Head Gasket Question

sank · December 7, 2006

Hi all I have a 92' lexus Es300 with 180,000 miles. About 3 weeks ago while taking a trip to Dallas it died in the middle of the highway. Long story short I blew a head gasket which in turn ripped the radiator hose to pieces. My local mechanic says it usesless to fix the head gaskets as the engine knocks. So he suggests getting a newer motor with lesser miles on it either from salvage yard with guaranteed miles. Has anyone experienced this kind of problem if so what did you do?. I love this car I'd rather repair it than byuy a newer model.

Toysrme · December 7, 2006

If it's knocking then the coolant dumping in with the oil caused bearing damage & sever overheating on the moving surfaces. You've probably tanked a rod bearing.

Basically, you can take out what you have & rebuild it from scratch, buy a brand new engine from Toyota(those normally cost $1500-2000) replace it with a JDM engine with the understanding that it has no EGR provisions, meaning it will not pass an emessions test unless you swap said parts from your current engine. (that may, or may not matter for you). Or you can find a used one here (good luck).

92-93 Camry / ES 300 v6 is what you need. Personally... Buy a used engine & do ALL maintenance on the engine. Buy the cheap gasket kit from Toyota & have your mechanic replace all the normal leaking gaskets while the engine is out of the bay. Valve cover gaskets, the front & rear main seal, cam/distributor seals. Timing belt, water pump (Every 90,000 miles), spark plugs, the accessory belts when it gets in the car. Or don't & just take the chance a used one doesn't leak. Beware. Most used longblocks only have like 7 to 14 days of a warranty of the thing running & not leaking (like a head gasket). Most of the time, they only warranty the shortblock (the bottom half).

Regardless of what you do. YOU MUST FIX the coolant problem that caused the overheating which warped the & caused the gasket to blow in the first place. Otherwise it's going to happen all over again. Ya better be checking that radiator hauss.