Head Gasket Help?

[samscrivs]

I own a 1987 Toyota 4Runner, 4-cylinder. In the recent heat of Southern California, the mechanic said the head gasket is done. I do most of the maintenance work and I have a friend who has fixed head gaskets on other cars. We were hoping for a little guidance and help. What were some of the problems you faced in fixing the head? Any pointers? What kind of torq wrench will we need? And, should we even attempt this? I love my 4runner ... it's always been my dream truck and it's depressing to think that I might have to get rid of it. If you know how to work on the head gasket, please give us any help ... it is all welcomed. I would take it to a mechanic, but the cost is so tremendous, I'm not sure it's worth it. One mechanic shop said they could do it for $1000, is that going to be my best deal?
Thanks so much
Sam

[bulldog]

I own a 1987 Toyota 4Runner, 4-cylinder. In the recent heat of Southern California, the mechanic said the head gasket is done. I do most of the maintenance work and I have a friend who has fixed head gaskets on other cars. We were hoping for a little guidance and help. What were some of the problems you faced in fixing the head? Any pointers? What kind of torq wrench will we need? And, should we even attempt this? I love my 4runner ... it's always been my dream truck and it's depressing to think that I might have to get rid of it. If you know how to work on the head gasket, please give us any help ... it is all welcomed. I would take it to a mechanic, but the cost is so tremendous, I'm not sure it's worth it. One mechanic shop said they could do it for $1000, is that going to be my best deal?
Thanks so much
Sam

This whole baord is focussed on the new 4R, GX, Taco, Prado and FJC. So I don't think this is the best board for your discussion. Try Yotatech.com lots of good tech on the older models there.

[expat]

I replaced the head gasket on my 87 back in about 93 after towing a heavy ski boat and 4 passemgers up and down hills for 2hrs..Actually I replaced the whole engine with a 4.2 V8 a few months after that!

Honestly, it's a easy do. Buy a good workshop manual - I'd not recommend a genuine Toyota Manual as they often expect specialised tools which you don't need.

However, nothing is simple. Just doing a head gasket is easy enough but usually there's more too it. If you taking off the head you might want to check out other internals such as the cam lobes for wear, etc. For this, you'll need for example, a dial guage. You'll want to check the conditon of the rocker arms, drive sprocket end play and timing chain. You might want to even deck the head and block to get a real nice mating (and extra HP) but that all becomes pricey. I found this - Head from J and C Enterprises off ebay with O/S SS valves, heavier springs, and an aftermarket Crane cam $399 including shipping.

Also you may need to check and see if your head is warped - depends on how bad it all is. If the engine has been cooked a few times in the heat with a blown gasket there could be more problems. Any water in your oil? You'll need several new gaskets eg water inlet, manifolds....

You also want to consider cleaning the carb, checking resistance of the leads, do your plugs and points etc. Maybe get new head studs and loctite them in. You'll need some good gasket glue, Permatex is ok, but there are better products.

The ONLY way to save money is to do it yourself with a good manual at your side. Remember when you start pulling apart a 20 year old engine, unless its been rebuilt recently (which I doubt as you are doing the head gasket), its going to have issues.

The $1000 is for what? A head reconditioning or JUST the R&R of the head gasket + labor?

Like Bulldog said, you might get better help over at Yotatech.com.

If your firend has done head gaskets before, your golden. As far as torque wrenches, just buy, rent, borrow a reasonably good one. They all do the same thing, just some are less accurate or have features that are nice to have. There are several ways to adjust the settings on the wrench, just go browse and you'll see what's available. Check on the net before you buy, to see what the different options are in terms of features/price/brand.

Good luck.
Mark