Rebuilding 2006 4 cylinder w/ 200k mi

I've got a blown head gasket. Having it fixed is about $6K! No one has been able to explain to me why it's so expensive, but that price seems pretty universal in my area.
At 200k miles, it seems to make more sense to replace the motor.
Apparently most of the rebuilt motors on the market are junk.
Rebuilding by using a Toyota short block is around 10K. Ironically, they'll still be doing a head gasket as they're reusing my top end.
However, they'll still be using the belts, hoses, etc. from my motor with 200k when possible.
I'm so confused! What would you do?

 

I would take the time to pull the head off and have it checked for cracks and flatness. Maybe a rebuilt head is in order.

Once you are sure what the problem is you can decide what to do next.

The other option is to use a head gasket sealer. If the leak is not too bad it can buy you some time while you decide what to do. Not a popular option on here but a cheap way to kick it down the road while you explore other things.

 

@PennSilverTaco might know how much and what to do.
He just had his done not too long ago.

 

Something fishy here.

Why does a head gasket require a bottom end yet keep your head?

Why would anyone other than a shade tree on a tight budget (btdt) reuse things like belts and hoses?

Are you in the sticks with limited choices? If not, you need to find better shops to visit

 

If you didn't overheat the engine and warp the head I would get with a reputable shop, have them fix the head gasket along with freshening up everything else and run it for another 200k

car wizard breaks this job down for the 2trfe, I recommend watching the whole thing or at least from 14:53 mark till the end.

Also have them replace your plastic coolant bypass pipe with the new updated metal one! Just did this on my 05, thankfully I saw all the built up crusty coolant on the pipe while doing my water pump and not after a catastrophic overheat on the side of the freeway like most other do.

 

Thanks!
I know what the problem is. It's a blown head gasket. Toyota scoped it, and found water in the number one cylinder. Then, they told me it was six grand to fix, which made water come from my eyes!
I used to laugh at guys that used Barrs Leak. I've been surviving on it for over a year!
Pulling the heads and I'm back to 6K right? That's my problem. I wouldn't have balked at a couple of grand. But 6K on a motor with 200,000 miles on it doesn't seem to make much sense. Please correct me if I'm wrong. By the way, the cylinder issue toasted both catalytic converters. Ironically, it passed smog 2 days before the check engine light came on, telling me the converters were toast. An exhaust guy thought that possibly only the first converter was bad. When he pulled it, they were both plugged! I don't want to replace them until I get the motor fixed. I have to reregister in January!

 

if youve been using stop leak youre going to have to have the block hot tanked and properly cleaned, same for the head.

 

I'm in the San Francisco Bay area. I WISH I was in the sticks for this job! In fact, some have suggested taking it to the sticks (I.E., Sacramento) to get it done.
As for my logic, I thought why spend six grand on a motor with 200,000 miles on it, when I can get a rebuilt motor for 10k. Problem is, I'm now told that rebuilt motors are spotty at best nowadays. Hence, the solution of a new bottom end and rebuilt top end. They would machine my heads. It was no shade tree mechanic that recommended it. It was a big independent Toyota repair shop. Reusing the belts and hoses was a bit of a shock to me, that's why I came here. I've been to several shops for opinions. The more I learn, the more confused I get!
I've always heard that Tacomas were bulletproof, and my first one was. On this one, I'm taking the bullet!
Thanks for your reply.

 

Oh great! The plot thickens. One more issue to deal with!
Thanks for the info!

 

youre honestly going to be better off getting a used engine at this point.

 

So that's an engine that was in a truck that was totaled? Where do you find those? Would I have it shipped to a mechanic for installation?

 

LKQ is a good place to start or Car-Part.com

 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
This video was extremely helpful, and talk about on point!
Over the past year, I've asked so many mechanics why the job is SO expensive. I've never received a reasonable explanation, much less one as detailed as the video provides! It made me feel good that he was as shocked as I was over the cost. Of course, I didn't feel quite so good about being in the elite 1%!
I've never had overheating problems, so I'm guessing the chances of a cracked head aren't good. On the other hand, there have been indications of water in the oil, which I would expect, as the symptom was coolant in the number one cylinder (and the rough idle it created). Since I used Barrs Leak and changed the oil, the oil seems pretty clean and water free. However in my case, it does introduce the possibility of water having been in the lower end, unlike the Tacoma in the video.
In any case, I feel better about the head gasket option.
Thanks again!

 

So, if I have the head gasket done, the block will still be contaminated with barrs leak, correct? Is that a problem?

 

Correct. The entire cooling system needs a proper flush. There’s a reason why no such thing as a “quick fix” in a bottle. All it does is make it work to sell off to the next sucker

 

Thanks! So flushing the system as opposed to "hot tanking" the block will work? I've never heard the term hot tanking before. However, if I have that head gasket done, I'm guessing hot tanking the block wouldn't be an option.

 

no, it wont be. The only type of cooling system flush I have ever done was on my mercedes diesels. We would do a citric acid flush to really clean the system out. But I'd only do that if the original head was staying on, doing a flush like that will dislodge a lot of junk and might have negative outcomes to the new head or not? I'm just hesitant to do something like that if you swap heads or rebuild the head.

 

Even for $6k you’re in new used truck territory. Replacing a head isn’t a horrible job - even replacing an 4 cyl engine isn’t a bad one either. If you find a shop that will let you do all the time consuming labor of removing the exhaust and coolant hoses and electrical connections and have them just deal with the head or stab a replacement engine in and have you hook it all up sans the bell housing bolts, you would save a lot of money.