hey all,

im looking at an '87 supra

the headgasket is supposedly blown, but im curious as to know if the head may b the problem...can
some1 plz tell me if the head is metal or plastic, and im wondering if a metal head will warp over time

thanks for the help

Aluminum head material and cast steel block. The headgasket is a major issue on these cars.

Thanks
Ryan
www.offroadtoyz.vom
www.alarm4you.com

alloy head... if overheated severly yes they will warp.. just like any other engine

reason the hg is an issue is due to incorrect torque specs on the head bolts from the factory

get a new stock toyota head gasket, get the head machined, new head bolts (or recommended - ARP bolts or studs) torque to 72ft lbs and you are good to go :)

Sorry to prove your theory possibly incorrect. I had the gasket replaced 32,000 miles ago with another Toyota gasket torqued to 72 lbs. Just found out yesterday that it has developed another very slow external leak. I think the ONLY cure is a steel gasket from HKS or the likes. This will be my 3rd gast in 75,000 miles.

well it's not "my" theory.... it has been proven over and over... i would think that there is another problem involved in your engine Frank.... why do you think it's developed a leak?

was the block cleaned, head cleaned and checked for cracks and leakage, did you retorque the head after 1000kms, did you buy new head bolts or get arps?

the head bolts are known to loosen off a bit with the expansion and retraction of heat

another alternative cure is.. yes the hks mhg with arp head studs

hope you get your car sorted

Sorry, I never meant to suggest that you came up with the theory, I guess I should have said "the" theory. I had the car in at a Toyota dealership last week for fluid changes and the same mechanic that does all of my service noticed that coolant was "seeping" from the right rear head gasket area. He cleaned it off and I drove the car for a day. I re checked it and noticed a very small amount of dried coolant in the same spot. I cleaned it again and will keep an eye out for the next few days.
All the work was done by the same mechanic at the dealership and then he retorgued the head to 72 lbs approx 3,000kms later at his home.

Do you think that Toyota will cover this under goodwill again? Probably not but I'm going try anyway. I don't think that it is reasonable to replace a head gasket every 60,000 km. I will keep you posted.

hmmm... done by a toyota dealer... you sure it got torqued to 72 lol
if it was me i would get a torque wrench on there and put to say 62ft lbs and see if it is torqued to that... i'm guessing the 58ft lb rule applies here lol

i find that soooooooo strange that it's leaking fluid, i would suspect you have a warped head, you didn't mention if the head was crack tested or checked it for warpage

another few things you can check is.... the union bolt at the center of the back of the head, make sure the washer is not leaking, check the rubber hoses connected to this also
check the main water pipe which goes round the entire engine also.. the rubber capped end of the water pipe, make sure it doesn't have a split in it or small pinhole

and if toyota did your head gasket and it failed... i'd be kickin their ass and makin em do it again.. make sure you get receipts from them that say they have checked your head over, checked the block/cleaned it also, new hg, and torqued to 72ft lbs

good luck with the car and make sure they don't send you on a merry go round ;)

When the dealer originally replaced the gasket it was torqued to factory specs but then re torqued to 72 or 74lbs 3,000 kms later. Yes, the head was supposedly checked for cracks and warpage. The head was sent out for plaining and then re installed. However this was 6yrs and 60,000kms ago. I don't think the dealer will warranty this. But I will pursue Toyota for installing a known defective part.

oh wow... hehe you don't do a lot of mileage

if it was that long ago i doubt that they will cover it....

i reckon they missed something somehow... that should not have happened

well toyota never accepted the hg problem as a known issue, they have denied it since it was discovered so i doubt you will get recourse there

i say this time, do it yourself... stock gasket is fine... but if you do want to do the mhg route don't forget to get the head and block prepped for it as the finshes need to be mirror finish

i've done alot of 7mgte head gaskets and i know most of them personally and they're still running strong, never mind the thing breaking around it lol... like one was his tranny, another was his flexplate, starter motor, all sorts of random stuff haha
but yea... done to the exact same specs i noted before and they're still going strong

i would suggest doing a leakdown test and this will definitely tell you if your hg is leaking from cyl to water

gl :)

or maybe yuo need a new technician :D , you need supra girl to work on your car.