Blown Head Gasket repair w/pics

rnoswal · 12-29-2006, 04:56 PM

Well, since you have the head off, I'd put a top dead center detector on the engine, then put a short 2x2 (wood) in the cylinder and turn it until the piston pushes the piece of wood up to the detector and that will stop it from moving. Then just keep applying pressure until the bolt comes loose.

Good luck

Russ

Staceman · 12-29-2006, 06:28 PM

Find someone with a 1/2" ELECTRIC impact. (not the 12Volt kind either) May sound foolish, but that was the ONLY way to remove a stripped/cross threaded harmonic balancer bolt from the kid's V6 Rodeo!

Since I "inherited" a 1/2 electric impact, I don't even use the air one anymore.

IHateHacks · 12-29-2006, 08:45 PM

Well I finally got the crank bolt off. To anyone that wants to know how to do it I will tell you. First though, I would like to say what did not do it. 5 different impact guns-nope. Car in gear, ebrake on, someone standing on the brakes-nope. Did not get the chance to use the starter bump method. This is what works and what will work every single time-crowbar in the flywheel through the starter hole. Worked so good I think Im going to patent that procedure. Walked the crank pulley off with 2 flathead screw drivers. Had timing belt off in less than 5 minutes after that. I was messing with this crank bolt for 4 days, but now that its off the head is ready to be lifted off. I just don't have someone to help me lift it. I can do it myself, I bench over 205lbs atm, I just don't want to risk banging it into something like the radiator support or the fender. Loosened head bolts in the order shown in the TSRM and did it in 3 passes. Did not need the SST for the head bolts, a NAPA 10mm allen head socket worked just fine for $4.65. Will have pictures in 2 hours.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Edit: And yea Toyota of Wallingford (yet again) sucks bad. Walked into the parts department, asked if they could get SST's and all I got was a bunch of BS. First I got "No, nope." Then I got, "AHHH Toyota is closed today I can't do anything." Then it was, "They are so much money you won't want to buy them" Then I got, "Gimme your name and number and I'll get back to you" Yeah right. Does anyone else have a problem with buying SST's from their dealership?

IHateHacks · 12-30-2006, 12:06 AM

I've decided to send the head to a machine shop. I've gone this far I might as well go all the way. Cylinder walls still have crosshatch marks on them so it is a safe bet that this engine was rebuilt at some time. I've also determined my BHG was in cylinder 6. Spark plug insulator in cyl 6 was brown. All of the other spark plugs were normal. All of the valves looked the same in cylinders 1-5, cylinder 6 looked totally different. If you look closely at the last picture of the head gasket, look at the last cylinder to the right and look at the top, it is oval shaped. So it is determined that when this engine was rebuilt the HACK that put it back together hacked it up. Either overtorqued or did not torque in the right sequence.

12-29-2006, 08:45 PM	#3
IHateHacks 20psi boost Join Date: May 2006 Location: New Haven/Hamden Posts: 793	Well I finally got the crank bolt off. To anyone that wants to know how to do it I will tell you. First though, I would like to say what did not do it. 5 different impact guns-nope. Car in gear, ebrake on, someone standing on the brakes-nope. Did not get the chance to use the starter bump method. This is what works and what will work every single time-crowbar in the flywheel through the starter hole. Worked so good I think Im going to patent that procedure. Walked the crank pulley off with 2 flathead screw drivers. Had timing belt off in less than 5 minutes after that. I was messing with this crank bolt for 4 days, but now that its off the head is ready to be lifted off. I just don't have someone to help me lift it. I can do it myself, I bench over 205lbs atm, I just don't want to risk banging it into something like the radiator support or the fender. Loosened head bolts in the order shown in the TSRM and did it in 3 passes. Did not need the SST for the head bolts, a NAPA 10mm allen head socket worked just fine for $4.65. Will have pictures in 2 hours. Thanks for all the suggestions. Edit: And yea Toyota of Wallingford (yet again) sucks bad. Walked into the parts department, asked if they could get SST's and all I got was a bunch of BS. First I got "No, nope." Then I got, "AHHH Toyota is closed today I can't do anything." Then it was, "They are so much money you won't want to buy them" Then I got, "Gimme your name and number and I'll get back to you" Yeah right. Does anyone else have a problem with buying SST's from their dealership? Last edited by IHateHacks; 12-29-2006 at 08:52 PM.

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12-29-2006, 04:56 PM	#1
rnoswal Lexus & 550's Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Bossier City LA Posts: 556	Well, since you have the head off, I'd put a top dead center detector on the engine, then put a short 2x2 (wood) in the cylinder and turn it until the piston pushes the piece of wood up to the detector and that will stop it from moving. Then just keep applying pressure until the bolt comes loose. Good luck Russ

12-29-2006, 06:28 PM	#2
Staceman Intake Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Phoenix, Az. Posts: 48	Find someone with a 1/2" ELECTRIC impact. (not the 12Volt kind either) May sound foolish, but that was the ONLY way to remove a stripped/cross threaded harmonic balancer bolt from the kid's V6 Rodeo! Since I "inherited" a 1/2 electric impact, I don't even use the air one anymore.

12-30-2006, 12:06 AM	#4
IHateHacks 20psi boost Join Date: May 2006 Location: New Haven/Hamden Posts: 793	I've decided to send the head to a machine shop. I've gone this far I might as well go all the way. Cylinder walls still have crosshatch marks on them so it is a safe bet that this engine was rebuilt at some time. I've also determined my BHG was in cylinder 6. Spark plug insulator in cyl 6 was brown. All of the other spark plugs were normal. All of the valves looked the same in cylinders 1-5, cylinder 6 looked totally different. If you look closely at the last picture of the head gasket, look at the last cylinder to the right and look at the top, it is oval shaped. So it is determined that when this engine was rebuilt the HACK that put it back together hacked it up. Either overtorqued or did not torque in the right sequence.