jb925

First of all, I would like to thank in advance those who reply to my thread, I really need the help as this is a problem that needs to be taken care of immediately.

Heres the story: I neglected the cooling system by only put water in it. I noticed the water was disappearing and dismissed it as water evaporating since it would often boil in the reservoir tank. I would simply put more in. Then it overheated, but not too bad, the temperature gauge didnt hit the red mark. I pulled into the nearest gas station and filled it with more water. The following day I did a cooling system flush, although I do believe I may of put a bit too much anti-freeze. The day after that I noticed the coolant still kept disappearing, so I check the oil cap and bammm it hit me, residue from an internal leak was evident. Fearing a blown head gasket, I performed a cylinder compression test. The results are as follows:

Cylinder 1: 135
Cylinder 2: 125
Cylinder 3: 125
Cylinder 4: 125

The Haynes book says the normal compression should be around 170 and the minimum should be 128. Since the results are slightly under the minimum, Im not sure whether to rule out the head gasket or not. I will be performing a cooling system pressure test tomorrow to gain more insight as to what the problem can be. I have not noticed any drop in performance and have not noticed smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. Bottom line, I would really like to know what caused the internal leak in the first place and where exactly in the engine is the leak so I can roll up my sleeves and get to fixing this issue. Any insight as to what your guess may be or any direction as to where I should go about diagnosing this problem would be GREATLY appreciated, thank you.

Edit to add: It is a 1993 Pickup with the 22RE, 2 wheel drive.

fiasco8

Have you check the timing chain/timing chain cover?

Also, what year and motor?

fiasco8

Also, how many miles?

jb925

No I have not checked the timing chain. I have done some research and read that the timing chain may be an issue and forgot to mention that I will also be checking that tomorrow. Also, the truck currently has about 135k.

jb925

Do you think it is more than likely a timing chain issue? I sure hope so cause dismantling the engine to replace a the head gasket seems like it will be a challenge. Whats your take on the compression?

fiasco8

Seeing as how all your numbers are so close I would think it would be the head gasket but I haven't worked hg issues before.

My 93 had 128000 miles and the guides were broke and it was probably less than 50 miles from wearing through the timing cover.

My advice, drain your oil and check it and pull the valve cover and check the timing chain cover.

See where this leads then go from there.

jb925

You'll have to excuse me but I need a bit of clarification. By "it" do you mean the oil? And do you suggest removing the valve cover in order to check the timing chain cover or would I be removing the valve cover to inspect that part itself?

To be honest Im not too mechanically savvy. Since I'm not in the financial situation to hire a mechanic I have decided to take on this project myself. The Haynes book, plus a bit of research online has been a lot of help. Although advice from other Toyota owners such as yourself is the kind of help I believe will get me through this. Thanks again.

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

You will need to remove the valve cover and see if the timing chain guides are broken. You shuld be able to see if the chain rub the cover and it is sounding like it has and eaten a hole into a water passage that goes thru the cover.

Sounds like you will need a new cover ($50ish) and a timing chain kit ($75ish). A Haynes Manual will get you thru it. Good luck. About the hardestpart is getting the crankshaft bolt off and if you can get a good impact on it sometimes it will come off. Other wise use the starter trick.

Basically using a 19mm socket with a prybar against the passenger frame rail and turning the key. Make a template for your oil,water pump,timing cover bolts as they are different lengths and one needs sealant on it when putting it back in.

j2the-e

Your compression numbers are even but seem low. Are you using a good quality comp. gauge? If it runs good, I wouldnt worry about the alleged low compression. I wonder about when you said the coolant boils into the overflow all the time. That is not normal. It could be either building too much pressure like a blown head gasket or the cap could be defective. You can get a tester that checks for exhaust in the radiator.
If the guides are worn, the chain can rub a hole into the water jacket in the cover. Usually easy to tell though because the oil would look like chocolate milk. In my opinion: If you are doing a chain at 135k, and if you havent properly maintained the engine, specifically doing regular valve adjustments, I would pull the head and send it to a machine shop for a valve job at the same time. If you're able to do a chain, you could probably do a head gasket. Heck, I think its easier to do the 2 together. Good luck to you

TNRabbit

If it's not the timing belt cover, do a COOLANT PRESSURE TEST. That's a more definitive test for HG. Sears, Autozone, Advance all have kits (under $50).

jb925

[QUOTE=j2the-e;51970489]Your compression numbers are even but seem low. Are you using a good quality comp. gauge? If it runs good, I wouldnt worry about the alleged low compression. I wonder about when you said the coolant boils into the overflow all the time. That is not normal. It could be either building too much pressure like a blown head gasket or the cap could be defective. /QUOTE]

The compression tester is a rental from autozone. I figure they loan out quality tools although I am not sure. I googled why radiator fluid may boil in the reservoir and concluded that it was due to there not being any antifreeze in the system.

Thank you all for the replies and advice. I am going to start working on this later on today and check everything you guys suggested. You guys are life savers. I will be posting progress later on, hope you stick around and lend me a hand if needed. Thanks

fiasco8

Thanks for clarifying.

aquaprice

Another issue that mimics a blown head gasket is a cracked/ worn head. Had a water passage on a 94 22re that was eaten away & seeping coolant into the cylinder.

abecedarian

Assuming you did the compression tests correctly: engine warmed up, throttle held wide open... that all the cylinders are fairly close to each other does not point at the head gasket.

You said:Sounds to me like you don't have an internal leak, but rather a problem causing the coolant to get too hot and boil over to the overflow. Yes, not having proper coolant/water mix could contribute to that but if the overflow is kept filled, the radiator should pull the coolant back into the radiator as it cools down.

So, what is causing the boil-over? I'd wager the guess you need to flush the system- perhaps the radiator is clogged and not able to deal with the heat and overflows.

You can visually verify most head gasket-to-cooling system breeches by removing the radiator cap and starting the engine. After the initial inrush of coolant when the thermostat opens, you should only see a little bit of movement in the coolant within the radiator. If you get bubbles coming up, a head gasket breech is likely.