hpinson

Hi. I blew a head gasket in my 95 2nd gen a few days ago (:cry: ). I don't have the time to fix this myself, so am handing the vehicle over to a shop. They seem knowledgeable, but I want to make sure I don't miss anything, since this is the second head gasket to go in 11,000 miles. I am looking for reliability in the engine, and not really any performance boost.

- Use the OEM Head Gasket
- Use the new OEM bolt kit, since the bolt were reused once prior.
- Change the pigtail switch and wire
- Check for cylinder head warpage

Am I'm missing anything?

They are suggesting that I have the cylinder heads rebuilt at the same time. This seems reasonable, as the vehicle has 140K miles on it. Maybe I should just go for a complete rebuild.

Additionally, they are suggesting a new radiator, since the current one, replaced at the last head gasket blew, is full of oil now.

The cost to fix the blown clander per the above specs at around $2500. Is that reasonable, from a quality shop?

What I'm looking to build is a reliable engine here. I am also considering a complete rebuild, which I think would be in the $3500-$4000 range. They are quoting a swap with a short block at around 5K. That seems very high.

Any comments?

Thanks.

Robinhood150

Make sure they don't put the HG in backwards, it's very easy to do and will result in over heating because of blocked coolant passages.

Flamedx4

If the radiator was replaced 11k ago, all it needs is cleaned.

Any time a head gasket goes, checking the heads and resurfacing if needed is part of the repair. Be sure it's done. Ordinarily, while the head is off having the valves redone is cheap. I'd probably do it. Was there any problem in the bottom end? If you were doing your oil changes regularly and keeping the engine in tune, the bottom end should be fine for another 140k easily.

The new new bolts are a must. There are also better head gaskets than the original type although Toyota might be recommending the better type for replacement now. (I dont' know the particulars beyond that, but search around, it's been talked about a lot.)

5k is way high even for a 3.0. Assuming this is a 3.0? Short block should cost about 1500, and they would be doing the head head gaskets anyway, so; a valve job, resurface the heads, new gaskets and labor, shop rags and disposal fees and all that crap... I'd say 3 grand would be more in the ballpark.

hpinson

Yes, it's the 3VZE.

Can anyone elaborate on the "better" head gaskets?

It sounds like a good flush should suffice for the radiator and hoses.

Robinhood150

Here's a current thread on how to clean out the oil in the coolant system: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=299093

LV_4Runner

My humble suggestion is to find out,

"Why was it blown??"

When I did HG replacement job on my Acura, it took me a long time to find out the cause of the overheat BEFORE actually tearing the cylinder head apart from the engine.

It was "faulty" radiator. The radiator was slightly leaking, the leaking spot of which is almost impossible to detect without removing the rad from the car. Then the leaky radiator caused the overheat the engine "periodically" and eventually, the "heated" engine/cylinder head got weakened and finally warped causing "blown head gasket".

Thus, if you just replace the HG without fixing the really cause of this HG problem, you may develop the same blown HG again shortly. I would suggest you make sure every thing is in correct order under you hood when you do "hg" job.

Regarding the labor fee, the Toyota 4Runner engine compartment area is relatively easy to work on compared to others. Therefore, I believe it does NOT need to be that high. However, if it is really good reputable shop, 2k~3k for HG job seems reasonable. But you have to make sure they are really good.

Good luck!

hpinson

Ok-- Great thread on recovering the radiator and heater core from oily gunk without replacement. Thanks Robinhood150.

What I'm understanding here is that either the specialized cleaner mentioned - Motowash - or non sudsing dishwasher detergent would work.

I have about five gallons of simple green on hand. Would that be safe to use for a cooling system flush?

Blackulua

Yeah,I did that once on my first head rebuilt.Had to shut motor off and clean up the mess.Spent another 6 hours to remove and put it together right the next day.The whole engine is running well today after the bad mishap.Do it right the first time

hpinson

Well relatively good news. The heads are off. It appears that the bolts were not torqued enough during a rebuild by a prior owner. The gasket was not actually blown, just leaking. Head surfaces appear undamaged and unwarped and show signs of recent machining, so I'm leaving those alone. So here's what I am going to do:

Replace both head gaskets with Toyota OEM gaskets.

Replace the bolts with Toyota OEM.

Replace knock sensor and pigtail wire.

Flush the cooling system with dishwasher detergent and see how it looks.

BTW-- Toyo Masters in Albuquerque is doing the work. I am impressed with them in that they took the time to show me the damage in person, volunteered the above replacement procedure which is in line with what I've heard on this board, pointed out some other minor problems, and then explored options. I will there return for service.

Damage is $1400, plus I may need to replace the radiator and hoses.

Thanks everyone who replied to this thread. What great advice is available here. I'm going to open another thread on cooling system flushing.