ok... i have an '85 4x4... 22r.
headgasket went out, running on 3 cyls, chuffing white smoke.
easy enough, got a rebuilt head from a reputable local shop for $225+core, got a complete gasket set from engnbldr.com, and went to work.
had everything bolted up and ready to start, poured some coolant in, and it promptly decided to start leaking out. of the head/block/gasket area, right around cylinders 2&3. both sides of the engine.
i need to scrounge up a straight-edge tomorrow to double check both mating surfaces with some feeler-gauges, but thought i'd post here and see if anybody had any ideas on what went wrong... headbolts (new) were all torqued to spec (thread-chased all headbolt holes to make sure they were clean before installation), headgasket looked fine when i took it off tonight, block doesn't look cracked, head looks cherry still... everything was blingin' clean when i put it together. this isn't my first headgasket job i've done, and toyotas seem dead-simple compared to the volkswagens that i'm used to...

also, there were no external leaks with the old fried head.. looked like i had a gnarly leak into cylinder 2 (it was steam-cleaned when i pulled the head off).

any ideas? thanks in advance.

 

Really should have the block decked along with the head. You're right, you definitely need a straight edge to see if it's flat. That's all I can think of.

 

Was the "reputable" shop in Arcata???

 

yep, in arcata... not so reputable?
i'd way rather have the issue be the head than the block...

 

x2 on getting everything machined and double and triple check that everything is clean. did you torque the head in order? I'm gussing you did but I'm just throwing it out there

 

thanks for the reply. having the block machined didn't even cross my mind; haven't really ran across this issue before. all headbolts were torqued to spec in the 3-step process, and all surfaces were super clean. I'm going to pick up a good straightedge on my lunch today and I'll check both surfaces for being flat after work.

 

We just rebuilt the head on my 87 yota...now we havin trouble figuring out where the carb hoses go... any idea?? we have looked in all the books and there arent any good pics or diaphrams!! PLEASE HELP!!

 

How about starting your own thread? If a vacuum diagram doesn't help you, you're in trouble..next time take pictures.

 

I know the shop you went to and I have heard issues with 22re heads there before. I would start with the head. Take it to Wally's in E town and have him look at it.

 

thanks toyospearo, i'll get it checked out. i usually go to jerry's quality machine for my machine work, so i think i'll run it by him and see what he has to say.
just got done checking the block and head with a straightedge and feeler gauges, and everything checked out to spec. not quite sure where to go from here.
i also just finished going over the gasket with a fine-tooth comb to see if i could find any inconsistencies on the surface, and didn't find anything out of the ordinary...

 

just emailed ted (engnbldr)... he came back and suggested that the head was milled down too far and the bolts weren't able to pull the head tight enough to the block...
i also found an archived post on here that suggested only using OEM gaskets, and one person said that they went through 2 Rock gaskets before they went OEM, and had issues with both rock headgaskets leaking water...

i'm leaning toward the head-being-shaved-too-much idea, as the amount of water that was leaking out of the thing before i even got a chance to start it up just doesn't seem like it would be from a semi(?) faulty headgasket...

ted also said that stock head thickness is 3.778". i'm waiting to grab some dial calipers from a friend tomorrow to measure the head up... what's the minimum thickness for the head before there are sealing issues?

thanks again.

 

In the trash

 

I've heard of the "milled too much" thing before. Usually happens once you mill it a few times. Anyway, there should be some sort of copper spacer you can buy to get everything back the way it should be.

 

I have a copper spacer between my head and block for that reason.

 

head was within spec, so i went and got a FelPro headgasket and copper spacer anyway, as those were the only things i could find on July 3rd @ 7pm... just got the truck running about 3 hours ago, and took it for a test drive out on the beach with my dog. ran like a top.
i'm thinking maybe the block was surfaced too much?

anyway, thanks for all the advice.

 

Another note about milling...watch the valve clearance. I've had several remanned heads that had the valves reground too deep and there wasn't any room for adjusting the valve lash. I used machined shims, like washers or spacers under the valve train to give me enough clearance and to also take up some of the length of the headbolts.

Country Hank