blown head gasket?

espguitarist33 · 10-09-2009, 12:39 AM

I'm wondering if I have a blown head gasket. i'm looking in the vlavecover and on the tops of the bolts is white like...paste
also when I look into the crevaces and corners in the head it looks runny...it is 10w30 oil though. It isnt muddy, or anything like that. it just seems too clear to me. It is syrupy to the touch...and it has about 10 miles on the oil

maybe its just oil?

jimmer411 · 10-09-2009, 01:18 AM

Check your coolant level and drain the oil and see. Oil and water dont mix so it will be easy to tell.

espguitarist33 · 10-09-2009, 01:21 AM

crap...all my oil drains are filed...the coolant tends to be just a little below the line..but as the car isnt driving yet I havnt fully burped the coolant, i've been workin on a knocky thunky problem before I sit there and let the car idle and blow itself to bits while i get air out of the heater line...so i suppose the slightly low coolant level could be attributed to that

the oils is runnier the ni was thinking..but its still not like wat and not like oil...cant really tell which it is

the coolant becomes brown at the neck..but the stystem still needs a good flush too....just need to get it into school so i have somewhere to put the flushed coolant

YellowJacket · 10-09-2009, 09:36 AM

I think any Firestone Mastercare will take the coolant off your hands for no charge as part of their environmental initiatives. Call and check..

espguitarist33 · 10-09-2009, 10:33 AM

still need somewhere to put it....i'm sitting on like 5 gallons of oil cuz idk i just never take it to pep boys...all my drain pans are full ...idk i'll figurei t out.

the place i bought it from said the engines are washed pretty well and are stored in areas that get very hot and humid...condensation does make sense

YellowJacket · 10-09-2009, 02:00 PM

espguitarist33 · 10-09-2009, 03:51 PM

yes that is my garage

...my friend just looked and confrimed my su****ion it is only water no coolant..and the car has never run iwthout coolant...its not much water either...i think its just condensation...they did leave the oil in the car so i'm sure that doesnt help either

espguitarist33 · 10-09-2009, 03:51 PM

su****ious

espguitarist33 · 10-09-2009, 03:53 PM

**my thoughts (?)

espguitarist33 · 10-12-2009, 11:52 PM

i'm still a little concerned...the last time i started it up was after my scary seafoam incident. but it didnt smoke like seafoam usually does just a little bit...and then just very thin smoke. simliar to the thin smoke on my first startup. I'm wondering if its carbon or coolant hmm

any surefire quick easy ways to determine?

jimmer411 · 10-13-2009, 01:27 AM

compression test, pressure test on the coolant system, and there are test strips that detect exhaust contaminants in the coolant as well.

Pulling the head is guaranteed to tell you as well

espguitarist33 · 10-13-2009, 01:34 AM

lol avoiding pulling the head...i guess i'll get a cheapo coolant pressure and exhaust in coolant checker at some point tomorrow

espguitarist33 · 10-15-2009, 01:00 PM

still havnt put a tester on it but in starting it to work out a sticky throttle problem, it smoked/steamed alot more. Who knows that this point, its getting cold enough to legitamatly be that cold air smokeyness

toyotaspeed90 · 10-15-2009, 03:31 PM

you might want to pull your valve cover (intake side).....

there should be a good vent to the engine... but 4age's are known for having some sludge build up, and it does build up into the valve covers. Unlike most engines, the 4age doesn't exactly have a PCV valve... instead it has a breater built into the valve cover and essentially an upside down windage tray in the valve cover to keep oil from splashing into the vent tube... it's possible that it's not venting properly and building some condensation..... in any event, what can happen is that the windage tray (or the tube itself) can get clogged and no longer act as a vent

espguitarist33 · 10-15-2009, 10:15 PM

i'm runing a silvertop though...it has a pcv...[forget i typed this part...i dont remember doing it]

espguitarist33 · 10-16-2009, 03:42 PM

the smoke was acutally a hint of blueish today 0.o

espguitarist33 · 10-17-2009, 01:24 AM

if its blown, is there a recomended head gasket to replace it with?

does the silvertop work better with a certain brand gasket? are they interchangable?

coryflying · 10-17-2009, 10:01 AM

I recently replaced my head gasket. The water and oil weren't mixed but I had an overheated problem that showed up on a compression test. If you need to replace it and plan to keep the car go with the $100 gasket. If you use the cheaper one you'll be replacing it again in five years. You get what you pay for I guess.

espguitarist33 · 10-17-2009, 10:51 AM

what did you do about the head bolts?...did you get head studs? i'm considering it but then again...thats 100 bucks just for them

toyotaspeed90 · 10-17-2009, 03:18 PM

is your pcv valve just vented or is it connected to a (good) vacuum source? is the valve good?

10-09-2009, 12:39 AM	#1 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 528 Thanks: 4 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	blown head gasket? I'm wondering if I have a blown head gasket. i'm looking in the vlavecover and on the tops of the bolts is white like...paste also when I look into the crevaces and corners in the head it looks runny...it is 10w30 oil though. It isnt muddy, or anything like that. it just seems too clear to me. It is syrupy to the touch...and it has about 10 miles on the oil maybe its just oil?

