desertwalker62

Hey All... first post... i have 87 pickup, 4x4, 22r, weber carb/K&N, header, no cat, fully piped... i put a rebuilt engine in approx 45k miles ago (rebuilt by a shop, then installed by myself) and seem to have a head gasket leak... have had oily residue sputtering from tailpipe for some time... just recently an oil/coolant mix is coming out of valve cover/crankcase breather up front and top of engine... truck still drives ok, though used to have more power and better gas economy.

assuming this is a head gasket issue, and i don't have a couple grand to throw at the situation right now, what are my major concerns? Can i save myself money, time and frustration by parking it until i have money to do something about it? or is the damage done already? it is my only daily driver... i do not have any overheating issues and just keep adding fluids. Any recommendations of a resonable shop in socal? should i go after it myself? i've pulled head and valves out of a dirtbike before... i'm going to have get the head machined? should i maybe buy another truck for couple grand instead?

thanks for all your input...

myyota

It would be a good idea to stop driving it until you can fix it, otherwise it might end up costing you more to fix later on.

sam333

Coolent in your oil will provide poor lubrication( damage all bearing surfaces) and you will have metal to metal contact. Dont drive it and dont let it set with with the bad oil, it will rust up the engine.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

If the antifreeze gets in the oil your done it will take the bearing babbit material out in a heart beat .

Most times what goes first is a rod bearing but by this time the crank most often is scored below the level of turning it down and using over size bearings.

Like all else they are all different and you don`t really know till it is all apart on the bench.

What should you do? What ever you want!!

If you can park this for awhile and drive something else to you fix it.Or have it fixed

Buy something else and keep or sell this.

Keep driving this and it will most likely quit in the worst place

Good luck

toyota4x4907

I replaced the head gasket on my 22re for under $200, and over 3 days (coulda been done in a day, but i started late in the day and it got cold, and i had a few mishaps with getting it back in ignition timing)
22re OEM head gasket from dealership- $54
22re OEM head bolts x 10, with fast shipping- $65
Toyota gasket sealer- $20
coolant, oil, misc new sockets i had to buy- $40
I also had to buy a new torque wrench, so another $90

It has been about 9K miles with no problems. I caught mine fairly early, so i had no bearing, deck or head damage. I drove it for about a month KNOWING the HG was on its way out, but no mixing of fluids, just white exhaust, loss of coolant and overheating once in a while.
Good luck

FourwheelinVT

What about trying a good sealer like bars leak, until you can fix it right? It could save your motor if you absolutely need to keep driving it. I know it's temporary, but better than just hoping for the best!

toyota4x4907

NO! Dont use that! Its gross. It doesnt work. It makes a mess. It can actually cause more problems!

TNRabbit

I agree completely; you'll RUIN your radiator & heater at a MINIMUM~

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Hope you like walking.

:wabbit2:

iselloil

heck no on barrs leak.Get the victor head gasket kit,the shop hours call for 6 hours to do the job.We did mine in 5 in the driveway,two of us.That was also replacing all the studs.

yotarob2005

Fix it your self for around $250, don't drive it any more until it is done. You should be able to to it in a weekend if not a day.

iselloil

$295 for a complete gasket set,head bolts,studs, and machine work.

fierohink

It really isn't that expensive to do an HG. Even when I cracked the head between the valves and picked up a new head from engbldr I maybe had $600 in the whole job.

Gasket set from engnbldr = $60 (I went with OE toyota from the dealer and it was maybe $125)
Steel guide timing set = $50
Head bolts = $35
Fluids = $50

That is under $200 for materials. Mayeb $100 at a local machine shop to have the head tanked and magnafluxed and have any decking done that is required. A new stock replacement head from engnbldr is $350. If you can afford it I would swap in an RV cam, it'll set you back $90 but well worth it.

Duffdog

I agree, its not a big deal to do it yourself. I just did mine and had to have the head decked but it wasn't that expensive at all.

If I had to leave the truck for a while, I would drain all the fluids to prevent further damage.

James Woods

iTrader: (1)

I used to work for Subaru, and those cars have the worst problem with headgaskets, one came in with blown headgaskets and they wanted to fix it, so I started tearing down the motor and when it came time to removing the heads, they wouldn't come off with everything unbolted, finally I hit put all my weight on it and it fell off. I then discovered that they had been using that "block sealer" crap for the last year and a half, just kept adding more and more until everything was coated, they towed it out after telling them the price of it all. Otherwise, stop driving the truck or you might as well just start saving for a tow bill and a new motor.

desertwalker62

aargh... figured as much... should park it but won't quite yet, just no long distances... will try to get the repair done within a month's time, attempting it myself... always have trouble with gaskets though... did my timing cover twice, and my oil pan still weeps after 3 attempts.... had to redo rear main seal after 40k. i usually use copper rtv for oil pan and timing cover, and just the tiniest bit of oil on the rear main... valve cover horseshoes weep ever so slightly too.... rebuild supposedly has keith black high comp pistons, an rv cam, and high flow oil pump... any suggestions or tricks to doing this job?

Triumphman

I have the same problem, local mechanic shop wants $1800+. to do the job. I'm pretty good with tools and stuff. Have done motorcycle clutches, alternators, latest radiator swop on my 93 Toyo 4x4. But I don't even know where to begin a head gasket job on it. I always fear the broken off bolt or non-removeable nut. If that happens I'm sunk! Anyone got any ideas . Need some positive reinforcement and a kick in the ass to tackle this one! It runs great, no white smoke, no leaks, no crap in the oil! So can it still be the HG? Just overheats in the driveway. The new radiator is nice and clean. Thermostat opens & closes at 82C as stamped on it. So? Any help will be deeply apprec. Triumphman. 1-13-11

yotarob2005

The HG gasket job is cake. Do some reading up on it, start a thread and we will walk you through it.

GorgeRunner

Good advice here. Antifreeze will destroy your bearings, water in the crankcase will corrode/rust metal surfaces.
Replacing the head gasket on a 4 cylinder is an easy weekend job. If you can't fix it right away, don't drive it, change the contaminated oil and drain the cooling system.
Changing the head gaskets on a 3.0VZE in a 4Runner; there's a nightmare. 4 cylinder with carb in a pickup; easy.

snowbear

Doing a HG is easy as many have said IF you have the time. I didn't. I work 7/12s out of town and I leave the rig at work. First thing I did was retorque the head and got about 3k miles before it started leaking again. Then I used bars. After about 15 heat cycles the leak stopped.

Couple of things I considered before using stop leak. It is a bandaid at best. I've used it on about 6 motors and it has worked about half the time. Never worked on a v8 and always worked on a 4 banger. I was only loosing coolant into a cylinder and not into the oil. The decision to use stop leak means the next step, when it fails, is a complete rebuild or replacement.

I've only lost a very slight amount of heat from the cab heater and I've got about 1000 miles since using the bars.

All that said, you will spend half a day and a $100+ to do the bars per the instructions. Better to do the hg. Or run'r till she grenades.