CallmeQ

iTrader: (2)

Just recently the harmonic balancer went bad which caused my car to overheat when the water pump stopped spinning. I changed the balancer and the spark plugs because the car had a rough idle. The idle is still rough and the motor is down on power.

Today I checked the oil and saw some milkiness to it which tells me the head gasket blew.

My friend who is a master mechanic of 25 years says its not worth it to change because of high mileage. The motor has a 194k on it and he says there is a strong possibility the head is warped. So if I get the head resurfaced then it will be stronger than the bottom end and the motor won't last much longer afterwards.

Even though he is a master tech he's no Lexus specialist so I'm coming here for a second opinion. Should I fix it? Or is it scrap metal at this point?

joewitafro

I think rebuilding the bottom end to go along with the head resurface would only be an additional 2k or so and make the car like new again...

2GSC300

iTrader: (6)

My .2cents....
Option A...2Js are strong. Unless there was a problem with it before, its fine. Those engines can go over 300k once you maintain it. Most 1st gens are well over 200k at this point. I would worry about the bottom end, unless the crank is damaged from the bad harmonic balancer. Just do a complete head job and go.
Option B......Buy a long block for about $300-$400 (depends on condition and price can go up if shipped)
Option C.....Aristo 2jzgte....nuff said

m1k3yg

double check everything, and if everything looks in operating conditions replace the head gasket. It isn't hard, just a pain in the back. Just my .2 cents though, it also depends on your financial stand point.

CallmeQ

iTrader: (2)

I was sort of thinking the same thing about how strong the motors are. Maybe I could get away with just a gasket job but I'm not sure how much I would trust the motor afterwards.

Financially I can do it and I always wanted to do a GTE swap but I don't have anywhere that I can work on the car. If I had a garage or something I could use then it would be a no-brainer but right now the car is sitting outside and working in the snow is a no go for my back.

AntmanGT

I think its worth the wait myself for the snow to subside. I agree on a GTE swap all the way. Especially if finances arent the issue. That is what normally stops people like me. Once I finish mines I could probably do yours if we werent so far apart.....