Just had my head gasket replaced (head gasket, valve cover gasket, intake manifold gasket, intake manifold/EGR port cleaning, head studs/washers, cylinder head machine work) about 8,000 miles or three months ago and it just failed. Failed hard it would seem. Hard start Friday Morning. Maybe similar Saturday morning. Didn't really notice much. Maybe I thought it ran a little rough going to work (100 miles round trip, 55 mph all the way). Sunday, hard start to church, then same after church. Sunday (200 miles into the issue), I think I smell coolant while driving and sure enough! The coolant is lower than it has ever been actually (even lower than when I was looking to fix it the first time.). The shop is going to redo it- but they are 100 miles away. Not intended to be a dumb question. What is the danger of driving this 100 miles? I have a scan guage, and can watch the temperature and coolant level. I'm just thinking this through- the real issue is when the gasket goes the cylinder(s) could fluid with coolant and that's a whole other issue isn't it? I suppose I can tow it. What a mess. On a related note- take a look at this photo. This appears to have a black piece of the gasket shown and then the grey I guess is the gasket sealer. Is this unusual to have them visible like this?
They should be resposible for towing, since their work failed. 8000 miles is pretty far. But it certainly should last a lot longer than that. Did it over heat because the water pump failed? Or perhaps they didn't get the air out and it finally just overheated and blew the gasket. Hopefully it didn't warp the head. Or they will be paying for that also. I would think it's risky to drive it in that condition. You risk more damage. Hard to tell where that picture is.
For perspective, here is a larger picture . The area circled was 2 inches up from dipstick . iPhone ?
I doubt the sealant glob is the problem. I've seen repaired hgs fail due to poorly torqued head bolts or warped heads. Unfortunately, the head gasket problems on these cars start slow and infrequent. You could have had an extremely small leak from the day they brought it back to you. The first cold start metal to metal rattle that clears quickly should be the last before repair. No egr cleanings, no plugs, coils or injectors and certainly no sealants. Yes, before coolant loss is obvious. Your shop needs to carefully inspect the head and block surfaces for warping, and verify the pistons all have proper stroke to rule out a bent rod. These steps are essential. You should get a brand new warranty after the work is done. Hopefully one year or longer. Given the potential severity of the symptoms today, I would not drive it another foot. This video graphically illustrates why: Honestly the best solution is a rebuilt engine for $3k plus freight and labor.
Okay, much better, thanks. That is where the timing cover attaches to the head and cam shaft assembly, there is supposed to be extra permatex there. Since the had was machined, and egr system cleaned, it shouldn't be that. Unless.... I didn't notice if he cleaned the egr COOLER. If he didn't, and that is clogged, it will create back pressure and blow the head gasket.
Your posted picture is at the junction between head, valve cover, and timing chain cover. There's supposed to be a gasket under the valve cover, and a dab of sealant at the junction between timing chain cover and head. Attached Repair Manual excerpt has info. Here's pics of ours, never been off: Yours looks fine: you can just see that little triangular protrusion of the valve cover gasket, and there's sealant applied as well: per @ASRDogman, maybe a half-baked job of EGR cleaning? It's a gamble entrusting that to "professionals", it's time consuming, takes attention to detail. They might have missed the EGR channels in the intake manifold, or just given up on a clogged EGR cooler. Hard to say when you don't DIY.
We oughta give you an award for how clean your engine is @Mendel Leisk Sure hope whoever did this head gasket in a bad way is gonna make this right for you in a good way...
And another that has just been replaced, ignore the muck it's been particularly sandy and dusty lately around here. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Update on this issue: shop did the work for free, gave me a loaner for a week. Said there was a defect in the gasket that caused leak into cylinder 1. After setting for nearly 7 days I took the chance to drive it and it never really gave me any trouble that was noticeable. Used 2-3 ounces of coolant on a 100 mile drive. iPhone ?
Maybe a defect in the way it was installed. Guess they didn't use a Toyota gasket??? At least they are going to fix it for you. Hopefully, they will do it correctly this time.
It’s already done. I believe the shop uses all Toyota parts. I only say that because they showed me that first time I dropped my car off. I do wonder the same thing you are suggesting. But it is fixed now, so we will just move forward with that. iPhone ?
