Hello everyone,

im in Hawaii and just bought a 1989 Toyota pickup. I’m a newbie and the car had issues right away, I wish I had paid more attention during the buying process. But I love the truck. Trying to get my kids to and from school.

Water is spraying out of where the exhaust manifold connects to the block. The bolts holding the copper pipe to the manifold are mostly stripped.

Here is what I see.

It’s leaking from basically the center of the photograph

Zoomed out view

Im hoping water is supposed to be in that area and I don’t have a blown head gasket.

my experience is minimal but this Dad has got to get the car running!

1. Is it normal for those gaskets be sealing in water?

2. Ideas on how to fix the stripped bolts situation as they can’t hold that copper pipe thing properly.

3. Engine isn’t starting at this point, seems water is in places it shouldn’t be.

Any my ideas at all would be greatly appreciated!

thank you and aloha

 

Those pipes are part of the air injection/air suction system. They allow filtered air into the exhaust under certain conditions to help the catalytic converter work more efficiently. There should not be water/coolant in that area.

Take out all the spark plugs and turn the engine over. Is there coolant in the cylinders? If so, you will probably see coolant coming out of the spark plug hole. Hopefully this is not the case, as you have the potential to hydro-lock the engine. That means that the pistons try to compress the coolant but can't (liquids are not compressible like air is), and can cause engine damage.

Check the engine oil for condition and proper level. Is the oil milky?

Double check that a heater hose or coolant bypass pipe is not the cause of the leak.

You can use a cooling system pressure tester (if you have access to one; check parts store rental / loan-a-tool) to pressurize the cooling system and help you narrow down exactly where the coolant is coming from.

 

thank you so much, that gives me a lot to tackle. I’ll jump into it and report back

 

Thanks again for the help. Weeks later and the truck is running!

I took out the spark plugs and turned over the engine. Water shot out everywhere. Checked the oil it was milkey, like melted milk duds filled my oil pan.

Tore down the truck and had blown the head gasket. Did the repair myself and damn for a novice it really taught me a lot and put me through my paces.

Put everything back together and found the water pump was leaking. Replaced the pump and all is well.

The information you provided was invaluable in getting me going and teaching me about cars. THANK YOU!

Have a lovely day and hopefully this information helps someone else in the future