[Voltron]

My 85 has 190k on it with 55k on a rebuild. It's had some pretty minor issues since I bought in last August (stickey thermostat, other issues = overheating, exhaust leak, leaky crank oil seal), but now it has a blown HG
(I can tell b/c there's coolant leaking between the head and block on the exhaust side).

I'm pretty sure that between a few too many overheatings and the exhaust leaking at the gasket for a prolonged period of time, the heat probably had something to do with the head letting go.

As I'm at school I don't have the resources to do the HG myself (and I especially don't have to the time/resources to do it twice if I screw anything up). That means I'm going to have to have someone do it for me. Does anyone know of anywhere good to have Toyota work done in San Diego?

My biggest fear is that they're going to crack it open, only to see that the head and/or block is warped (is a 22re block aluminum or iron?). If the head is warped, can it just be machined flat again, or is it an anchor?

The question is how likely is it that it's going to need more than just a head gasket, given the fact that it's been heated up so much?

Keeping in mind that I don't have the space/time do to this myself, what would you do in my situation? Look for a new engine? Look for a used engine? Just do a total rebuild? New head? I'm borrowing cash from my folks to pay for this, so I'm not on an endless budget, but the end goal is to have the least worries of future major failures for the dollar...

 

[4Rocker]

Yo Voltron,
Welcome to San Diego... There's a shop over in Pt. Loma on Midway near Deja Vu. It's called Hi Auto Repair. Year before last the Reader voted them the "Best Cheap Mechanic" I took my wifes Accord in for a new window regulator and they did the job for LESS than their estimate. I wish I'da taken my 4Runner to them for the HG. I went to a place in El Cajon that was a fuckin' nightmare... I Still have to take it back in so they can correct the exhaust leak and hook all the vac. lines up. I find them hanging all over. I'm afraid to open the hood as I might see something else... They put bolts where they didn't belong, left some bolts out... Guess I fawked up...

 

[GaryGreco]

Try retorquing the head first if you can get a place to do it , get a hold of a torque wrench ,and some sockets 12mm 19mm and wrenches 12mm,14mm and a flat head screwdriver. Torque the bolts to 65 ftlbs then to 70 ftlbs then readjust your vavles 8- 12 hot so warm it up before you retorque it . This my not fix it if its blown out or just corroded away which does happen but it might get you back on the road for awhile til you can do it right. Remember to torque the head bolts from center out , and adjust the valves too specs after. which are .008 intake,.012 exhaust ,on the heal of the cam lobe ,that be the bottom,just incase you didnt know

good luck

Gary

 

[Voltron]

4Rocker (or any other SD local)

Got any opinions on a place called Trux? They are toyota truck specialists...mostly seem to be into the go fast crowd...

I like that they're just into toy trucks and that they're cheaper than the dealer...just wondering if anyone's had any experience with them?

GaryGreco~
Thanks for the info. It will currently run fine (by fine I mean it idles, doesn't overheat, doesn't do anything weird) but there is just this coolant dribble where it shouldn't be. Like I said before, I'm sure it's heat related (I guess I learned something about fixing minor problems before they become major). It did this thing a couple mornings when I tried to start it where it would turn over but shake really bad and sort of run crappy but only if I had the pedal floored (orthwise it would just crank). It would finally "come to life" after a few seconds of running like that. I'm thinking in retrospect that that was from stuff blowing by the head gasket?

 

[GaryGreco]

no ,not outside the block.that won't effect it that way in runing rough. It maybe leaking coolant into a cylinder overnite causing the miss and rough running cold.
Lots of things to check before that though:

Choke adjustment,and clean linkage,
Using any water?

pull the plugs in the morning and look to see if they are wet with coolant or fuel,you can tell by smell and taste ...lol

To stop the exterior on internal leak i would try the torquing fix i talked about earlier,these heads raise up when they get hot and warp a little,so it you retighten the head it may fix your problem for a while .
Torquing to 70ftlbs will keep the head from moving if it overheats and blowing a gasket or warping the head. We had really good luck doing this back in the 80's during the first 15k services prior to adjusting the valves retorquing the heads. This cut down in head gasket failure by at least 80% we figured,we rarely saw one come in after it overheated with a head gasket or warped head problem. And we saw many of stuck thermostats and bad fan clutches ,so it wasnt a fluke .
I dont know your mechanical ability but, if you start from the basics ,fuel ,spark ,air make sure they are all up to specs or close and then check for leaks in coolant like a head gasket ,you may be suprised to see more than one problem.There are many things that can cause these to run rough ,your going to either have to make a list and attack them one at a time or take it to someone who can.

Sorry no easy fixes..



Gary