Overheated after using head gasket sealer: UPDATE

Had this on a Sienna. Was lower intake gasket. ESPECIALLY if it had green. I think...aluminum looked a little crappy around passages.

After all this though all bets are off.

 

It’s toast

 

That stop leak shit should be illegal, all the damage it causes... so should advice/ recommendations from morons who work the counter at the auto part stores.

 

So are we voting towards just a motor replacement? Current one is at 295k. Just got off the phone with one of my buddy’s dad who owns a shop. Said he’d be willing to drop a new motor in for free labor. Only thing is that they live 8 hours north but that wouldn’t stop me.

 

Barr's Stop Leaks Head Gasket Repair. The shit is BOMB! I never would have tried it if it wasn't for Scotty's recommendation as an absolute last resort, and that's exactly what the stuff is for.....a last resort!

I had a misfire for YEARS in my '98 Ranger 4.0L V6. #4 would kill a spark plug every 5k miles and it would throw a code, P0304, and run like absolute shit. A new plug fixed it beautifully but in about 5k, it would code again. Rinse & repeat.

That fix quit working recently after I had bought my new TRD and I was considering replacing the motor in the Ranger to use out on the Dunes and beach. Followed the directions PRECISELY and withing 5 miutes of application, the miss was completely gone and the truck pulled like crazy! $29 fix! I just sold the truck, a 1998 w/240k original owner, for $3500 to a dude that fully understood what I had done to patch it and drive it. I think he was buying lots here and taking them to Mexico. Because I paid the registration but didn't smog it until I could do the planned repair. about 2 weeks after selling, I got the registration sticker in the mail which meant he passed smog check!

For those products to work, at lest the Barr's Leak, you MUST follow the directions and put the engine through multiple heat cycles after putting it in. Hot > Cold > Hot > Cold, numerous times on the first day.

With that said, I wouldn't run the stuff in a motor that I had planned on rebuilding for obvious reasoning. OP, go getchya another motor built and go for the free labor offer!

 

https://209yota1.com/products/5vz-3-4l-rebuilt-toyota-engine-complete/

 

*milktoast

Sorry OP. Buddy's shop with free labor install of a new engine might be the best bet. Participate if you can. I would.

 

Yeah here's what the barrs does to the water passages....
You'll get excessive build up near the leak.....

It can last couple years like that......
.......gasket didnt kill the engine......wobbling harmonic balancer going out destroyed the crankshaft woodruff..... wallowed out keyslot.......






Most likely new haromic was installed and 'stabbed' wrong....

should always burnish/de edge questionable threads and keys......
instead of just slapping back together as fast as possible......

 

Has anyone bought a motor off eBay? What’s the consensus on that.

 

Got off the phone with these guys. Online says $2265 but on the phone he said $2500. Interesting part was that apparently they have a guy who offers to install it too for only $750. He did confirm each one has between 40k-50k miles. If this is all legit, this might beat the other offer I was given for the free labor install.
https://jdmofsandiego.com/product/1996-2004-jdm-toyota-pick-up-tacoma-tundra-motor-5vz/

edit: looks like they bumped up the online price to 2400.

 

I wouldn’t buy a part on eBay let alone an entire engine. No freaking way ever.

 

Hmm.. won't fix because can't have down time, but the alternative is having no drivable vehicle thereby having downtime... seems like a pickle OP

 

A pickle it is. Even if I was going to fix it, I’m not going to in my apartment complex.

 

You might say it's a dilly of a pickle.

 

Pickle Rick agrees

 

Update:
Started it up the other day to see if it would. Turned over fine. To my surprise, idled fine too, didn’t over heat. Took it up and down the street a few times. Got hotter but didn’t go over 200. Even took it on the freeway for a minute and that did make it break over 200. Pulled over for a little and Blasting the heater helped a lot and I was able to make it home easily. To me, it seemed like a coolant flush might do the trick.

Today: Took it to Valvoline and had them do their pressurized coolant flush. I guess they have a machine that cycles it through about 4 times before they refill with coolant. 15 minutes and I was out. Temps seemed to hold a little better so I took it on the freeway again. Temps never broke 186 at about 70mph. Probably drove it around for 20 minutes then back home.

Guess it’s not toast after all.

Either way, thanks for all the replies and input. Lesson learned. I will NOT be using sealers like this in the future. I’m planning on doing the full head gasket job this Christmas.

 

Slight leak is not the end of the world....they say they come out of the factory with some sealant in them...
Just got to eagle eye it.....maybe even carry a jug of water......
new thermostat and cap every few years....

Drive gentle and dont over rev.......nothin to blow out there......my mistake.....

 

Yup. I’ll be keeping an eye on the levels and I got spare coolant on me at all times. I asked them what coolant they used to refill and she couldn’t really give me an answer, just “the generic stuff we use for everyone”. So I’ll probably be draining this stuff soon and using Asian red.

 

I had cracked heads on my 5VZ and did the same as you initially, put in some stop leak hoping it would buy me some time.

All it did was buy me a little time, but cost me the price of a new radiator, heater core and extra labor to clean all the copper sludge out of the engine when it was rebuilt.
It was a minor drop in the bucket, but I most definitely filed a refund claim for the stop leak product for that $30 back out of spite that it ruined my radiator and heater core.

 

FYI - the main thing you want to worry about with coolant is that it's good for iron and aluminum. The 5VZ block is cast iron and the heads are aluminum. I've seen some lemon-lime (green) coolant rated for use in this engine.