This might be helpful to some others. Ill start out by saying im a mechanic that specializes in toyotas and hondas. Anyways, as i was going over my 1999 Es300 before I did my valve cover gaskets (the niagara falls of oil leaks) i noticed i was really low on coolant even though i just topped it off. I could not find a leak anywhere and my car runs fine and never gets hot. Heres the helpful part- i took a snake camera and inspected the external part of the head gasket by looking into the little "valley" thats behind the timing belt cover and directly underneath the front most part of the intake. As soon as i wiggled the camera down there, i saw that this whole area was filled with coolant that was pouring out of the external side of the head gasket. Looks like im gonna be holding off on the valve cover gaskets and kill two birds with one stone one of these weekends. Now, this car has 195,000 miles on it and if it wasnt in near perfect shape, and i wasnt a mechanic, this car would probably be scrapped instead. Wish me luck!

If you cant find a loss of coolant, look there first. I can post pictures if needed.

 

hope stuff go well for ur es head gasket. i have a 96 and its 144k. this summer im going to change my waterpump, thermostat, timing belt and valve gaskets...
would be nice if u took pics of valley where your camera went through.

 

DanES300,
Please do post the photo, you might want to post on the how to with photos when you starting to do the work on your ES300. Thx.

 

Did none of that coolant end up on the ground? Can you think of a reason why the head gasket would fail in such a manner? Without any further details, Something may not be right with your diagnosis.


Phil

 

Are you sure it's the head gasket and not the rubber coolant hose that runs through that valley? Either way, you'll find out while working on your valve covers.

 

I am 100% sure on my diagnosis. We've run into this a few times. It will "slosh" out and run out as you drive. Not really as much drip on the ground when it sits. There is dried coolant right along the seam where the gasket is. After 195,000 stuff just goes wrong. Theres not really any certain reason for it. 13 years of rough driving and lots of long road trips.

 

Change your coolant regularly, use the correct specified coolant for your vehicle, drive it responsibly, and damn sure as heck don't ever let it overheat and you should never have a HG fail you, unless the motor is just notorious for HG failures, which I don't believe (AFAIK) the 3.0 is. The ES300 is technically my first Toyota, I've driven Hondas for the last 13 years and have never had a head gasket go bad. The 98-02 Accords with the F23s are sometimes prone to failure, but I still say that proper maintenance can avoid any problems. I am certainly hoping my ES goes much beyond 200k without extensive motor work. Long road trips are especially beneficial to the longevity of the motor.

 

Very true. We've done about 3 hg on these es300's. thats out of the dozens we work on at our shop. It just happens sometimes. Parts fail. People arent perfect and the cars we make sure as h"@& arent either. That being said, im guilty of not exactly maintaining my car the best mechanically wise. Its ALWAYS clean and i fix any rattle or thump in the suspension. The only other thing i do is change my oil. I honestly just dont feel like it. Take today for example, i work on 3 es300's. a 1996 and two 2000's. after all that, the LAST thing i feel like doing is working on my own. So it gets the bare minimum

 

Do post the pics and a write-up if you have time... because like you said, crap happens (especially now that these cars are getting up in years, people buy them used with a questionable previous history, yada yada) and a good picture/write-up thread is always very beneficial to fellow club members. Best of luck with your project...

 

I would like to see a few pictures of the damage, as well. Very interested, with 196k on the clock.

 

Thanks! It will probably be a few weeks before i get around to it as im in the middle of moving.

 

I will get pictures as soon as i can. At first i considered about not even bothering with the job and selling the car. Then i thought, why? I means its all paid off and nothing else is wrong with it, im gonna try for 300,000 next.

 

I also would love to see the pics. I am about to head ou tto the garage and tear my 96 es300 down. Timing belt, wp, maybe vc & short coolant hose in the valley to.

 

To confirm your diagnosis, it may be worth while to put some UV dye in your coolant, you will than be in a position to positively identify the source of your leak.

Honestly, I find it hard to believe that a head gasket would go on these cars, especially if it has never overheated. They are not known for that.

Phillip

 

It sounds like the guy might know what he is doing, pro mechanic specialist in Toyotas...things do happen not every problem is a "common" one