Possible Blown Head Gasket

[Alizerothree]

i get nothing but overheating. coolant overflows out the overflow spout and im forced to pull to the side of the freeway. the water is alway6s a chocolate milk muddy color. ive backflushed it and got most of the rust out, even ran a superflush radiator treatment in and left the heater on for like an hour.

ive been reading on the forum here and now i think my symtoms point to a blown head gasket due to the previous owners poor maintanence. i bought the car for 4500 and now i dunno what to do. do i TRY to sell it? (i feel terrible for laying this on someone else...) or do i try to fix it? i hear its expensive...im a student and this is really really tough :( can someone suggest/help me on what to do?? :( :cries:

[bartkat]

Check to see if you have coolant in the engine oil first. You may have some other problem.

[Alizerothree]

Check to see if you have coolant in the engine oil first.  You may have some other problem.

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ok ...so check the motor oil and see if there is collant. what should i look for in the oil? green color? thanks. i pray its another problem!!! :)

[xxxavier2k]

Check to see if you have coolant in the engine oil first.  You may have some other problem.

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ok ...so check the motor oil and see if there is collant. what should i look for in the oil? green color? thanks. i pray its another problem!!! :)

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A compression test would also be very helpful

[Lexusfreak]

What year is the ES?

[Alizerothree]

What year is the ES?  

 

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its a 1992 :cries:

im so worried... i checked the oil and its 1/4 quart too low..... but there didnt seem to be any coolant on it...then again i have no idea since the coolant is brown just like the oil....

im so bummed out.... im gonna try and cruise to a mechanic shop and get a comptression test...... any other suggestions my friends? :)

would it be worth it to do an engine swap? can i get a motor from a v6 camry??

[Lexusfreak]

What year is the ES?  

 

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its a 1992 :cries:

im so worried... i checked the oil and its 1/4 quart too low..... but there didnt seem to be any coolant on it...then again i have no idea since the coolant is brown just like the oil....

im so bummed out.... im gonna try and cruise to a mechanic shop and get a comptression test...... any other suggestions my friends? :)

would it be worth it to do an engine swap? can i get a motor from a v6 camry??

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I would wait until you hear what your mechanic tells you. Sounds like you need a new radiator as well as fixing the head gasket. Don't drive it too far or you might end up causing more damage. :(

[Alizerothree]

went to the mechanic and we replaced the thermostat. he said it was stuck open and was opening and closing late. he installed a new one, filled the sucker up with new fluids and told me to drive around. i headed straight for the highway, drove with the heater on for a bit and then cranked up the AC full blast on cold and drove 15 miles downb to redondo beach, sat in traffic for a bit and then hopped on the freeway and drove back. it was fine until i got back to the mechanic shop, it was running a bit hot but didnt overheat all the way.... he told me the next step would be to take the care to a radiator shop and have the check the radiator.... :cries:

[bartkat]

That's progress. One step at a time.

[Alizerothree]

That's progress.  One step at a time.

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ok i guess i will let you know what happens little by little.. hopefully since its my birthday today they can hook me up for free :P

[Lexusfreak]

Keep us posted! What kind of coolant did your mechanic put in your ES? Green, Red long life?

[Alizerothree]

well...nothing but bad news i guess. I took it to Lexus and a couple other places. The head gasket is blown. the water pump is leaking and im currently replaceing it. lexus qouted nearly 2000 for the head gasket job. other places are saying 1900-2500. im pretty screwed. the good news was that the timing belt was good. great. lol

im gonna try this engine block sealer. im sure it wont do much but im praying it was seal the head gasket and stop the cazr from overheating. i know the heads need to gfet sent to a machine shop but man..... im a student...i barely have money for my books :(

im stuck huh?

[Lexusfreak]

well...nothing but bad news i guess. I took it to Lexus and a couple other places. The head gasket is blown. the water pump is leaking and im currently replaceing it. lexus qouted nearly 2000 for the head gasket job. other places are saying 1900-2500. im pretty screwed. the good news was that the timing belt was good. great. lol

im gonna try this engine block sealer. im sure it wont do much but im praying it was seal the head gasket and stop the cazr from overheating. i know the heads need to gfet sent to a machine shop but man..... im a student...i barely have money for my books :(

im stuck huh?

