blah, another question.

lets assume my head is nowheres near warped....like 1 thousandth or whatever its called. when replacing the headgasket with arp studs, the mechanic wouldnt have to mill the head or anything right? that would cost upwards of like 1500 bucks....and im seeing posts all over saying around 800 for labor (not including parts) for replacing the headgasket, making no mention of milling the head. and they didnt have a BHG, either, it was just being cautious of a problem that could possibly occur.

edit: wtf, cant ever NOT edit a post...planning on using HKS MLS headgasket with arp studs.

My head wasn't warped at all, yet I still had my machine shop plane the head. To have a head cleaned (as clean as the day it was made), checked for cracks, and planed it only costs $150 give or take a few $$. No way in hell it costs $800 to have a head machined, you can buy a rebuilt cylinder head for that much.

If you are using a metal head gasket you must get the head planed. You also MUST lap the block. I used a factory head gasket and I still had the head planed.

I replaced every hose and gasket doing my head gasket, I even bought a new timing belt tensioner which cost $140 by itself, and I'm still well under the $1000 mark. Even with the 20 cans of brake cleaner and 5 rolls of shop rags I'm right around $850 total, machine work and parts.

I understand you will be having a shop do yours, which is not the smartest idea, because no matter what you say to them, they will still torque the head bolts to the factory 58ft/lbs. They are not going to listen to a customer over factory specs. And they will overcharge you, you'd be lucky to drive out of there with a new undertorqued headgasket for $1500.

ok, planing the head sounds like an amazing idea for that cheap, ill definitely ahve that done then. thank you :) however, since im using the ARP studs, the mechanic (who ive talked to before, and has a handful of 500+ HP cars of his own...his monte carlo is amazing) says he will torque 5 over whatever spec hes using. i said were going to use what the ARP studs say, he says thats fine, so itll end up in the high 70s. i was happy about that.

just...eck...i can get the headgasket and studs myself, ill just give them to him and he'll do the labor. but the labor part sucks haha....almost a grand for everything, easily. he did an 88 supra before and that took him about 16 hours (which i gasped at) and he said hes gonna cut me a small deal since i know a buncha people that work there.

difference between lapping the block, and getting the block planed is? ima guess that planing it makes it as smooth\flat as possible, and lapping just cleans it all up and makes it look all perfect. will lapping the block cost much?

hey guys...i bought my mkiii supra on janurary 28th and they said they swapped it for a metal headgasket cuz so far i have no trouble with it..buh is there a way to know for sure its a MHG...cuz i dont wanna get my downpipe 3inch elbow high flow cat and see symptoms..hopefully that wont do n e thign to the HG..i floor it some times buh only up to 4500 once in awhile 5000 when damn people cut me off...help me plz i dont want a BHG

Only way to know what kind of head gasket you have is to take the head off.

Only way to determine if your head gasket is leaking/blown is to run a block test.

on a difficulty scale wha is it and how long will it take..cuz i dont have garage(house) to store my car in

just finished putting back together after head gasket replacement now my car doesn't start


help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

could it be timing or is one of the vacuum hoses incorrect or what

ps i'm not that proud to say but i didn't mark the vacuum lines when i took them apart

It could be a number of things.

I'd first make sure the cam timing is correctly set, then I'd make sure ignition timing is correctly set. Because you can't set ignition timing if the cam timing is off.

I can post diagrams of the vacuum lines if you need them. But you should start your own thread so we don't clutter up this sticky with your problem.

fixed ignition timing car runs now woo

Not sure what happened
 

i just bought my first supra, its an 88 turbo 5 speed, the oil is a milky color, and there is a white smoke coming out of the exhaust, and when driving it there was a little poof which also caused smoke from under the hood, i have no idea what to do and reading everything hasnt really helped.

well ihave my no 2 cyl at 81 psi on a compression test and the rest range from 155 to 195 on my 88t targa and coolant is rushing thru the over flow and no mixture of oil and water. so head comes of tomorrow, by the way anyone know the weight of the factory flywheel?

Im about to replace my BHG and I was wondering if the block is warped (IDK if that can happen) would I have to take my engine out to get the block machined? How much does it normally cost to get the head machined?

