Blown Head Gasket and Subsequent Hydro Lock
12-18-2009, 08:40 PM
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Blown Head Gasket and Subsequent Hydro Lock
So my wifes 4Runner started blowing smoke earlier today and then the CEL came on with misfire in cylinder 6... Turns out the head gasket is blown. How do I know? I went to start it up to see if I could smell the exhaust and duplicate the symptomps- turn the key and ka-chunk! That didn't sound good. Pull the plug and the cylinder is full of antifreeze... D'oh! So now, not only do I get to replace the head gasket, but also figure out if I bent a rod. It locked up right away, so *maybe* it didn't put too much stress on it - does the starter generate enough torque to bend a rod?
Son of a Bee Sting!!!
How much should I expect the repair to be if it's just the head gasket?
I've heard rumors of a head gasket recall on the 96 3.4l; any chance I can get lucky with that???
I'm thinking about tearing into it myself. How difficult is the job for a weekend mechanic? I've completely rebuild an in-line 4-cyl motorcycle engine before...
How do I figure out if I bent a rod? Will I need to pull the engine???
Any and all tips are appreciated.
Cheers,
I think I need another beer.
Jeremy
Son of a Bee Sting!!!
How much should I expect the repair to be if it's just the head gasket?
I've heard rumors of a head gasket recall on the 96 3.4l; any chance I can get lucky with that???
I'm thinking about tearing into it myself. How difficult is the job for a weekend mechanic? I've completely rebuild an in-line 4-cyl motorcycle engine before...
How do I figure out if I bent a rod? Will I need to pull the engine???
Any and all tips are appreciated.
Cheers,
I think I need another beer.
Jeremy
12-18-2009, 09:40 PM
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top end tear downs are easy if you take your time, label and bag everything, and use the FSM, but if you bent a rod it would all be for nothing and idk any way to check other than pulling the motor and tearing it down.
12-18-2009, 10:27 PM
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The 96 (and some 97's) recall campaign has ended. Not sure how they make that determination, but that's what I was told. Double check me though.
My 96 had it done back in 02 when it was covered. The 96's and some 97's had an external flaw which, when faulty, would cause coolant to leak down the passenger side of the block. So it sounds like your issue may not have been prevented anyway.
Still worth calling around. Make sure you have the VIN handy.
Sorry to hear this. What a bummer!
My 96 had it done back in 02 when it was covered. The 96's and some 97's had an external flaw which, when faulty, would cause coolant to leak down the passenger side of the block. So it sounds like your issue may not have been prevented anyway.
Still worth calling around. Make sure you have the VIN handy.
Sorry to hear this. What a bummer!
12-19-2009, 06:24 AM
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Oh boy...sounds like a great experience... :/
Well at least you have to look at it that way. Now you'll know how to rebuild a top end of a 3.4L !
Definetly call the dealer and ask them about the 96 recalls on head gaskets. The first week I bought my 96, I called and made sure it had been fixed. They looked up the VIN and told me it had already been taken care of (supposedly). Worth it just in case.
What caused the head gasket to blow? Did the water pump go out or just high mileage or what?
Well at least you have to look at it that way. Now you'll know how to rebuild a top end of a 3.4L !
Definetly call the dealer and ask them about the 96 recalls on head gaskets. The first week I bought my 96, I called and made sure it had been fixed. They looked up the VIN and told me it had already been taken care of (supposedly). Worth it just in case.
What caused the head gasket to blow? Did the water pump go out or just high mileage or what?
12-19-2009, 06:44 AM
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Thanks guys. I'll call the dealer this morning.
Water pump is fine AFAIK, I guess I'm not sure without tearing into it. It was an isolated misfire on cylinder 6. It's got close to 200k on it, so I'm guessing it was just accumulated wear. I thought Toyotas were better than that!
Any tips on checking for a bent rod without pulling the entire engine?
Time to make some phone calls to see what the damage is... $$$ Ugh...
Water pump is fine AFAIK, I guess I'm not sure without tearing into it. It was an isolated misfire on cylinder 6. It's got close to 200k on it, so I'm guessing it was just accumulated wear. I thought Toyotas were better than that!
Any tips on checking for a bent rod without pulling the entire engine?
Time to make some phone calls to see what the damage is... $$$ Ugh...
12-19-2009, 07:06 AM
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If I pull the oil pan will I be able to see up in there to view the con rod?
Do you think the starter generates enough torque to bend a rod?
Right now I'm thinking I'll just pull the engine to make working on it easier anyway... Pluses/Minuses to that?
Anybody know where I can get a top-end rebuild kit?
Do you think the starter generates enough torque to bend a rod?
Right now I'm thinking I'll just pull the engine to make working on it easier anyway... Pluses/Minuses to that?
Anybody know where I can get a top-end rebuild kit?
Last edited by ubermoto; 12-19-2009 at 07:09 AM.
12-19-2009, 07:13 AM
#7
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You might see something if you remove the oil pan, baffle and pickup tube. Not sure if you could actually do anything about it from there but a bent rod may be visable from that point.
Here's a view of my 5VZ with the oil pan off (baffle and pickup tube still on):
Here's a view of my 5VZ with the oil pan off (baffle and pickup tube still on):
Last edited by mt_goat; 12-19-2009 at 07:24 AM.
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12-19-2009, 08:39 AM
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Anybody know if Toyota has a part number for a top end rebuild kit or do I need to start makin' a list and checkin' it twice?
12-19-2009, 10:41 AM
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Its clean because it only has 27,000 miles on it, its not rebuilt. I had the oil pan off to change the pickup tube so it would fit a different oil pan for my 93 truck.
Last edited by mt_goat; 12-19-2009 at 03:56 PM.
12-19-2009, 02:34 PM
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Normally a compression test can flag something like a bent rod... But you also have a head gasket issue, so not sure what the end result would be... I guess get all measurement happy when the heads are pulled, run each piston up to TDC, see if there is any variation on height with that number 6cyl.
12-19-2009, 03:35 PM
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Normally a compression test can flag something like a bent rod... But you also have a head gasket issue, so not sure what the end result would be... I guess get all measurement happy when the heads are pulled, run each piston up to TDC, see if there is any variation on height with that number 6cyl.
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