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