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Ouch :( yeah, your in a bit of a pickle I'd say. I'd save your money on the 'engine block sealer' stuff.......a so called repair in a bottle or whatever........put it towards your repair. Did your mechanic say to stop driving the car altogether? or can you get by for a couple weeks?

[branshew]

Try an engine shop. Its possible they could do it for less since all they do is major engine work. Alot of times the independent mechanics don't like to do the major engine overhauls since it takes too much time/labor (when they could be making more on oil changes, brakes, suspension, etc.).

For $2000 you may also be able to buy a rebuilt or used engine to drop in there. Get a 1MZFE engine if you can.

[plumberkim]

thanks for the info. I have a es 300 93 and I have the same problem. I think I will replace the engine. My mechanic quoted 3000. I want to go to the engine shop. How do I find one? Good one?

plumberkim

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Try an engine shop.  Its possible they could do it for less since all they do is major engine work.  Alot of times the independent mechanics don't like to do the major engine overhauls since it takes too much time/labor (when they could be making more on oil changes, brakes, suspension, etc.).

For $2000 you may also be able to buy a rebuilt or used engine to drop in there.  Get a 1MZFE engine if you can.

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[Toysrme]

A block sealer won't fix a blown head gasket. Don't even try.

For the record, you're getting severly ripped off.

The entire engine gasket set (With asbestos head gaskets i.e. stronger than what Toyota put in) Off Ebay for $120. A waterpump costs another $75. Timing belt another $25-35, 4.5 quarts of oil, 8.9 quarts of coolant, $20 for new head bolts. $7 for new spark plugs.

The actual labor can be done start to finish by someone that knows their way around an engine in around three-maximum four hours. That's assuming they take their time and set the engine & cams back to tdc to set the timing.

You can have a new (used) 3vz-fe (USDM, or JDM) swapped in for less than $2000 if the mechanic is honest. Freight shipping on such items is normally around $50-$75 to go across the country.

We had this discussion earlier this month in Toyota Nation. The actual cost of a mechanic that's not ripping you off is $1000-$1400usd.

The poster's local Honda dealer won out at $1298.00 USD.

Also, there are three reasons why Toyota headgaskets are notorious for being a weak link:

1) The torque on the head bolts is in the typical range, but not enough for the engines themselves!

Instead of the stock 25 lb-ft, turn 1/4 turn, turn 1/4 turn.

Tell your mechanic to put the bolts straight to 50-55lb-ft.

2) US government outlawed the use of Asbestos in the gasket material in the late 80's. Making for weaker gaskets.

3) The transverse (fwd) mounted engine's are tilted at far too much of an angle, just to fit them under the hood. Between 35* and 30* depending on the car!

If you've ever wondered why it's always the rear seals that go first (rear main seal, rear head gasket, rear valve cover gasket), there you go!

If you're worried about the bolts being over torqued, I did testing on my own used bolts. No bolt stripped, or showed signs of stripping, while all snapped in half between 95 lb-ft and 115 lb-ft.

I digress. From now on when they quote you, you are armed with the fact that it should not cost over $1500. If they are quoting you near, or over $1500 you need to ASK them what they are going to change.

Find a nice, way to hint that you know there are less than $350 in parts for the job required. (unless they are doing extra stuff) and that trained mechanics (Toyota or not) should be able to complete the job in four hours at most.

I would link you to a gasket set, but there isn't one on ebay at the moment. (Probably just sold one). Normaly you can hit them by trying Camry, ES, gasket, 3vz. I definately think you should buy the gasket set, and take it to the mechanic.

That way they don't rape you on the cost, AND they can replace gaskets as they go. (You don't get stuck with old, or broken gaskets. Most of the intake ones are paper, and can't be saved)