Warpage
 

More often the head will warp before the block (I assume it is a 7MGTE or 7MGE with the cast Iron Block and Aluminum Head). Having the head resurfaced is usually a good idea, and not too expensive, especially if it has really over heated when the gasket blew. Resurfacing can also increase your compression slightly, be sure to observe proper torque and tightening sequence, improper head bolt torque causes head warping probably more often than anything else. If you have a turbo and do shave the head for increased compression (not just for the resurface) I highly recommend you get an ARP Head bolt kit to re-install with.

I have never had to resurface the block but there is a first time for everything. Check it with a good flat edge (a good metal carpenters level is usually sufficient), if you can pass a razor blade under it anywhere, it needs work. (a real shaving razor blade not a box cutter blade, if you get a box cutter blade under it its really bad)

I have never done just the head resurface, the last one I did was with a valve job (Pressure Test, Valves and seats polished, new seals and springs, and resurface) for about $460 at a NAPA machine shop.

When I go to clean the gasket material off the block how do I keep it from going into the holes in the block and the piston chamber. I know you can put rags in them but that isnt going to keep all the crap from getting in there. Also if you clean the piston heads (im going to) whats the best sovlent to use or can I just wipe it off (i have never worked on a head or pistons before).

I stuck cotton balls into all of the openings in the block and used a tri-folded towel inside the cylinder sleeves. There's no way to get all of that carbon scouring gone. Time, patience and elbow grease.

If you are going to clean the head without a resurface, careful usage of a putty knife or razor blade scraper can do the job, but it is very easy to scratch the aluminum surface. I have on occasion used copper RTV on aluminim heads to fill minor gouges in the surface, spreading it very thin with a razor blade, just enough to fill the void, (or as a surface release layer when used with porous compound gaskets like felpros, but not on a Supra motor, as I can always find teflon coated metal-graphite laminate gastkets for them.)

The block is much less suseptible to gouging being almost the same hardness as a razor blade or putty knife, but the concerns are the same.
Most any kind of normal solvent can be used if you avoid getting solvent on your valve stem seals or other non-metal parts. Carb cleaner works good for this, even for the pistons, I would shy away from certain types of brake cleaners as they can cause cylinder walls to oxidize and develope a thin layer of rust before you get things back together.

If you resurface the head, you don't really need to do more than a loose cleaning as the machine shop will grind it all off and leave a smooth fresh surface.

You may want to go over your surfaces with a light sand paper or scotch brite, to scuff it up a bit to achieve a better gasket seal (a polished looking surface would almost be too smooth). Be sure none of this sanding debris gets into the cylinders.

I have always used rags in the cylinders to keep out debris, the idea is to remove the rags in a quick motion when finished to pull out any debris that fell in (slightly oily or greasey rags are actually good for this as debris will stick to the rags, and keep the walls from oxidizing.). The same can be done with oil and water jackets using corners of the rags. Use compressed air to get extra debris out of the cylinders, the most critical part. Small bits of debris that may still get in to the oil jackets can be filtered out of the oil through normal operation. Small debris in water jackets can be later flushed out of the cooling system, but rarley causes an issue.

When you re-assemble your enigne, start it up and run it up to normal temp, maybe drive around a little but not hard, then remember to re-torque your head bolts to spec after a couple of heating-cooling cycles. Change your oil and filter within a few days, and flush your cooling system. You are bound to have some bits of debris, and remnants of whatever was happening to the Oil or Cooling system before you fixed it. Don't let this scare you, it sometimes takes 2 complete changes/flushes to get it all out.

Don't be scrrrd. lol

I got really scared the first time I flushed the sytem after my first valve job, and thought oh-no! I missed something big, or that the block was cracked internally somewhere, but after a couple of flushes it was all good.

FYI: citra-safe or equivalent type of citrus solvent works amazingly well on any grease or petroleum based deposits, even hard black carbon deposits and most non-acrylic or non-epoxy adhesives, etc, without attacking seals too bad. Simple Green is a good one too, and being vegatable based they are not a hassle to handle, or danger to your health, enviromentally sound, etc. (they work good as hand and clothes cleaners too)

Thanks for the advice I got the head off and went to the machine shop. I just got it back yesterday, I going to put arp stud in and im having trouble finding them. Ebay which is where i got the gasket set off of doesnt have any listings for a 7mge. All they have it studs for the 7mgte, arent they the same as the 7mge. If not can someone give me a website where I could get them.

