread. I just noticed in post # 30 you have over 200K and this is 2nd HG! Ouch!

No worries - Yep - if it's 'just' the HG this will be #2. First one was around 125,000 miles.
 
Ebag333 - will certainly ask about a compression and leakdown test when I take her in. Am I stupid to think that any decent shop wouldn't do that as part of the diagnostic first? What other possibilities are there? I'm just hoping the engine isn't toast.

Lots of shops won't want to do either. But if they don't do those tests and replace the HG, they got their money up front.

A surprisingly large number of mechanics don't know what a leakdown test is, either thinking it's a compression test or that a compression test will do everything a leakdown test will. You can do a leakdown test yourself fairly easily, Harbor Freight sells a cheap tester that's halfway decent.
 
Update - it was the HG at the #1 cylinder. Neither the block or head was cracked, but the head was slightly warped leading to the HG failure. Machine shop took care of that. Should be able to pick her up tomorrow. Last update earlier this week was that the shop was waiting on new head bolts from Toyota. They decided to replace them too just in case they'd been tweaked. Cheap extra insurance on the bolts.

Valves and everything else internal while they had the head off looked very clean according to reports from the shop. I had them look over everything.

I still don't know the final $$$ damage and don't think I want to either, but I'll have the cruiser back!
 
Glad to gear things went well. What shop did you use? Sounds like head could gave been culprit if hg? Glad they got it squared away for you.
 
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