Buck01

I was driving home last night from work.
Truck running fine. I get to the last hill before my house.
I am driving up the hill a one lane dirt road going about 10 miles an hour.
I smell something hot. I look at my temp guage. The temp if a little over half way on the guage. More than normal but still not in the red for sure.
I am 1/2 a mile from the house. I drove home. I went to pull into my driveway and the truck had almost no power. When I stopped the truck stalled.
I let it cool for an hour cause when it quit I could hear coolant boiling.
I checked the oil. Chocolate milk for oil. I looked in the rad. No coolant visible.
I add water. It fills up then goes down. I checked the oil again...the level of chocolate is now higher.

I would like to do the head gasket myself but realistically I can't be without my truck for very long. So working on it in the evenings and on the weekend would take to long. So now I have to tow it to the shop to get it fixed.

The engine has 202,xxx miles at this point. I had the head gasket done at 150,000.

Saint_Berzerker

I don't have any advice, really...just a question.

You noticed it had no coolant in it? Had you checked it recently or it was just gone because the head gasket blew.

I'm just asking out of paranoia...lol. My brother had the same thing happen twice, 22re, but he didn't have a temp gauge and all so he screwed up and drove it when it got low, and that's how he got screwed.

I just don't want it to happen to me. From what I know, they blow because the coolant level gets low. But I'm assuming that they can just blow for no reason? Is there anything to prevent it at all?

Buck01

I hadnt checked it for a while but the temp had been runn ing just below the half way point like always..........

not sure if low coolant was the cause of the head gasket failure or if the head gasket failure caused the low coolant......

I guess just to be safe check fluids often.......

Bumpin' Yota

Your coolant level shouldnt be changing at all!! I had been loosing coolant slowly over time and never really knew why. I had racked it up to either a leaky radiator or a loose lower hose clamp (even though I had 2 of those cheapies on there tightened down TIGHT.) Well my HG had blown internally (unusual for a 3vze) and it was pressurizing the coolant system. I even went so far as to buy a new radiator cap...lol Well over the next 6 months my truck ran low on coolant two times and on those 2 times I could watch the temp gauge go from normal to red in under 3 sec flat! (that usually happened when the engine wasnt' turning a lot of rpms, so I kept 'er turning at about 2krpm to keep what little water there was circulating around until I could pull over and fill er up with hot water.)

Then one day back after a week long excursion i went to fire her up and OMG it would barely run as though one cylinder wasnt firing!! Finally when she'd warm up the cylinder would start firing and id be off. Over the next month the missing cylinder got worse until one day when I fired her up she decided to be a mosquito fogger and fogg out the entire backyard!!

And here I am doing a complete rebuild!! (Glad I am too!)

Buck01

I just talked to the shop. They dont think it is a head gasket. They think the timing chain ate through the water pump housing. I hope this is the case.
I will find out more soon.

1Clean86

keep us informed man!

my 22re has almost 239k on her and wont quit!

But that doesn't mean I can drive to work with complete piece of mind. I know something has got to give out soon, as it's been "ticking" for a while now. It only happens when I first step on the gas and when I let off the gas.

I'm thinking of doing a rebuild here pretty soon, but I'm not sure. It would be nice to have a V6 in there!

BuujinBejiita

I had a 22re with well over 300,000 miles and it still had 95+psi in all cylinders. It was very well maintained though. As for my 3.0 everythings going out on it at 150k -_-. Had to have more power.

seanathan

hey yea i had mine go out about 2 1/2 weeks ago and i mean its a big job to do on ur own mine is a DD but i only go to school so i can manage without but i promise its alot cheaper to do it urself and i mean if u work on it like all weekend and have a few days off u can do it the i paid 150 for the whole gasket kit but to warn u the injector plugs break easy but they are $5 a piece so its not to bad but mine has been down for a while cuz i figure im in there why not clean the heads and bigger valves and the works so its really all what u want and can spend i hope u the best but it sounds just like mine and its a timing belt so i dont know if it would cut through anything

Figit090

dude if you just did the head gasket and did it right i dont see it happeneing again so soon. some toyota engines you could see this on...but only if its in a supra and only if you mod it and run the stocker headgasket hard. lol...not on a little 22r! that timing chain thing makes sence....i've seen seals for the front and if i understand the whole front piece gets kinda complicated?

one way to check for BHG is to do a exaust gas test on your radiator....probably best when running but not sure. i've never done one because i knew what was wrong when my 7mge became a steam engine...lol. but you can get test kits....maybe they work after the engine has been sitting...check for chemicals other than coolant in the water maybe. i'd look into it....but the mechanic will probably tell you whats wrong.

best of luck!!

-edit: be careful running the milkshake in your crankcase much. oil is the only thing that should touch the bearings....do a few oil changes once your done with all this.

misterzee

We have not experienced a timing cover breech yet, but a HG, yes. There was considerable roughness when starting cold especially.
Check the plugs, look for one that is 'cleaner' than the others.
I hope you drained the crankcase!!!! Dont let it set with all that crap in there.
After doing a HG and a timing chain, separately, i think its a draw as to which one is more work. Jacking up the engine to drop the pan for a good seal was a pain! :-\

Figit090

wow didnt know you had to do that. sounds like a PITA for sure.

did you have to do any suspension work to get to it? on my car you have to drop the front suspension and jack the engine....REALLY sucks. lol.

i'd rather do a HG on this engine probably though...has to be eaiser than an inline 6 and its associated engine management crap everywhere...if not just eaiser to lift the head off.

Buck01

well talked to the shop....they said water in ALL cylinders!!!!!!!!! that is a major gasket failure. Life sucks right now.

Bumpin' Yota

hmmmm that sounds VERY VERY VERY suspicious....i think a tech didnt know what he was doing. I'd ask to see it first hand....if the HG did blow, the cylinder that it blew into is going to be all nice and clean.

Buck01

The tech didnt know what he was doing? you mean in his disassembly?

Bumpin' Yota

no in common sense. If a HG being blown is suspected the first thing you do is pull the spark plugs and check to see if they are wet. The sparkplug thats all wet and clean is the cylinder that popped. But when one yanks the head off, the head is going to drain some coolant all over the place getting coolant in all cylinders.... Thus the tech says "hey look coolant in all the cylinders!!" when that's clearly not the case....

Now im NOT a master mech or even a tech, but I am a shade tree mechanic who has just suffered his own HG issue and is repairing the truck.... My HG let go on #6 and it steam cleaned the cylinder, the rest all had black carbon deposits...

Even on a 22re I'd seriously doubt that the whole HG let go at once....

Buck01

I am not doubting you just asking for clarification.

I have never heard of all cylinders letting go at the sametime either

Buck01

To be honest though I don't know if he checked plugs first and then pulled the head.

dcg9381

When you pull the head, you generally get water in all 4 cylinders, just FYI..

Your sig says you've got a worked head. Did you have it checked when you had your headwork done? What kind of gasket did you use? Any detonation on your current setup.

A HG can be done in a long evening... That is after you've had it checked by a machine shop. I've offered to do a few for $300 + parts... I hate to see your bill..

Buck01

I bought the head as complete unit from a place I found online.

I didnt have any detonation issues.

I could never do a HG in an evening. There is always something that comes up to bite me.

I will hate to see the bill as well.

Bumpin' Yota

im doing my headgaskets a series of long evenings over the course of 4 months! hehe

then again funds have been short and i am doing some good mods for the 3vze too