Head Gasket

[minske15]

Hey, so I just bought a 91 Celica GT about a month ago. Just found out that my head gasket is leaking oil :cry: Sucks big time. I thought it was oil pan but its leaking down fromt he back of my engine onto my timing belt and exhaust (oil goes full to empty in 4weeks). Good news my enginge doesn't go apparently if the belt snaps. Trying to figure out what I should do.

I bought the car for $2450 from a guy on redliners, has 260k on it. I went to AMR in bells corners, estimated a $1000 job (700 labour (@ 74 per hr/ 300 for parts seals+ head gasket). Not only that but I have to get my rear bearing down + front brakes at some point (squeaking).

Now I'm not sure what to do. I could jsut get the work done and hope for the best. Cut my losses. Just keep toping up the oil. Go look at other shops, but the ones ive called around and theyve givin me the same if not more. Any help would be awesome boys, thanks.

Specs: Celica 91 Gt
2.2L 4 cylindre non turbo
260k

I can post picutres but not sure how to uplaod them...

[Tweaked]

You sure it's not your valve cover gasket? :?

[DVS Talon]

I changed one on a friend's car once. Wasn't too hard to do just took me a while and I needed to borrow tools from PartSource.

Total cost was about $300 and that included machining the head.

[LexISpooled]

No better time to do a swap than when a repair costs just as much.

Not necessarily turbo, but a nice JDM motor for that car can be had for under a grand.

I'm not to snuff on the Toyota motors, but what a bout the silver top 20V motor?

[DVS Talon]

and ya....are you sure it's the HG? Are you overheating or smoking at all? How does the car run?

[91CelicaGTS]

It may be the Valve cover gasket, and the shop may try to take advantage of you.

[srswarts3]

i am almost positive it is the valve cover gasket, this is common on that vintage of 4cyl toyota.

[Twin_Turbo_ZX]

if your head gasket were blown wouldn;t you be overheating or losing coolant?

pressure test that baby.

[minske15]

hey

no its not smoking. Im still driving it. You can smell burning oil. Drips nicely when parked (a stain of a size of a CD about overnight). Even tho my radiator is full of rust i still stay under half or always between the hot and cold gauge. Is there any way to tell if its the head gasket valve without a shop?

[Tweaked]

hey

no its not smoking. Im still driving it. You can smell burning oil. Drips nicely when parked (a stain of a size of a CD about overnight). Even tho my radiator is full of rust i still stay under half or always between the hot and cold gauge. Is there any way to tell if its the head gasket valve without a shop?

Pull the oil dipstick, do you have coolant mixed in with it? If you can't tell do an oil change, you'll see it plain as day if there's coolant in there. Usually when you blow a headgasket you'll loose coolant and white smoke will come out the exhaust. You can also pressure test the coolant system.

[minske15]

hey, no the oil is normal and no smoke...thats the good news.

[Jdc]

260K? That Toyota engine's just broken in!

[minske15]

haha yeh...the engine seems healthy, so I wonder if its just the valve cover.

[DVS Talon]

haha yeh...the engine seems healthy, so I wonder if its just the valve cover.

Well take it off and check out the gasket!!

I agree with the other guys - it is likely the valve cover gasket, which is less costly by far to replace, both in time and money. Head gaskets will often tend to leak either coolant or oil into a cylinder, or vent cylinder pressures to atmosphere. If oil is just running down the side of the block, but otherwise the car is running normally, it is likely the valve cover gasket.

[blackfoot]

some of you guys fail to realize, that just because your engine is not over heating or your burning coolant/oil doesnt mean your head gasket isnt at fault.. you can have a break in the gasket from the oil galerie to the outter block, and that would have no signs other then loss of oil (could do the same for coolant

[evil haze]

Listen closely my friend. I bought a 1990 Celica GT last year, and i also had an oil leak, I also thought it was coming from the oil pan, so i resealed it and that did nothing, It's probably not the head or the valve cover either, those 2 are pretty solid on the 5SFE 2.2L. After many teardowns and reassemblies we finally pinpointed the leak...ready for it... cracked oil pump. i got pics for you too. Now it is not easy to replace, you can buy a new one off ebay for 100 bucks, but you will have to use a hoist and remove 2 motor mounts, the exhaust from the cat, and the crank pulley and the oil pan, and the timing belt. but the good news it can be done. heres the pictures of me fix, let me know if you want more details.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a372/EvilHaze/Pic005.jpg
Thats what the oil pump looks like.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a372/EvilHaze/Pic004.jpg
Thats where it goes on the front of the engine,

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a372/EvilHaze/Pic006.jpg
And theres a better look at the tear down

Needless to say i have alot of experience with the 2.2L now, don't forget to change your timing belt while your in there. and get new seals

[FieroBUZZ]

A compression test can be done to indicate a blown head gasket.

[NoLimits]

Anybody think of giving the engine a nice shampoo, so you can actually see where the oil is leaking? :wink:

[minske15]

I went to the guy, he's pretty sure its a head gasket. He went to pretty much guaranteeing that it will stop leaking.

K so here are my options:

Get the head gasket repaired (1000$ all said and done)

Keep running with the car still leaking

Get a SWAP


I'm also wondering how much time and how hard is it to do head gasket yourself?