PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

What year was the BMW?

 

Also, I don't think I'm gonna be doing DoorDash anymore. Highway driving to various car shows and places like the Massachusetts Cape are one thing, but around-town driving beats up on the truck.

 

1997 528I pos....it probably was made on a Monday.

 

Or a Friday...

 

This could be the cause of that so possibly not a head gasket. Trying to think positive and send some good juju your way.

 

Either way, the truck is still not gonna be ready in time for the trip to Massachusetts. We were supposed to leave this morning, but we are leaving tomorrow morning instead.

 

Wow! Been a long day for me. I’ve been busy.
Sorry I haven’t checked back in sooner.

I would NOT pull any plugs, nor would I do a thermostat, or anything else other than a cooling system test. And at that, you should let your mechanic do that test.

As for why The coolant was low, well there obviously a leak of some sort.
Where the leak is, is to be determined by your mechanic.

If I were you, I’d fix the truck. I would then drive the truck when ever I felt like it.
There is no need in owning and paying for something, only to be afraid to use it.
If you are worried about doing doordash and such, you need to sit down and take a look at the income it is providing you. If it’s not enough to cover wear and tear plus profit, don’t do it.

The fact is, your head gasket blew (maybe).
This isn’t common on a 2.7L truck with your mileage.
It just happens. it’s one of those things that happened, and you weren’t going to control it.

Again, I say you should drop that baby off and ignore the whole situation until you get back from your trip.

Look at this way, sometimes it’s better to know it is broke, than to not know, and worry about “IF” it will break.

I had an old guy tell me once, “Never worry about “if” things will wear out and break. Because they all do. Time kills everything.” Make the best of what you got, in the time you have it.

 

Comes down to if it's worth it or not financially, as I see it..

 

I watch a guy on YouTube with a channel called Toyota Maintenance. His shop is adjacent to another. That other shop was actually replacing a head gasket on a 2012 2TR like 2 months ago. Had to have the head sent to a machine shop to look it over.

Sad to see the bad apple Toyotas. No one car manufacture is perfect but Toyota comes close.

 

Does a 10+ year old vehicle with a lot of miles blowing the head gasket constitute bad apple status? I say no.

Stuff happens with older vehicles. 157k miles of mostly trouble free driving later, I’d say Charlie got his money’s worth. If it’s truly the head gasket, get it fixed, keep driving the vehicle.

Or go buy a Ford and report back in 80k miles lol. Those Maverick’s do look nice.

 

Hey Charlie, don't overthink or worry too much about this just yet. I had a Nissan Frontier with the 4.0 that was pretty damn sensitive to coolant level and heat. I'm wondering if there wasn't just a big bubble in the coolant system that just didn't rear its head until it has recently got cooler here in PA. I see you added coolant and the heat returned to "normal". Just keep an eye on it and drive on for a little bit. I highly doubt you have any coolant passages blocked as I can tell you're pretty anal about maintenance on your truck. Looks like coolant and oil isn't mixing so even if the head gasket is going, you shouldn't be in immediate danger and can get further diag down the line.

 

I say absolutely. Toyota trucks are built to last and most of them have no problem doing so. Surpassing 300k is no large feat for a 4cyl Toyota engine. First hand experience. My family had a 1997 that went over 400k before the truck was too beat to shit to drive. Hell, I also own a 2005 Scion xA with a 1NZ-FE 4cyl engine. It's sitting at 274,000 right now and gets driven daily.

 

Well there's that, and the fact that stop-and-go around-town traffic is hell on vehicles. My truck would have at least 12,000 less miles if it weren't for DoorDash...

 

You are correct, that is the reason you don't find older vehicles used for in town commercial service like that.

 

Well, I lucked out because the whole underside of the truck is essentially new thanks to the frame replacement. The only reason I used the Tacoma for DoorDash is because it's my only vehicle and I needed money. In April 2021, my employer had to shut down for a week due to a COVID outbreak so the building could be deep cleaned. I did DoorDash all week and made almost $600!

 

You earned 600 bucks, but at what cost? Was it worth the gas/wear and tear on your vehicle? Now is the time to reflect and decide if the cash is worth it moving forward.

 

Well, you grossed almost $600.

According to the IRS it costs about 62.5 cents per mile to operate a vehicle for work.

In real life that cost is wedge shaped too, if you are driving a new vehicle the odds of the alternator failing for example are pretty low, the same vehicle at 100K the odds are higher, you see where it is going. The more you drive the greater the odds for an expensive repair.

 

Definitely wasn't looking back on it, but the truck has a new frame and numerous other parts that I didn't have to pay for. If I pay two grand or so for a head gasket job, then I'll probably get another 150K miles out of the truck.

If the frame hadn't been replaced and it was having these issues, I'd probably be selling it and buying something new.

 

I was desperate to (A) earn money and (B) get out of the house. My truck had maybe 122K miles when I started doing DoorDash, and I put 5,000 miles on it within two months.

Most of miles I've accrued since hitting 100K in July 2019 have been car shows and vacations. If you don't include DoorDash, I only put about 50 miles a week driving to, from, and for work.

 

With Subarus, especially the previous generation EJ25 engine it's more accurately when, not if the head gaskets will need to be replaced. Note that is plural, being a flat 4. I've heard the cost is typically at least $2500 or more. Many have it done, and like you said then you're good for many more miles. Especially since you have a new frame, IMO it's worth the repair cost. Maybe it's a bit less than the cost for a Subaru, I don't know. But with those vehicles the engine is typically removed for the job due to the head gaskets being positioned on the side, pointing toward each wheel. I'm not a mechanic, but I'd think at least the 2TR-FE could be done with the engine in the truck.