Help! Changed Headgasket Now Bad Fuel Injector?
12-22-2016, 06:26 PM
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Help! Changed Headgasket Now Bad Fuel Injector?
2004 4runner 4wd 121K
Paid my mechanic $3,000 about two years ago for a headgasket job. I have only put 7,000 miles on the engine since then. Now I am noticing a small infrequent tremor at idle, and there is a little stutter when the engine first starts up.
Mechanic says that there is a failure on cylinder 3 and after swapping a coil, he determined that #3 needs a new fuel injector, cost for the job is $500. He said the other option is I could also replace all fuel injectors, all together that would be $1400, but he is suggesting that I do the first option.
I've read a lot of the headgasket failure threads, and part of me is concerned the headgasket job was never completed properly. My mechanic has good reviews, so I want to trust him, but I'm not a rich man.
I've gotta give my decision tomorrow, can you guys give me some advice as to what you would do? Thanks in advance!
Paid my mechanic $3,000 about two years ago for a headgasket job. I have only put 7,000 miles on the engine since then. Now I am noticing a small infrequent tremor at idle, and there is a little stutter when the engine first starts up.
Mechanic says that there is a failure on cylinder 3 and after swapping a coil, he determined that #3 needs a new fuel injector, cost for the job is $500. He said the other option is I could also replace all fuel injectors, all together that would be $1400, but he is suggesting that I do the first option.
I've read a lot of the headgasket failure threads, and part of me is concerned the headgasket job was never completed properly. My mechanic has good reviews, so I want to trust him, but I'm not a rich man.
I've gotta give my decision tomorrow, can you guys give me some advice as to what you would do? Thanks in advance!
12-22-2016, 08:12 PM
#2
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You sure don't have many miles on you engine to be having head gaskets and injectors failing. I don't think the two issues are related. You would have noticed a problem before 7000 miles if he had done something wrong, providing it is a fuel delivery problem. If you suspect that his repair was bad for some reason then you need to do a compression check on #3 at least to make sure you aren't losing compression there which could be caused by another head/block/head gasket issue. All of which are related. Post the details of the head gasket failure and I can give you more info. You said it has a stutter in the morning. Are you seeing any smoke from the exhaust when you start it up in the morning. If so, describe it.
It seems like your injector is not dead if the problem is infrequent. It may have some trash in it. A lot of good to excellent shops have machines that they can hook up to your fuel system and clean the injectors thoroughly while they are still in the engine. That is an option. The $1400 figure is too high for a set of injectors if one is $500. Changing them all will take only an hour or so more labor to complete.
Regardless, you don't have to give a decision tomorrow. Take that thing for a second opinion or have him tell you in great detail why he thinks that injector needs replacing and post it up here.
It seems like your injector is not dead if the problem is infrequent. It may have some trash in it. A lot of good to excellent shops have machines that they can hook up to your fuel system and clean the injectors thoroughly while they are still in the engine. That is an option. The $1400 figure is too high for a set of injectors if one is $500. Changing them all will take only an hour or so more labor to complete.
Regardless, you don't have to give a decision tomorrow. Take that thing for a second opinion or have him tell you in great detail why he thinks that injector needs replacing and post it up here.
