kathydeee

Hi,

I figure this is a great place to come for advice. I'm certainly not a mechanic so please bear with this post. I've had my 2wd '93 toyota 4 cylinder pickup for maybe 14 years, she came with 80K miles and now has 308K.

The other night driving home I must have been exhausted, didnt' notice the temperature gauge heat up, pressure was lost, steam and white smoke poured from the engine, it won't turn over now. There was no water in the oil though.

The mechanic did a compression check, two cylinders dont' have pressure. He wants to pull the head off for more of a concrete diagnosis tomorrow.

The prices he quoted were $200 to pull the head off, applicable towards later mechanical work. About $800-900 total to do a head job if it's only the head gasket. About $500 more if the head is cracked. $2000/$2200 for a rebuilt 22RE moter, another $1,000 to install - if needed.

He's encouraging replacement with a rebuilt motor, says that it's not the best idea to do a head job on a motor with 308K miles. And there is an oil leak out the front seal of the engine.

The thing is I dont think the truck is worth more than 3K. It needs a paint job and a bit of rust work, estimated at $700.

The clutch/radiator/breaks/tires are new. Timing chain was changed 100K ago.


Think it would be worth just replacing the head gasket? Think the truck is worth replacing the motor? Think the mechanics prices are fair?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!





I

skypilot

iTrader: (1)

My engine chucked a rod at 338k miles. I would not fix it. Find a good local reman or used engine and swap it out; or have yours rebuilt. Mine is pushing $1,500 my cost due to me being a jerk about quality.

What happens is metal fatigue of the rod bolts got mine. Going down hill using the engine for a brake, the bolt snapped and kicked a hole in the block bigger than your fist. 26 years and 338k miles takes a toll on any engine.

Now my personal choice on my new engine is (local dude) was to punch out the old rod bolts, resize the big end with new ARP brand rod bolts. It cost some extra but I'm not going to kick a rod out unless I screw up really bad. Throw in a twenty over bore and a master rebuild kit, eight valves and you can have a nice engine.

Its not about what the truck is worth, its the value the truck has to you and features it brings to the table. For me pre-94 has legal advantages, simple construction & easy to fix. If you only think about book value then its its simply not worth fixing at all. If you want to learn and enjoy challenges then its worth doing. My truck gets me to work in nasty New England storms, and gets me home again; for 26 years. Something about a simple small lifted street truck just beats the new stuff. If you want check out the album I just posted up for someone else to see a 22re under the knife.

He's charging you NY prices.

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

If it had 200k miles it might be worth the risk of a top end. With 300k I would do a motor swap. The time involved in doing a head gasket is more then the motor swap. Shop cost will add up quick. I have bought rebuilt motors for about $1600 including shipping and have great luck with them.

I consider it 3 days to do a top end rebuild, I can have a motor swappd and running in a day. He is over priced in my opinion.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

This is only a call you can make.

How is the rest of the vehicle besides the parts replaced??

Is it possible in your budget to upgrade to something much newer??

Comes down to buying something newer or spending lots to fix this one .

Then what next transmission, rear , Major Suspension and steering work.

I always say these trucks are great when you can do the work yourself when you start to pay labor things get expensive on older vehicles.

kathydeee

Got another quote. 1800 or less to pull the top off, replace the front seal, hoses andextras as needed. Rebuild the head. $200 to take a look inside and get dia gnosis. All work included. Is the price ok?

Janos01

I agree with everyone here and their points, I also know exactly what your going through kathydeee. I just had my entire engine rebuilt from March to May by a local shop for the head gasket blowing on my 1990 4Runner which also affected 2 cylinders that needed to be re honed. I decided since they were going to tear my motor down that much, I might as well have them rebuild the bottom as well.

For the price you put, if its 1800 to rebuild the top & heads, I would say that is reasonable as mine was $1680 for top/head rebuild. Also, if you have taken good care of your truck and it did not over heat to where the block was warped, there is still a good chance it can be rebuilt/saved if you want to do that. However, only the machine shop can give the verdict as they clean/Xray it.

Also if your engine is original, with 300K+, as skypilot suggested, it would be best to find a re-manufactured or used engine which would cut costs.

In all its your call what you want done. If you love the truck, fix it and keep it.

wberry85

Prices sound expensive. I had a local mechanic quote me $1400 for the headgasket job. I have seen rebuilt 22re's advertised for $1000 + $500 installation.

wyoming is right though...what does the truck mean to you? 300k is too high imo to sink $1800 into. I think you def need a new motor.

kathydeee

Well, I found a guy who does a lot of engine work, he tore it down - found the bottom of the engine ok. The head was warped, the head gasket blew too. The price he quoted included a new timing belt, new seal on the front end of the motor where it was leaking, hoses, etc, and now he wants to put a new head on it. He said the plastic guards on the timing chain were all fragmented (although it was replaced about 100K ago, he took the oil pan off and cleaned it up. The quote is still 1800.

A "new" head would imply it's not a toyota engine - although he says it's the same machinery making the part - any thoughts?

skypilot

iTrader: (1)

As long as its not a cheap Chinese casting (lots of them floating around). Get yours fixed or get a head from 22reperformance or lcengineering, or a good used casting. The cheap one will cost extra down the road when you have to do it again. Also save yourself a big headache and get a master rebuild kit from engbldr. Don't go cheap on the head gasket, or else you will pay to do it a second time. Oh and remind him head torque is 65ftlbs not 58ftlbs.

If your cylinder head needs more than I think 20 thou off; lcengineering a new cam gear to offset the cut.