10-15-2009, 10:15 PM	#15 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 528 Thanks: 4 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	i'm runing a silvertop though...it has a pcv...[forget i typed this part...i dont remember doing it] Last edited by espguitarist33; 11-09-2009 at 01:40 PM..

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10-09-2009, 01:18 AM	#2 (permalink)
jimmer411 NA > Boost Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Enumclaw, WA Posts: 112 Thanks: 1 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Check your coolant level and drain the oil and see. Oil and water dont mix so it will be easy to tell.

10-09-2009, 01:21 AM	#3 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 528 Thanks: 4 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	crap...all my oil drains are filed...the coolant tends to be just a little below the line..but as the car isnt driving yet I havnt fully burped the coolant, i've been workin on a knocky thunky problem before I sit there and let the car idle and blow itself to bits while i get air out of the heater line...so i suppose the slightly low coolant level could be attributed to that the oils is runnier the ni was thinking..but its still not like wat and not like oil...cant really tell which it is the coolant becomes brown at the neck..but the stystem still needs a good flush too....just need to get it into school so i have somewhere to put the flushed coolant

10-09-2009, 09:36 AM	#4 (permalink)
YellowJacket 1985 16v NA 6-speed Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 415 Thanks: 8 Thanked 31 Times in 24 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	I think any Firestone Mastercare will take the coolant off your hands for no charge as part of their environmental initiatives. Call and check..

10-09-2009, 10:33 AM	#5 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 528 Thanks: 4 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	still need somewhere to put it....i'm sitting on like 5 gallons of oil cuz idk i just never take it to pep boys...all my drain pans are full ...idk i'll figurei t out. the place i bought it from said the engines are washed pretty well and are stored in areas that get very hot and humid...condensation does make sense

10-09-2009, 02:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
YellowJacket 1985 16v NA 6-speed Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 415 Thanks: 8 Thanked 31 Times in 24 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )

10-09-2009, 03:51 PM	#7 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 528 Thanks: 4 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	yes that is my garage ...my friend just looked and confrimed my su****ion it is only water no coolant..and the car has never run iwthout coolant...its not much water either...i think its just condensation...they did leave the oil in the car so i'm sure that doesnt help either

10-09-2009, 03:51 PM	#8 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 528 Thanks: 4 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	su****ious

10-09-2009, 03:53 PM	#9 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 528 Thanks: 4 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	**my thoughts (?)

10-12-2009, 11:52 PM	#10 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 528 Thanks: 4 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	i'm still a little concerned...the last time i started it up was after my scary seafoam incident. but it didnt smoke like seafoam usually does just a little bit...and then just very thin smoke. simliar to the thin smoke on my first startup. I'm wondering if its carbon or coolant hmm any surefire quick easy ways to determine?

10-13-2009, 01:27 AM	#11 (permalink)
jimmer411 NA > Boost Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Enumclaw, WA Posts: 112 Thanks: 1 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	compression test, pressure test on the coolant system, and there are test strips that detect exhaust contaminants in the coolant as well. Pulling the head is guaranteed to tell you as well

10-13-2009, 01:34 AM	#12 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 528 Thanks: 4 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	lol avoiding pulling the head...i guess i'll get a cheapo coolant pressure and exhaust in coolant checker at some point tomorrow

10-15-2009, 01:00 PM	#13 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 528 Thanks: 4 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	still havnt put a tester on it but in starting it to work out a sticky throttle problem, it smoked/steamed alot more. Who knows that this point, its getting cold enough to legitamatly be that cold air smokeyness

10-15-2009, 03:31 PM	#14 (permalink)
toyotaspeed90 No Skills Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bellingham, WA Posts: 2,407 Thanks: 0 Thanked 149 Times in 144 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	you might want to pull your valve cover (intake side)..... there should be a good vent to the engine... but 4age's are known for having some sludge build up, and it does build up into the valve covers. Unlike most engines, the 4age doesn't exactly have a PCV valve... instead it has a breater built into the valve cover and essentially an upside down windage tray in the valve cover to keep oil from splashing into the vent tube... it's possible that it's not venting properly and building some condensation..... in any event, what can happen is that the windage tray (or the tube itself) can get clogged and no longer act as a vent

10-16-2009, 03:42 PM	#16 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 528 Thanks: 4 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	the smoke was acutally a hint of blueish today 0.o

10-17-2009, 01:24 AM	#17 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 528 Thanks: 4 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	if its blown, is there a recomended head gasket to replace it with? does the silvertop work better with a certain brand gasket? are they interchangable?

10-17-2009, 10:01 AM	#18 (permalink)
coryflying limited skills Join Date: May 2009 Location: Pa. Posts: 27 Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	I recently replaced my head gasket. The water and oil weren't mixed but I had an overheated problem that showed up on a compression test. If you need to replace it and plan to keep the car go with the $100 gasket. If you use the cheaper one you'll be replacing it again in five years. You get what you pay for I guess.

10-17-2009, 10:51 AM	#19 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 528 Thanks: 4 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	what did you do about the head bolts?...did you get head studs? i'm considering it but then again...thats 100 bucks just for them

10-17-2009, 03:18 PM	#20 (permalink)
toyotaspeed90 No Skills Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bellingham, WA Posts: 2,407 Thanks: 0 Thanked 149 Times in 144 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	is your pcv valve just vented or is it connected to a (good) vacuum source? is the valve good?