Please don't shoot me, but I found this board while doing a search about head gaskes for 3VZFE motor. I don't have a truck or SUV but, rather, a 1993 Camry. I have the blown head gasket issue that is so frustratingly common to this motor.

I'm going to get the head gaskets replaced, and need to know which ones that everyone thinks are the best. I found an old thread here that had some info, but wanted to see if there's anything updated. Some people say to get the 'genuine' Toyota gaskets, some say to use Rock, some say Victor Nitroseals (which I haven't been able to find, by the way). I found a set of Rock gaskets at a very reasonable price and am thinking about them. Also, from reading other comments, it sounds like I should also replace the head bolts.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!!

 

I'd say stick with the Toyota ones. I've done a couple of HG jobs on the Lexus ES300 (same car). Make sure the top of the radiator isn't cracked. That was a surefire way to tell if the headgaskets were infact bad.

 

Yeah, I've replaced the radiator already. The car had a blown head gasket when I bought it. I tried (successfully) a product called "Steel Seal" in it, and drove it for over 12,000 miles, but then it started pinging and blowing white smoke again. I re-treated it, and it runs good, but I don't trust it to go out of town anymore. Now I've got the cash to have the gaskets replaced and have a valve job done (it's got 152,000 miles on it). Since the motor sits sideways and is tilted toward the firewall, I'm having a mechanic that I know do it. It's a nightmare under that hood!!