Blown head gasket ??
03-05-17, 02:53 PM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Blown head gasket ??
What's up!
First time posting. So thankful for this website! I Recently bought a with 138k miles, and now it started overheating. I did check the oil and it seemed fine. So I didn't think it was a blown HG. I replaced the coolant reservoir tank because the one it had was just busted and trash, maybe the original one it came with which scares me because maybe a lot of other parts on the car are original and will need to be serviced/replaced. Anyways, I was hoping that would fix the issue, however it is still overheating. So what I'm reading now is maybe could be the t-stat or water pump etc... However I checked the oil again and now it is a creamy/coffee type color,, is that an automatic blown head gasket?
First time posting. So thankful for this website! I Recently bought a with 138k miles, and now it started overheating. I did check the oil and it seemed fine. So I didn't think it was a blown HG. I replaced the coolant reservoir tank because the one it had was just busted and trash, maybe the original one it came with which scares me because maybe a lot of other parts on the car are original and will need to be serviced/replaced. Anyways, I was hoping that would fix the issue, however it is still overheating. So what I'm reading now is maybe could be the t-stat or water pump etc... However I checked the oil again and now it is a creamy/coffee type color,, is that an automatic blown head gasket?
03-05-17, 03:24 PM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
Welcome to CL.
We have specific sub-forums for both General Maintenance and for model-specific questions like your second-generation ES. In general, though, if and when you start to get enough coolant into the oil system to turn the oil a tan or coffee-color, that is a strong (not necessarily 100%) indicator of a failed head gasket. V6 engines, of course, have two gaskets (one for each cylinder bank)...so it could be either the front or rear one. The rear one, if the culprit, will be more labor-intensive and expensive to replace because of the ES's tranverse engine layout....the front one is much easier to get at.
The 3.0L V6 (up to the early 2000s), because of the design of its oil-passages, also has a noted tendency to develop sludge and gel if oil changes were neglected (as a number of owners did).....it's usually OK if the changes are done by the book.
I don't want to sound excessively negative here, but repairs for this car, because of its 23-year-age, might cost more than it actually is worth....especially if a lot of labor and effort is needed for the rear gasket. I did a quick KBB check on your car and, especially with repairs needed, it won't be worth more than about $1000-2000 in that condition....if that. You might want to consider getting something newer. With tax season coming up, you can at least get a tax donation donating it....though you'll have to claim it on next year's taxes, not this year's.
On the other hand, if you DO keep it and get it repaired, in only two more years, it will, in many states, be considered an antique car, and might (?) qualify for registration-discounts or free license plates.
Good Luck.
We have specific sub-forums for both General Maintenance and for model-specific questions like your second-generation ES. In general, though, if and when you start to get enough coolant into the oil system to turn the oil a tan or coffee-color, that is a strong (not necessarily 100%) indicator of a failed head gasket. V6 engines, of course, have two gaskets (one for each cylinder bank)...so it could be either the front or rear one. The rear one, if the culprit, will be more labor-intensive and expensive to replace because of the ES's tranverse engine layout....the front one is much easier to get at.
The 3.0L V6 (up to the early 2000s), because of the design of its oil-passages, also has a noted tendency to develop sludge and gel if oil changes were neglected (as a number of owners did).....it's usually OK if the changes are done by the book.
I don't want to sound excessively negative here, but repairs for this car, because of its 23-year-age, might cost more than it actually is worth....especially if a lot of labor and effort is needed for the rear gasket. I did a quick KBB check on your car and, especially with repairs needed, it won't be worth more than about $1000-2000 in that condition....if that. You might want to consider getting something newer. With tax season coming up, you can at least get a tax donation donating it....though you'll have to claim it on next year's taxes, not this year's.
On the other hand, if you DO keep it and get it repaired, in only two more years, it will, in many states, be considered an antique car, and might (?) qualify for registration-discounts or free license plates.
Good Luck.
Last edited by mmarshall; 03-05-17 at 03:56 PM.
03-05-17, 03:48 PM
#3
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Hey mmarshall appreciate the feed back. Very informative. Honestly I do want to keep it and hopefully repair it if everything works out. I am short on funds right now so I am trying to handle it as much as I can before going to a auto shop. So I guess my next step would be to figure out if the leak is coming from the front or back gasket?
Thank you
Thank you
03-05-17, 03:59 PM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
Hope it helps.
That part's beyond my expertise. Sorry, I can't give you more instruction on that one.
I also have to apologize for several mis-spelled words. (I went back and corrected them). My typing is getting sloppy.
So I guess my next step would be to figure out if the leak is coming from the front or back gasket?
I also have to apologize for several mis-spelled words. (I went back and corrected them). My typing is getting sloppy.
The following users liked this post:
Steven90 (03-05-17)
03-05-17, 09:51 PM
#5
Lead Lap
yep, that's a blown head gasket, or a cracked head, or a cracked block.
if you catch it quickly, it's worth repairing, if you do the work yourself (cos the cars not worth much). But, if it's run for too long like that it damaged alot of shortblock parts, mostly bearings, crank surface, etc. If you do 500-1000kms, like that you ruin the block even if you do fix the head gasket issue later on.
you basically need a replacement engine.
if you catch it quickly, it's worth repairing, if you do the work yourself (cos the cars not worth much). But, if it's run for too long like that it damaged alot of shortblock parts, mostly bearings, crank surface, etc. If you do 500-1000kms, like that you ruin the block even if you do fix the head gasket issue later on.
you basically need a replacement engine.