The 7mge should be the same set as 7mgte, the t means turbo. The head bolts and manifold studs should be the same. You may end up with 4 extra bolt-nut sets for the turbo, but I don't remember those actually being in the kit. The best gaskets for this motor in my opinion are available from NAPA (its about the only thing I get from NAPA for imports). They are laminated metal-graphite with a teflon coating. Not the 'paper compound' types, even if they have the cylinder and jacket beads (like felpro's), these will eventually disintegrate.

My block is cracked I posted some pics under the thread "Cracked Block"

ebay is your first fluck up.

www.horsepowerfreaks.com

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coolant light keeps coming on
 

ok so i was told my head gasket might be on the way out the only thing is it was just done 50 000 kms ago right before i bought it by the toyota dealership
the problem im having is im losing coolant but i dont know from where because i dont have a puddle under my car i had a hose that was leaking but that was tightend up and my water pumb might be leaking but not enough to keep bringing my resivor light on ...i work in a shop so i have had the mechanic look at it but its hard to say what it is anyone have any ideas?
and first time posting so i have no idea if i just replied to a msg by accident lol

I'm having a similar problem with my car. but i found my problem and it was a leak and just need to replace a busted tube for the radiator

I just got done replacing my BHG. My temperature guage liked to spike a lot unless I kept the engine going at above 3000 RPM. We had done everything else, new water pump, new radiator, new fan configuration...nope. Dug into it and found the BHG and erosion on the head. Had to get the head planed, 10/1000 (which is not reccomended by Toyota) and put the thing back together. So far it has stopped the overheating and has stopped blowing the coolant out of the system, but now I have an injector (or something) leaking fuel and can't find where to plug the knock sensor back in so, hopefully I'll get that soon.

my supra did tat on me too. i thought it was the thermostat, switched tat, but still, it kept saying it over heats. then, after like 3 month, it wouldnt start anymore. took it to the shop and they diagnosed it wit a BHG and need all my cylinders replaced.

damn tools
 

does anyone know where i can get the special tool to torque the nuts back onto the head

all mine does is heats up no oil water mix none out the back too

For you guys using an Autozone gasket !
 

DONT !
do not put a cheap $50 head gasket from felpro,,,
Get yourself a Titan or HKS, or cometic metal 2.0 mm gasket.
Pretty much guaranteed not to blow !

overheating, and blowing coolant out the exhaust
 

Hi , Im planning on buying an 87 non turbo supra and the guy that wants to sell it says that its overheating, and blowing coolant out the exhaust could this be because of a bad head and gasket , i need help figuring it out

Blown Head gasket symptoms !!!!!
 

Hey Bud, if it is blowing coolant out of the exhaust, it is far more than just a head gasket ! That head is warped bad ! Is it just white smoke or dripping out? The turbo might be messed up too.
How much is he asking for it? I have a stage 2 port polished head if you need one ! I am only asking $150 plus shipping.

Hey Carfanatic.... ya need a block?
 

I have a 7MGTE block for sale ! it is in graet shape.... new rings and bearings.
all you need is oil pump and head !
I'm selling it for $250 plus shipping

Im really not sure if its white or not i haven't gone to look at it and hes asking like 600 for it but ive found a better deal for another 87 supra with less miles and what seems less of a problem the other supra i want to go look at had a hg replacement and now its leaking oil and its making a clanking noise ( this is what the guy selling it told me ) and he wants 800 for it

Not sure if you want to go with something that is making clanking noises. Better off with the one that has a blown headgasket.

yeah i think i might just wait til i find something that's in better condition. how much do you think it would cost to get the head fixed if its warped??

No blown HG but quick spikes in temp after long drives.
 

I know I know about the head gasket symptoms. Changed out the old blown HG with a new HKS metal one and ARP head studs, radiator, cap, water pump, and thermostat. After about an hour of driving, she'll spike up to about 3/4 on the gauge...usually drop shortly after back to normal. Rarely does it stay at 3/4 for more than 5-10 seconds. I do have boil over in the resevoir. I've tested the coolant for exhaust so many times now and still no evidence. I will be getting a slightly higher psi radiator cap and ANOTHER new thermostat but this has been driving me nuts for about 2 years now. Damn near willing to sell it if this doesn't get resolved and I REALLY don't want to do that...have had it for 10 years now.

u know anyone who can help me replace my headgasket and put everything back together im not familar with the wire harness and where everything goes????