Ok, I'm buying an MKIII NA, but everything I've read has left me scared to death that the HG'll blow the day I get her. She goes into the shop to test the HG on Tuesday, with the understanding that if it's good, I'll buy it. I have an appointment in 2 weeks to have her heads torqued to 72 (thanks Supra Grrl). Should I just consider a blown head gasket a forgone conclusion and spring for the metal one?

is this the same supra you've been talking about ?

you don't need to worry about a blown head gasket if it's the same supra .
i tell ya it's blown period
i'd be willing to bet money on it
i'd also be willing to bet that on tuesday whom ever will decide it's not a blown head gasket based on compression only tests and you will fork over the cash with confidence .
my third and final bet is that : within 2 weeks you are crying the BHG blues in a big way (assuming you actually drive it during this time)
i see by your recent post that you are still in denial

p.s. thinking a little blown hg is going to be fixed by torquing the head bolts is a waste of time .

question : do you remember where the steam was coming from ? i know where the water was spitting out from but how about the steam same place or a spitting here steaming there ?

sorry to be the messenger of bad news , but you came here for advise from people who have been there .
i've been there so much i've got the BHG T shirt

Actually, it's a differnt Supra. The BHG car was an 87 and after yalls advice, I've decided not to buy it less he sells it for $500. I found an 86.5 that had some White Smoke at startup, so I'm havin her thoroughly tested. The price is great because she needs some body work and a new paint job. If the HG checkso out fine, I'll buy her and re torque the heads as preventitive maintence.

Will this re-torque help? Or am I destined to have a BHG?

ok my bust . enjoy !

metal is really for adding loads of boost an N/A should be fine with a stock gasket and assuming there are zero signs of the bhg you hopefully will never have the problem .

No sweat. My origional reply came off kinda shitty, so I rephrased it (the beauty of internet chat!). I know you're only tryin ta help, and I really appreciate it. You guys and gals have been a world of help. :)


UPDATE:

The car dealer sellin the 87 (that we're thinkin is a BHG) claims the car is fine, that it was just the cooling fan. Is that possible?

Also, I got to thinkin...how many BHG's do you (or anyone) suppose were brought on by racing?

Alot would be brought on by racing, but also not doing proper maintenance.

Interesting. Cause readin here makes me think that all MKIII will blow a HG, but according to a mechanic I've been talkin to, it ain't that common. It happens, but not the the extent some will have you believe. He says a simple compression test will let you know very quickly. If it's in good shape, retorqe the bolts, and viola!

LOL

1. mechanics don't know 7m's LOL

2. alot of us have been there done that ;)

you really need to do a compression check, leak down test and block check (uses blue fluid in a bottle which you put in the radiator cap, if it changes to yellow bhg is present)

you do those 3 things... i guess you could be fairly certain it's got no bhg lol

things i suggest...

if those check out fine... start saving for a new gasket and new head bolts.... you WILL need them at some stage ;)

and don't forget when you do the hg clean surfaces, check head for cracks warps etc, clean block... new hg, new bolts, torque to 72ft lbs/92nm

racing will only blow the hg if you detonate... other than that... the gasket can handle ;) if installed correctly that is

Well, guess I gotta disagree w/ya. I had my new ride checked out by a Toyota Master Tech (who owns 2 Supras himself) and he gave it a clean bill of health. He went on to say that the BHG's are primarily modified cars that've gone through many owners and havent been well taken care of. Since this is a one owner car and has been meticously maintained, he said it should be fine. I can see his point...I've read post on other forums where people have bad turbos, or even bad trannys, all kinds of crap and are still driving, STILL RACING their cars. They deserve whatever they get.

Still not satisfied, though, I bought an aftermarket extended powertrain warranty for it. 5 yrs, 100k additional miles for $1000 (the price to fix one BHG).

Either way, I should be fine.

Go with a metal head gasket, even the NA motor has issues with the head gasket. Greddy seems to make the best. Also dont reuse the stock head bolts, they strech after being tighted to specs. ARP would be the best choose but new stock bolts will work fine for the NA.