03-06-17, 06:40 AM
#6
Dysfunctional Veteran
ok, so here is the long and the short of it.
Basically there are 2 ways to confirm the diagnosis.
The first is with a compression test. This will allow you a non-visual confirmation only, that you are losing compression in one or more cylinders, and allow you to know which head to pull, if in fact you need to pull either of them (and from the sounds of it, you will need to pull one if not both). It isn't difficult to fix a BHG but if you don't take your time, and do it methodically and slowly, then you WILL mess something up. Because the 1MZ is an interference engine, if your timing is off and you go to start the car, you could damage the engine, so make sure the timing is perfect when you go to put it back together after the fix.
As far as doing the actually compression test, youtube is your friend. Basically it involves pulling the spark plugs and inserting a compression gauge, then turning the engine over and seeing how much pressure the cylinder generates on the compression stroke.
The second way to confirm is not as reliable for diagnosis purposes but us virtually guaranteed to fix the issue, and that is simply visually. That is, tear the entire thing apart, replace both head gaskets, and rebuild both heads (which includes getting them milled to make sure they are perfectly flat, and getting a $50 rebuild kit off amazon, ebay, rock-auto, etc), and then putting it all back together. Doing it this way leaves nothing to chance, and can almost certainly guarantee you fix whatever is wrong, as long as its in the top end of the engine, and not in the block itself. Personally, as long as you can do the work yourself, this is the route I would take. Due to the age of the car, and the mileage, it is likely that many of the parts within the top end are quite worn anyway. Replacing them will prolong the life of the engine, give you some performance and fuel economy back, and stop any leak-down/blow-by that was happening past the valve-seals. It will only cost you a couple hundred bucks in parts and the most expensive part of it will be getting the heads milled.
With all that said, it MAY NOT BE a Blown Head Gasket. It could be a cracked block (worst case scenario, but still doesn't kill the car in my book because used engines can be had for $800 or so and thats still cheaper than a new car!), or a cracked head, or something small. But, your most likely culprit, especially if it overheated, is that BHG, so I would start with a compression test to confirm, and then rebuild from the head gasket up on BOTH HEADS. Also, while you are in there, might as well replace the timing belt, water pump, TB Tensioner, TB idler pulley, Camshaft seals, and the thermostat.
Basically there are 2 ways to confirm the diagnosis.
The first is with a compression test. This will allow you a non-visual confirmation only, that you are losing compression in one or more cylinders, and allow you to know which head to pull, if in fact you need to pull either of them (and from the sounds of it, you will need to pull one if not both). It isn't difficult to fix a BHG but if you don't take your time, and do it methodically and slowly, then you WILL mess something up. Because the 1MZ is an interference engine, if your timing is off and you go to start the car, you could damage the engine, so make sure the timing is perfect when you go to put it back together after the fix.
As far as doing the actually compression test, youtube is your friend. Basically it involves pulling the spark plugs and inserting a compression gauge, then turning the engine over and seeing how much pressure the cylinder generates on the compression stroke.
The second way to confirm is not as reliable for diagnosis purposes but us virtually guaranteed to fix the issue, and that is simply visually. That is, tear the entire thing apart, replace both head gaskets, and rebuild both heads (which includes getting them milled to make sure they are perfectly flat, and getting a $50 rebuild kit off amazon, ebay, rock-auto, etc), and then putting it all back together. Doing it this way leaves nothing to chance, and can almost certainly guarantee you fix whatever is wrong, as long as its in the top end of the engine, and not in the block itself. Personally, as long as you can do the work yourself, this is the route I would take. Due to the age of the car, and the mileage, it is likely that many of the parts within the top end are quite worn anyway. Replacing them will prolong the life of the engine, give you some performance and fuel economy back, and stop any leak-down/blow-by that was happening past the valve-seals. It will only cost you a couple hundred bucks in parts and the most expensive part of it will be getting the heads milled.
With all that said, it MAY NOT BE a Blown Head Gasket. It could be a cracked block (worst case scenario, but still doesn't kill the car in my book because used engines can be had for $800 or so and thats still cheaper than a new car!), or a cracked head, or something small. But, your most likely culprit, especially if it overheated, is that BHG, so I would start with a compression test to confirm, and then rebuild from the head gasket up on BOTH HEADS. Also, while you are in there, might as well replace the timing belt, water pump, TB Tensioner, TB idler pulley, Camshaft seals, and the thermostat.
Last edited by ArmyofOne; 03-06-17 at 06:51 AM.
03-06-17, 11:06 AM
#7
How quickly does the engine heat up? Checking the cooling system for combustion is a quick/easy test either with test strips or by having a shop with a smog tester sniff the cooling system for signs of combustion.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
texcorndog
ES - 1st to 4th Gen (1990-2006)
4
12-29-11 06:25 AM
