Head gasket repair vs engine swap

Well it happened… at 233,000 miles my 2nd gen is having headgasket issues. leaky gasket for now, according to the mechanic, but it’s gonna go eventually. No problems with overheating yet thank god. Anyway, here are my options:

1. Replace the headgasket. I was quoted everywhere between $3k - $5k

2. take a risk and use a head gasket sealer, like Blue Devil, but I’ve heard extremely mixed reviews

3. look for a used low mileage engine and do an engine swap.

here’s where I’m looking for advice. Where should I be looking for a decent used engine? I’m leaning in that direction. Eventho my engine has never had a problem before this, I can’t ignore the high mileage. I’d hate to drop couple k on a head gasket for something else to come up in a few thousand miles. Anyone have experience swapping for a used engine? Where did you look? I’m hoping to keep my truck… well forever would be ideal .

My max for an engine is 5k not including install.

 

I would get a second opinion on the diagnosis. To answer your question, your mechanic should have sources to track down an used engine. What are the current symptoms? The 2005-2006 models do have a higher incidence of head gasket issues but a second opinion can also help in tracking down an used engine.

 

Why did you take the truck to the mechanic in the first place? Symptoms? I smell a rat.

 

I used car-part to source an engine -- browsed for a bit. Called a few of the yards. Worked with my mechanic that did the swap to help ask the right questions. In my case I went from a blown 2005 engine with 206k miles to a 2007 with 131k miles that was grade A, running when pulled and I had some compression numbers. Those grades are a salvage yard standard that you can search and read about. I did have a warranty for some period - enough to get the swap done and enough miles on it.

So far so good but my confidence in long-term reliability is definitely shaken.

 

EDIT: I've taken it in to two mechanics who diagnosed the issue with the head gasket:

1. Had a 6th cylinder misfire code. Suggestion to replace ignition coil and spark plug. Replaced all of those. Code went away for a day but then appeared again.
2. Very shaky in idle for ~1-2 mins before the engine warms. Once warm, no longer shaky. It still runs fine once I let it warm up for a few minutes.
3. "Whooshing" noise coming from the dash when I start it/when it's idle.
4. Milky exhaust.
5. Smells like coolant after I turn it off.
6. Coolant has been running low without any leaks.

Took it to mechanic No. 1. He tried replacing the 4th and 6th cylinder and the 6th cylinder misfire code persists. He looked at the symptoms and diagnosed the head gasket issue. Offered to do pressure test but I declined as it was expensive, he was positive there was some type of issue with the head gasket, and I wanted to get a second opinion.

Took it to mechanic No. 2. He took a look and came back with the same conclusion. This one said it seems to be some type of leak as opposed to a whole failure. Since the engine runs like normal once its warm, he believes it could be leaking but re-seals once warm. Said I could probably get another 50k out of it if I just keep my eye on the coolant and don't let it overheat. But he also said it could blow, especially once summer hits and its warmer.

 

Symptoms do point to a bad head gasket but a compression test is not that expensive. A head gasket can fail in seven ways and no one test covers them all but a compression test covers the most common failures. The test is relatively straight-forward. Mechanic uses a gauge anyone can buy for about $50 and takes a reading from each spark plug hole individually. It should take less than an hour for a competent mechanic to take the readings. But yes, I would start looking for a new engine.

 

If you’re thinking of doing the gasket and it’s confirmed that’s the issue don’t wait for it to overheat, do it now before the damage is worse.

 

Aside from looking for a new vehicle, the most reliable fix for your problems would be an engine swap by somebody who knows what they’re doing.

 

Did a shop do a test for exhaust in the coolant system?

The best time to do a head gasket is before the engine overheats. Get a used engine and you never know what you got for sure. You could be inheriting somebody else's headache.

 

I mean engines get pulled from vehicles that get wrecked and there is literally nothing wrong with them and many have less than 100,000 miles on them.

 

Engine swap, found a junkyard engine with 3k miles for about $2700 (I think)

 

If I was repairing an engine with a blown HG, I would probably replace the blown HG, which is the repair for a blown HG

 

You pulled dipstick, engine oil turning white?

 

I was looking at this 2014 to go grab its driveshaft. Like stated above, a lot of solid engines are out there!

 

Don't do option 2 unless you have literally no other choice. Is the engine consuming oil or do you have any reason to believe it wouldn't last much longer if you repaired it? If you have owned the truck for a long time and know it has been properly maintained I would think hard about repairing your current engine. However if it's relatively new to you or you know that you've abused it and haven't maintained well, maybe an engine swap is a better call.

 

I’m not familiar at all when it comes to a headgasket repair, couldn’t you do a complete teardown and rebuild with the current engine? I remember as a kid when my dad’s mechanic did a complete rebuild of a 22RE because of a headgasket, truck ran flawlessly for years. Last we heard, it ended up somewhere in Central America lol.

 

Is it difficult or just time consuming to do a head gasket? Could an average Joe with a good set of tools do it at home?

 

No need to do a compression test, the symptoms you listed point right toward a bad headgasket. Especially the rough running on startup and the slow loss of coolant with no external leaks.

It's a tough choice between used engine and replacing the gaskets though. It comes down to either trusting a used engine or trusting somebody to do a good job on the repair

I'd lean towards a used engine, just try to find one that's not out of a 2005/06

Good luck

 

If your intent is to do an engine swap, what's the issue with using Blue Devil or similar to do a patch while you collect parts and find the time to do the swap?

 

Seals for $20 bucks if youre just going that route

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/garage-clean-out-parts-for-sale.855158/#post-30532452