Head gasket install now getting multiple misfires on driver side block
 

So I thought I was getting a good deal on a 97 Tacoma with a blown head gasket. I took it straight to a shop and he said it would be two weeks and he told me x amount of dollars. He also resurfaced the heads had them pressure tested as well as new timing belt and water pump. I picked it up 4 1/2 weeks later and he charged me more then he originally quoted cause it was a time consuming job. Well I started my 3 mile drive back to my house and I barely made it up the hill to my house. This thing has absolutely no power and the engine rattles like hell over 3k rpm's. It sounds like a two stroke engine. When I got it home I ran a scanner on it and came up with p0171 p0300 p0302 p0304 p306. All misfires on the driver side. Also when it is cold it idles so smooth and quiet. I've never owned a vehicle that had detention or rod knock so I'm not sure what they sound like. I imagine rod knock would be a lower tone. Any suggestions on what this can be?

Take it back to the mechanic immediately!!

If he turned it over to you like this, the longer you wait, the more likely that he will deny responsibility to make it right..

Good luck!

I didn't want to do further damage so I went back to his shop without the truck and he's giving me the run around. He said if he takes it back apart and it's something he did that he will fix it. But of it's not something he did them he'll charge me $700 in labor to tear it back down. I have no trust in this guy so I want some solid knowledge on what the problem can be before I take it back to him. He also said that cylinder 3 had a lot of water on it and that it looked like it had been washed clean but he didn't mention anything like that about any of the driver side cylinders.

Theres a hella lot of investigation and diagnosis to be done before talk of major mechanical disassembly.

Sounds like he does'nt want to, or maybe does'nt know how to do any of it.

Maybe he already knows something that he does'nt want to tell you.

Don't let him off the hook.

I'd have it towed back to him and leave it right in front of the work bay.

If you paid by credit card you could at least dispute the charges.

He's totally giving me the "boy
I don't know what it could be" and "I don't know what to tell you" he said it could be a bent rod and if it is that he can't doing anything to help me. And I paid cash. I just want something solid to stand on before I take it back. As of now the truck won't even start. I put 3 miles on it since I picked it up.

The firmest ground might be to have a Toyota dealer diagnose it, but that will cost ya.

It is possible that whatever is wrong, is'nt due to something your mechanic did, or did'nt do, but the simple fact that he does'nt seem to want anything else to do with it without threatening more high dollar charges is very telling. An honest workman would be sending a tow truck to get it at his own expense.

I Thank God that I don't have to let other people touch my machines.

When I dropped it off I told him I think it's a blown head gasket. And he said he'll get into it and figure out what's wrong. He called me once to come down and pay a deposit. When I was there he had one head off and he told me he should have drained the oil and coolant and put new fluids in and run it to see if there's any knock. But he didn't. So IF it is a knock is it possible that he missed diagnosed the problem because he didn't do that before tearing it apart. Then when I talked to his son yesterday who works there he told me he wouldn't have put money into that engine as bad as it looked. So why didn't they call and tell me that? It's looking like I just flushed $2150 down the drain.

Of course he should have pulled the plugs, turned the engine over, and done a compression check/leakdown test before he tore it down.

Depending on what these tests showed, it is likely that attempting to make the engine run would be the next step in diagnosis.

These relatively simple steps would have very likely showed any weaknesses or faults in the bottom end of the engine.

Just working on the heads and head gaskets without any testing to confirm the general soundness of the engine is less than due diligence on the mechanics part, and he should have to stand good for it.

At this point though, you don't really have any idea what is wrong with it.

It could well have electrical or fuel delivery issues outside of mechanical defects.

I'm going back down there in a few hours and I'll check to see if he did a compression test on it before he tore it apart. Thanks for all your input. Life lessons can sometimes be spendy?

I agree with millball, take it back and have them check it. Worst case, take it to the dealer as They are the experts and will know what is plaguing your truck. I had my 3vz-e for my 90 rebuilt from March to May of this year due to my head gasket blowing and a local shop in my area rebuilt it. Total for top and bottom was around $4200.

Also just to get some details:
How many miles are on this engine?
Was the head gasket due to a defect or lack of care?
Is the rest of the tuck in working condition or do other things need work?

If possible, I would get your money back and seek out a local shop in your area that rebuilds engines as it will be cheaper and they will most likely warranty it. Also if the engine itself has high miles on it, it is recommended to rebuild top & bottom as the engine is already half way apart. Last thing I would recommend if a rebuild is out of the question, would be to look for a used or rebuild one online.

Otherwise best of luck.:guitar:

Truck is in ok condition for its age. I bought it with the blown head gasket so I don't no much about the history of it. 205,000 miles. Wanna buy it?

I got it running. I'll try and post a video of it running

Many people we meet and on occasion, do business with, test the boundaries of human decency and tolerance. It is a pity you paid cash and he does not seem to know what he is doing or really cares about his name. Flog the horse until it's dead and don't give him another dime.

I got him to admit that he did zero testing on it before he started tearing it down. And now he's saying "well what did you do to it, it was running when it left here" and being incredibly insulting to me and my wife. And as much as I wanted to knock his teeth in I was polite and stayed calm. I brought up small claims court and it seemed to change his demeanor. We left talking about paying me back some of my money and parting ways. Now he's gonna call me back tomorrow. Huge lessons learned on this adventure.

http://youtu.be/8K0RJdp5Nqk

No thanks :hillbill: I have 2 cars which are all I need. Going back to what I posted, for any car with a blown HG, you will be paying for other things in addition to replacing it especially for a high mileage engine. And its best to rebuild the bottom as the engine is half way apart. Worse case, you might have to take the engine apart again if a piston ring fails or equivalent.

Anyway hows the truck running since the vid? Any improvement?

Well the mechanic never mentioned anything about how the bottom end should be done. He just started tearing it apart. I finally got him to agree to tow it back to his shop which won't happen till Friday.

Keep us updated on what happens. Rebuilding the bottom is not a must but it is recommended. As I mentioned earlier, by doing a HG job the engine is halfway apart. And if you were to get the top rebuilt and then something fails on the bottom end, you will have to take the engine apart and replace everything again. For any high mileage engine that is original, it is best to do as the HG could have blown due to heat or ware and tear. If it was blown due to cooling issues, you want to make sure that your heads or short block are not warped and only the machine shop can determine that after cleaning and xraying them.

Any news to report about this???

the mechanic had the timing way off. Runs good besides a little bit of a high idle.