22RE Head Gasket Problem???

Part 1: I believe that the time has come to replace the head gasket on my '85 Toyota SR5 Extra Cab pickup w/22RE engine. The truck has 209,000 miles on it and a few days ago I noticed that there wasn't any heat coming from the heater vents even though I'd already driven about 15 miles and the temp guage was up into the normal range. I stopped and checked the radiator and was suprised to find that the water level was down about a quart and a half and I could find no leaks in the system. I topped it off with water and went on my way. The next day, I again noticed that there wasn't any heat coming from the heater vents but when I looked at the temp guage I saw that the needle was still on cold even though I had driven about 20 miles. Again I stopped and checked the coolant level and this time it was down about 2 quarts. I topped it off again and drove home and filled it again. This time with a 50-50 mix of water & Prestone. Later that evening I started the engine and noticed that there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe and small droplets of water mixed with black oily/sooty looking dots spattering on the driveway, under the tip of the tailpipe. I did a compression check and found that the number 3 cylinder was about

30 lbs lower than the other cylinders. I mentioned all this to a neighbor and he said that it sounds like I've got a blown head gasket. Do these symptoms sound to you like a blown head gasket? If not, where else should I look to solve this problem? While checking head gasket kit prices at Schuck's and Auto Zone I noticed a couple of those "miracle cure/snake oil" type products that claim to permanently repair blown head gaskets and cracked engine blocks. One of them was CRC Industries "K&W Nanotechnology Permanent Head Gasket & Block Repair" at about $20. The other was Bar's Leaks "Head Gasket Repair" and cost about $10. Both products claim to make a permanent repair for blown head gaskets and cracked blocks. The CRC product has a double-your-money-back guarantee. There is no guarantee information on the bottle for the Bar's Leaks product. I've used other products from both companies many times over the years and I've always been satisfied but I've never used either of these particular products before and I'd like to know whether anyone in the group has used either or both and what are your recommendations.

Part II: Lately, I've also noticed that there is motor oil splattered all over the front of my engine and I can see that it has been blown by the fan all over the underside of the hood. I've been having to add about a pint of oil about every 200 miles of freeway driving. If I stay in town and keep my rpm's down under 3000, it doesn't seem to use any oil. My neighbor said that I've probably got a worn out front crank seal. Since the truck's got 209,000 miles on it, I suppose that things are gonna wear out. I've seen a crankshaft front seal repair kit at several internet stores and think that this might be the way to go to fix this problem. Has anyone used one of these crank seal repair kits? How did it work? Did it work for long? Am I gonna need any special tools to install this? Can it be done with the engine in the truck? Any hints or tips I should know about before starting this job?

Part III: New head bolts. Do I need'em? My neighbor says maybe I should replace those too. I just finished talking with the service manager at the local Toyota dealer about how much it would cost to have this job done at the dealership and he didn't mention new head bolts in his estimate and I forgot to ask specifically about new bolts. What is the concensus in the group about replacing the headbolts with new ones with every head removal? All pertinent information will be appreciated. TIA Jerry

Reply to
Al Phalpha
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I just typed "22RE head gasket kit" into the ebay search query and I see several types of headgaskets available. The first hit I got was for a seller named eristicgaskets. Has anybody ever heard of or used Eristic gaskets? The ad says that their head gasket is "graphite." Are graphite headgaskets any good? The next hit was also from eristicgaskets but this ad is for a "steel multi-layered" headgasket with the same brand (Eristic). Can anybody recommend either of these headgaskets? Or point me in the direction for a better one? The third hit is from a seller named engnbldr. His ad doesn't say what kind of material his headgaskets are made of but claims that all his products have a full factory guarantee and he does have a 100% feedback rating with 10398 customers Anybody had dealings with any of these people? Used any of their headgaskets? Were you 100% satisfied? Do you recommend headgaskets be made of steel, graphite or any other material? TIA Jerry

Reply to
Al Phalpha

Hi Alphalfa,

Sounds like your neighbor has a good understanding of mechanics, so keep listening to him.

The bars leak is a quick fix, but will deposit its junk on other parts of your engine as well. You could clog a vital oil return passage.

If you are going to be replacing the crank seals and head bolts anyway, you might as well put on a new head gasket!

My 2 cents.

"Al Phalpha" wrote:

Reply to
jp2express

You do have a blown headgasket. The liquid fixes are for a "leaking" headgasket. Your's is too far gone.

Check out the toyota truck parts dealers on eBay. I rebuilt three 22R's last year and did headgaskets on three more. By far the best deals are on eBay.

The front main seal goes out on 22R's eventually. The sleeve kit slips over the back end of the main crank to give a fresh surface for the seal to seal against. It is best to press the sleeve on. I have done it using a sturdy wood vise as a press.

I have used new head-bolts on a few , but after a few rebuilds I had enough good ones that I can reuse. The head-bolts that usually get trashed are the second and fourth bolts from the front of the engine on the exhaust side of the head. These usually get eroded by the heat of exhaust gasses because they come down right between each of the pairs of exhaust ports on the head. If you pull the head and these bolts are fine, then skip the new bolts. After 209,000 miles I suspect they are eroded. BTW these bolts are usually the ones that cause a blown head-gasket in the first place. The extreme heat cycling loosens them over many years. Every blown 22R head-gasket I have worked on, has blown near one of these 2 bolts.

You should also check the inside of your timing chain cover for wear. After 200,000 miles the oil pressure line that pressurizes the chain tensioner tends to get gunked up. This allows the timing chain to go slack, which makes it slap the plastic chain guides. If the guides break the chain starts chewing through the timing chain cover. If it chews deep enough, it hits the main coolant feed to the water pump and BLAM you have an engine full of mayonnaise. If your rings are still good, then you have the option to do the headgasket and the front end in one go. What I recommend is buying a full engine gasket kit, a new timing chain cover, new oil pump, new water pump, and new timing chain kit. That bunch of parts would cost around $300 from a car parts shop and around $150 from the eBay sellers. I just checked and I can buy that entire list for $145 plus shipping from eBay sellers.

Once this is done the engine should be good for at least another 100.000 miles.

To get your existing head cleaned, surfaced and pressure tested should cost around $95 at an automotive machine shop.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

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