Blown head gasket 5.7 at 190k miles

I am no expert on the 5.7 engine… but I have replaced many a head gasket in my day…engine running with billows of white smoke, even BMW’s, and steam from coolant etc. and the cheap fix was to replace the head gasket. Generally the problem was solved with no ancillary damage. I don’t trust someone who offers a ridiculous price. I would find a good REAL mechanic willing to attempt that fix before throwing away a ton of cash.

 

I wouldn't have any issue with a used engine if the price is right.

It may still be worth having a compression test done on your engine to verify head gasket.

I'm not saying this is you, but there are some Toyota owners get accustomed to never having to open the hood except for oil changes and washer fluid. So the coolant levels seem to get missed. It eventually gets low and the car runs hot one day.

 

I was slacking on the coolant. Religious about oil changes but I need to be more thorough elsewhere. $6,800 plus tax for labor and materials. Motor going in has 130k miles. Sounded like that was the only choice that was available locally. Yesterday the mechanic stated 10 business days, but this morning he texted a pic taking the front bumper off so he is getting after it.

 

I agree with you. That doesn’t seem like a catastrophic failure. The mechanic that is doing the swap noticed some oil on bottom of engine as well. The mechanic recommended the swap as the best option. The choice was mine. I do not have the time or patience to get this sorted twice.

 

I will probably regret not investigating going that route. That seems like a reasonable price. What killed the previous motor?

 

Compression and drop down(?) test we’re done by Toyota and new shop. No water in coolant or vice versa and I didn’t notice the temp rising. I was hoping that this would mean all it needed was a head gasket.

 

Compression and leak down tests would tell you if there was indeed a leak somewhere and often where it’s coming from.

 

Compression test tells you if there is a problem in the integrity of the combustion chamber. Leakdown tells you where the problem is or is not.

Are you the original owner?

 

pick up a short block and recondition the cyl heads and do all the work yourself save alot of money. dont put money into the truck.

 

No. I bought late 2017 with 45kmiles, for $29,500.

 

Never had to replace an eng for blown headgaskets.My 2002 Tacoma blew 2 and both heads had cracked between valve seats.I bit the bullet and replaced both heads for 2800 plus labor.Factory parts

 

The 4cyl VVTI engines (camry) have a habit of pulling the threads out of the block when they overheat do those guys usually aren’t worth fixing. I haven’t ever seen an exploded 5.7 in person but maybe that’s an issue?

 

I think they mixed they mixed the coolent and it gelled and it overheated bad. They said it was head gasket but i think it was cracked. It had 220k on it so i figuered that was my best route. I used Powertrain Products

 

The junkyard engine had a ton of corrosion, and the mileage claim was dubious so the mechanic returned it. Couldn’t find any other motors. Maybe because it is flex fuel. Mechanic is rebuilding engine.

 

The video explains it all. There is fact and evidence backing up liquid gasket sealers. They work under the right circumstances. Would I put it in coolant if I was going to replace the engine in a few weeks? No. But ChrisFix got 2yrs on an old Jag that had a head gasket leak. 2 years for the price of a bottle of sealer is a no brainer.

 

Perfect time to replace those timing chain tensioners and guides!

 

post a picture of the blown head gasket when you get down to it.

 

Does machining Head’s take care of that?

 

The cost to replace or fix a supposedly blown headgasket on these engines is really disconcerting. So has it been confirmed that it really was a blown headgasket?

I remember Toyota’s 3.0L V6 headgasket fiasco from the 90’s. They were fairly common and cost about $1500 at the time to fix. But Toyota was so concerned with its reputation, it offered to fix them for free the first time. They usually blew at around 100K miles. The second time, though, was on the owner to pay.

Mine blew twice on my ‘92 4Runner. The engine did not need replacing, either. They just checked the mating surfaces, machined the cylinder heads and replaced the crappy headgaskets with another one. I eventually traded it in on a ‘99 Tacoma.

 

$37k! And they wonder why people call them “stealerships”!
I has a Nissan Sentra one time that wouldn’t start. The dealer said the engine was shot and needed replaced. Some stupid $$$. The car wasn’t even worth it, so I brought it home. My buddies dad stopped by to look at it and it turned out to be a cracked distributor cap, like $10 he had it running again.

 

Update. Engine finally back in truck yesterday. Imagine one more day to get everything buttoned up. Besides all of the obvious seals and gaskets that were replaced, the mechanic replaced cam tensioners, chains, chain guides, looked like the 2nd gen air pump(think he called it fuel injection valves), alternator, water pump, air conditioning condenser, starter, (4) valves, and oil pan Because of a stripped drain plug . (I knew it was weeping. I had a fumoto valve. Don’t know if I messed it up, or the few times I went to oil change place. Not doing fumoto valve anymore) I am paying the labor regardless, so it’s basically just cost of parts, and I do not want to deal with any issues for a long time. A mechanic I know tried to persuade me to sell the truck and not put a bunch of money into it, but I like it. Also the rediculous replacement prices are making it easier to justify. Haven’t got a grand total yet, but I am think we are definitely north of $10k. The mechanic sends update pics constantly, and I have accepted all of his suggested replacement recommendations. Looking forward to getting this wrapped up and getting on with my life.

 

Would that be part of condenser? Can you see those hoses in pic? There is some new hoses but I don’t know what they are for. This whole experience has been great to really familiarize me with the engine components. I have crawled under and inspected truck a ton of times, and I never realized that the starter was buried under that heat shield.

 

Sounds like you have dealt with those. Haha. Thank you, I will ask the mechanic. This whole thing snowballed fast. I have to remind myself that this better than dealing with a collision, and hopefully an opportunity to get many more years of use.

 

@07DCLimited how many miles on your truck? I was/am hoping to get 500k+ miles.

 

Not bad

 

Any picks of the old gasket

 

So was it confirmed the headgasket failed?

 

Did I miss the final diagnosis? This mechanic should have down a tear down video. Man, this job seems like it would have been a blast to do.

 

Toyota and the current mechanic both did compression and “blow down”(?) tests to confirm head gasket.

 

No. I forgot to ask. Someone on here asked earlier as well. My bad