what would you do?

hmmmm...ill try anything at this point....

My husand drives a 1995 4cyl Toyota Pickup. Blew the head gasket last week. Had it towed to a dealer. They say head gasket, timing chain, timing chain cover, water pump and thermostat need to be replaced. They also said they could possibly tear it down and find that the cylinder head needs to be replaced as well. Said the head and timing chain cover are expensive because they are aluminum, softer, more likely to be damaged due to the truck over heating when it died. Est $1800 - $2000 for repair and over $3000 if the head is shot.

we have another vehichle for my husband to drive so we are not desperate to replace the truck.

do we part it out sell it or fix it....

and do you think my "not-so-mechanically inclined" husband could figure out the fix or is this way over a layman's head?

I just figure we own the truck, we aren't desperate to trade it or sell it. We have the time and a garage to keep it in while he works on it. the truck is worth probably $4k-$6k if we fix everything.

what do you think is a reasonable price for the truck as is - 160k miles. regular cab regular bed 4cyl 4x4.

thanks for your time lena picklesmommy_at_gmail_dot_com

Reply to
LMSmith
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I wouldn't attempt it, and I probably know a little more than your husband (perhaps not too much more...)

160,000 miles huh? Where are you? I have a '91 engine out of a Tacoma that I shoved into a Celica, 160,000 miles and has a timing belt with 20,000 miles on the CHAIN..Not a belt...CHAIN...!

I put it in the Celica and then 3 things fell apart within 2000 miles, including the suspension. I was going to try to sell it for $250-300, but it is now a Must-Go. Come and take the whole car and you can have the engine!

It runs very well, it doesn't smoke (or drink or cuss...) and isn't slurping anti-freeze. Yours for the taking. I'd rather see someone use it than just junk it!

Reply to
Hachiroku

thnx for the offer - we are in seattle

Hachiroku wrote:

Reply to
LMSmith

Dealer going to be expensive --- but dependable repair. Sounds like he gave you worse case. Head gasket going doesn't mess up the timing chain cover (~$300). You didn't state mileage. If over 150k then timining chain is often replaced as well as the water pump (~$60) and thermostat (~$12). Normally none would have to be replaced when doing head gasket --- unless failure of them caused the condition. For that kind of money - with 160k miles especially it badly overheated, you can buy a quality rebuilt long block ($3-4k). An industrious home mechanic can fix it for under $800 and few weekends so I'd sell it "as is" --- depending on if options/model/condition could bring ~$800-1800. Look up value fixed in edmunds.com (~4k?) and subtract cost of expected repairs.

Reply to
Wolfgang

============================ Search Internet for "cylinder head exchange."

A number of years ago, my 20R truck engine overheated and required head replacement. Rebuilt head was $150, and I also replaced the cam for another $40. Add a gasket set and that was my total cost of repair. I copied pages from a book at the library for instructions, but had been familiar with working on cars already. Perhaps you could find an independent mechanic who could use rebuilt parts for you. They may not be as good as what the Toyota dealer would do, but the cost will be less.

Reply to
nospampls2002

Okay, realize that these are separate problems that happened to show up at the same time. The head gasket and possibly the thermostat are the main problem, and they can just go on time.

Was the water pump totally leaking and squeaking, or did they catch it before total failure where the seal was just weeping?

And the timing chain failure is a totally separate thing that usually pops up between 150K and 200K. The tensioner guides wear out, the chain goes slack and starts flopping around - left unfixed, the chain wears a hole in the timing cover, and then several really bad things happen in quick succession...

Read these paragraphs carefully:

The good thing is, they have to tear the front of the engine apart to do both these items. The bad thing is, most Toyota Dealers charge "Book Rate" prices on all jobs - and both of these jobs require many of the same areas be disassembled....

But the Dealer will just add the Book Price of the head gasket work and the Book Price of the timing chain work - and the Dealer and the Mechanic (paid by the job) will pocket several hours of 'Book Labor Time' that is charged twice (for each job as priced separately) yet only needs to be done once. And the Dealer will pocket the money from things like a second gasket set that isn't needed.

Ask them for the price breakdown - and then let them know that you know this... The dealer work will have a better guarantee behind it, but an independent shop down the block will cut you a significant price break on the work, and the dealer shop knows it.

They might cut you a reasonable deal (two or three hours off the total, and the duplicated materials) to keep the work and keep you as a regular customer. After all, coming in there gets you in there - that way Dear Hubby can go out on the sales floor and ogle all the New Trucks while they're doing the next oil change on the old one...

If the truck is otherwise straight and solid, no severe rust, the trans and rear end are good, tires and brakes good, etc. and it meets your needs for hauling stuff - Fix it and keep it a while.

Drive the value out of the repairs for another 50K miles, and then think about selling it.

And fixing the old truck means your insurance and registration stays nice and low, and no 5 years of monthly loan payments.

Possibly, but this isn't simple work - too many things have to be done just right, and in the right order. He will need to seriously beef up his tool box, spend a grand or two all at once. Too many things need to be torqued and finessed, there are "hidden bolts" (at the bottom of a pool of oil in the head) that will drive you nuts if you don't find them... I wouldn't recommend it for a raw beginner.

Start with simple stuff like changing the horn ring contact button, then you do lamps and simple tune-ups and oil changes, then graduate up to big stuff inside the engine.

In good running shape, and considering it's a 4X4 I'd guess $5K to $6K is a reasonable base price - good body condition and wanted accessories like a hitch and winch can add several grand to this.

As it sits now, with a blown head gasket moaning water pump and a badly rattling timing chain, you'll take a bath on the sale - better to get it fixed, drive it a few more years, and the next time you get the urge to sell the truck do it while it's running.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

-- snip --

One option would be to just replace the engine with a used one. I'm not to keen on those used engines from Japanese cars but there are plenty available from US vehicles.

With a used engine it's a good idea to use a shop that does the complete job. All parts and labor. Make sure they have a parts and labor guarantee that would replace a bad engine on there dime.

It's a lot less work to just swap engines than it is to do a head gasket at home if your husband wants to do the labor.

The price I got last year for my trucks (22re) was $800.00 for a used engine that was: Free next day delivery Guaranteed good ( had 3 available + 1 under 60,000) under 80,000 mile original California engine (my state) complete bare engine with intake and exhaust manifolds original California engine (my state)

GL Dan

Reply to
Danny G.

There are tons of used pickups available cheap. If you need a pickup, this is the time to buy a used one because of high gas prices.

Reply to
Art

Is this truck a 4x4? I would be interested in buying it.. Located in Spokane.

Carl

Reply to
Carl

Not necessarily...

There are a lot of Hummers and Escalades and Yukons and Jacked Up

4X4 "Bubba Trucks" and 1-ton Duallies available at below market prices, because people can't afford to feed them at 10 MPG.

A nice older Toyota truck with the Four or Six is quite boring - but is also almost invariably going to get decent fuel mileage (unless something is drastically wrong), and thus they regularly demand premium prices above what the normal resale value would suggest.

Point of fact, the resale market for clean older Toyota trucks has been tight for decades - In some cases you can sell them for almost what you paid for them new. The ones you can find for cheap are usually beat to hell, or they would have been snapped up.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

And I'm about as far from Seattle as you can get!

Drive straight out East on 90 and you'll find me!

Reply to
Hachiroku

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