[dragon16]

So I'm really hoping someone here can help me out. I just picked up an '85 MKII for $100 from the original owner and it's supposed to have a blown head gasket. I don't know that he ever even had a mechanic look at it and I'm also unsure of how much he knows about it himself. I brought the car home and started it up. It ran fine after a little coughing and sputtering obviously resulting from the fact that it hadn't been driven or even started since about October. All that aside, I let it run up to operating temp and then cool off, and back up again. There is obviously an oil leak in the engine compartment somewhere because there is oil smoke coming from under the hood. Aside from that, I can detect no oil smell in the exhaust and no obvious antifreeze odor either. There is a slight white-ish vapor of some type coming from the exhaust, but it's very light and I can't even tell if it's anything abnormal or not. Is there a good way that I can confirm a blown or leaky head gasket? Would a compression test do it? I'm open to suggestions. Thanks much!

 

[CRF_Rider]

A quick look at the spark plugs should tell you. Usually a BHG will go between the water jacket and the combustion chamber. The plug should look white.

A compression test is also a good idea.

 

[supra_toy]

$100?!?!

gezz where am I when these car apppear :x

will

 

[Racefiend]

Check oil for white milk (water). Thats a definite indicator. Also oil in the coolant too. Also you can buy a kit that tests the coolant for exhaust gases, but I can't remember what it's called off hand.

Christian

 

[Deanfun]

for $100 bucks, pull the head and find out for sure... it's not like you've invested a lot to begin with.

nice find!

 

[MK2Racer]

Hehehe. Sounds like my deal, kinda. $40. Doesnt run or move. New clutch+plug wires = running 82 supra!

 

[Deanfun]

Hehehe. Sounds like my deal, kinda. $40. Doesnt run or move. New clutch+plug wires = running 82 supra!

holy shit... tell me it's a rust bucket or something!

 

[3000cc MK2]

But still it is a good deal... I bought mine for 700... and the car is burning oil

 

[zank]

So I'm really hoping someone here can help me out. I just picked up an '85 MKII for $100 from the original owner and it's supposed to have a blown head gasket. I don't know that he ever even had a mechanic look at it and I'm also unsure of how much he knows about it himself. I brought the car home and started it up. It ran fine after a little coughing and sputtering obviously resulting from the fact that it hadn't been driven or even started since about October. All that aside, I let it run up to operating temp and then cool off, and back up again. There is obviously an oil leak in the engine compartment somewhere because there is oil smoke coming from under the hood. Aside from that, I can detect no oil smell in the exhaust and no obvious antifreeze odor either. There is a slight white-ish vapor of some type coming from the exhaust, but it's very light and I can't even tell if it's anything abnormal or not. Is there a good way that I can confirm a blown or leaky head gasket? Would a compression test do it? I'm open to suggestions. Thanks much!

that white vapor comming from your exhaust is probably antifreeze. Do a compression check, check the oil is it is grey, or if the spark plugs are white. I would take the head to a good machine shop to get it checked for cracks and warpage. :wink: HTH

Laterz, zankone

BTW, $100 is a hell of a deal for a mk2.

 

[dragon16]

Thanks for all the input guys. I'm not exactly a master mechanic, but I do most of my own work, so I'll be tackling this one myself. Here's a little further info in case it makes a difference. I checked the oil, and it looks pretty much brand new. I've seen oil with antifreeze in it before and it definitely does not look like that. I'll pull the plugs this weekend and check it out. I'll probably run a compression test at the same time. Can anyone expand on the test kit Racefiend was refering to? That sounds like a good idea. Also, I've noticed that most of the people here suggest a Toyota OEM gasket. Will they really out-perform an aftermarket one such as Felpro or the like?

I think I've located the oil leak under the hood. It seems to be coming from the seal directly above the exhaust manifold. I'm a little unfamiliar with DOHC motors, so I'm not sure what to call it. Cam Carrier? Any thoughts?

As for the deal I got, I'm pretty happy with it. Getting the car for a price like that frees up alot more cash for repairs/upgrades.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[CRF_Rider]

The cam carriers on these cars are notorious for leaking so this doesnt surprise me. I put a thin bead of RTV on each side of the metal gasket when I put them back on. Hopefully this solves the problem.

I blew a felpro head gasket in 20K miles but I honestly can not say it was a problem with the head gasket. Unless you go with a metal head gasket (which will require you to have a machine shop put a mirror finish on the head and block) I would go with OEM. You get what you pay for.

 

[Racefiend]

Did a little looking. It's called a Block Tester. I believe NAPA sells em for ~40

Christian

 

[jbrody44]

Yeah Block tester is right. You put it over your radiator where the cap would be with the engine running and if exhaust gasses are coming out of the coolant the tester changes color. Exhaust gasses in the coolant=BHG.

 

[dragon16]

Sweet! Thanks guys. Didn't get the opportunity to pull the plugs last night, so I guess it'll have to wait. I'm going to look into one of those block testers. Might be a big help.

 

[dohc82]

Did a little looking. It's called a Block Tester. I believe NAPA sells em for ~40

Christian

Are they a one shot deal or are they reuseable?

-Wil

 

[Racefiend]

Not sure. Havent seen one since high school auto shop. It uses liquid that changes color if it sees exhaust gas in the coolant. I can't remember if you can change the fluid or it's sealed, but I would imagine you can change the fluid in it.

Christian

 

[jbrody44]

Yeah they are reusable. It comes with a bottle of blue fluid that turns yellow (I think) if exhaust gasses are present.

 

[dragon16]

Alright guys, here's one for ya: Last night I finally got the opportunity to pull my plugs and run the compression test. Upon examination of the plugs, all were normal (though old) looking except for the #6 cylinder. It had a slight white look to it - obviously from burning antifreeze. When I did the compression test, with 4 revolutions on each cylinder I came up with numbers between 146 and 153 on ALL of them. #6 was not the lowest one. It was somewhere in the middle of the range. Testing with 7 revs, results were the same, only higher (high 160's low 170s) - all within a very close range. So how does this look? The compression looks good, but I'm still obviously getting coolant into #6 somehow. Any thoughts on this? Next step? I don't want to rip it apart if I don't have to because the only place I have to work is my front yard - and that, needless to say, is a little less than ideal. :?

 

[jbrody44]

Are you able to drive the car? If so, are you consuming coolant or running hot? If not maybe you do not have a BHG, why did the original owner think BHG in the first place?

 

[Guest]

blown hdg

Another way to check if its a blwn hdg is take the radiator cap off, let the engine idle until the thermostat opens up. If you have exhuast gases you will see bubbles in the coolant. Mine was a leak between 5&6 on the MKI ands #2 on the MKII
Dick B.