Need help asap. Blown HG on daily driver. Toyota pickup 22re

[subsonic]

You are correct.  This is not a diesel.  I know I know, this is the non vw diesel section.  Not looking to start a trend, but I could use some help pretty quickly.  

This has been my daily driver while I have been gathering up and paying for all the parts for my Franken buildup.  Last night I ran into problems.

Here is the low down:

1994 toyota compact pickup.
22RE 4-cyl. 5-spd.
This was a bare bones model. No A/C, Power steering, power brakes, etc..Nothin.  
220,000 miles.
20,000 miles ago I had the head prof. rebuilt, new timing chain kit with all the accesories, timing chain cover, oil pump, water pump, radiator, hoses, HG kit with all the additional gaskets and such. New exhaust, front to back. New Battery, etc etc..

You get the idea.  I had it done right so I would not have to be dicking around with it.  Say in the middle of winter with a huge snow storm arriving in 24 hours :x

Thing has run like a top for the last 20K.  I put about 75-100 miles a day on it.  Almost all highway, 65-75MPH.

So last night I hop in it to head to work.  My wife had just driven it home about 3 hours before.  Turned the key-nothing. I could hear and feel the click of the starter engaging but not turning over.
I thought my wife may have left something on in the car and drained the Batt., but no.  Seemed like I had juice.  I hooked up a set of jumper cables and tried again.  Click...same thing.  Waited 10 min while reving up the other car.  Tried again.  Click.........slowly turning over.  Stop and try again.  Same deal,  it fired up this time and ran rough for a min.
It was blowing a ton of white smoke out the exhaust pipe-stinking like anti-freeze.  I also saw what looked like the same smoke coming out from under the heat shield on the exhaust manifold.  This smoke stopped after about 1 min.  It kept coming out the tail pipe though.

I checked the bottom of the oil cap.  No milky oil.  none on the dip stick either.  I checked the coolant overflow tank, it was way low.  I had noticed it low about a week ago and topped it, and the radiator off with fresh 50/50.  
Since everything was still cold I popped to radiator cap.  Whoosh, lots of preasurized air came out.  No fluid spay though, it was low again.  Idle started getting erratic once I removed the cap. Kept revving higher, slowing and revving higher.  I shut it down.

When I filled it up the first time, I had noticed some coolant stains around the hose clamps.  Thay appeared tight, but I retightened them.  I am wondering if the coolant system was over preasurizing due to a HG leak.  It sure looked like it was burning it.

I picked up a new Fel-Pro HG kit today after work.  I am thinking I must have a blown HG.    

I am dreading doing this swap.  I had a friend do the other work the first time as I was at work 60-70 hours a week then.  

 I can only get the front half of my truck into my garage.  The rest is filled with crap that is stored in there for the winter.  It's gonna be a cold ***ty job with a snow storm coming down.  
Is this one of those character building events that is supposed to make us better men? :x  :lol:

Anyone have any good advice?  I have the chiltons and can struggle through it, but would be glad to take any helpful hard earned knowledge that anyone cares to pass on.  Any good hints or time savers?

I plan on starting at the crack of ass, at O dawn thirty sunday morning.
BBBRRRRRRR..................

[jtanguay]

non vw diesel section true, but still diesel section.  but we won't hold it against you.  looks like your wife wrecked your truck women usually do stupid things  :lol:  jk

if i were you i'd try this stuff before tearing into stuff without a good shop.  head bolts, keeping dirt and crud out of the cylinders... pretty messy job that i'm sure nobody would enjoy.

[quietmission]

I am driving a 1993 22re (power steering   ) pickup as well for my daily driver.  Apparently, my headgasket is leaking too but it still run and drive.  It overheats from time to time but nothing too serious since i think the PO probably took the termothat off or something.  My radiator fluid is brownish and mixed with oil.  
I am affraid to flush it so that the problem will not become any work.  22RE are known for headgasket failure.  Good luck and i hope you get it running soon

Quietmission

[jtanguay]

well if they're known for failures, i'm still sticking with the steel seal.  who knows how long another HG will last?  what if the head has become a little warped?  more downtime getting it shaved...

at least give them a call and watch their video.  either way tell us what route you chose and whats up/happening.  inquisitive minds like to know

[jimfoo]

Don't know about the RE, but on the 22R, the timing chain can wear through the cover into a water passage once it gets too loose. Happened to my friend who thought it was a head gasket. Replaced it and it was doing the same thing. He called the local Toy repair shop who told him to check the timing cover.

[subsonic]

What a pain in the ass!!!!

I said the hell with working outside and spent a week between 11pm and 1am cleaning up and stacking stuff in my garage so I could pull my truck all the way in.

Exhaust manifold came right off
Valve cover came right off
no problem moving the emissions stuff.
Drained radiator, drained block,drained white/brown oil.
Intake manifold.........ah yes, the most dicked up piece of engieneering I have ever seen.  Bolts that cant be reached, hidden bolts that are not mentioned in the manual, brackets attached to the back of the head holding metal pipes that you cant get to unless you kind of half pull the head off and shove it to the side :x  :x  :x .

Just got it all pulled apart.
Yep, HG blown between cyl. 3 and 4.
Boxed it up and put it in the car to bring it to my friend who works in the machine shop
Hoped to have it back tomorrow morning so I could start to get it back together.
He is on vacation until the 4th of Jan. :shock:  :evil:  :x  :cry:
 
***!!!
Only having one car with 3 kids and both of us working is a HUGE pain in the ass!   GRRRrrrrrrrrr.............

[2west]

I'm not sure I understood well your last post, but be sure to make the head check and machined before reuse (Maybe that's why you went see your friend).

Woman can drive a car till the engine come hot as hell

[subsonic]

Yes, that is why I went to see him.  He works in a automobile machine shop.  He also gives me the good friend discount on all the work that is done

[jimfoo]

What a pain in the ass!!!!

I said the hell with working outside and spent a week between 11pm and 1am cleaning up and stacking stuff in my garage so I could pull my truck all the way in.

Exhaust manifold came right off
Valve cover came right off
no problem moving the emissions stuff.
Drained radiator, drained block,drained white/brown oil.
Intake manifold.........ah yes, the most dicked up piece of engieneering I have ever seen.  Bolts that cant be reached, hidden bolts that are not mentioned in the manual, brackets attached to the back of the head holding metal pipes that you cant get to unless you kind of half pull the head off and shove it to the side :x  :x  :x .

Just got it all pulled apart.
Yep, HG blown between cyl. 3 and 4.
Boxed it up and put it in the car to bring it to my friend who works in the machine shop
Hoped to have it back tomorrow morning so I could start to get it back together.
He is on vacation until the 4th of Jan. :shock:  :evil:  :x  :cry:
 
***!!!
Only having one car with 3 kids and both of us working is a HUGE pain in the ass!   GRRRrrrrrrrrr.............

Sounds like it needs a diesel conversion. :twisted:

[subsonic]

Just got the head back from the shop.  Two of the head bolts came out real hard, and were real dry.  That is also the location of the HG failure.  I thing there was a torque diff on these two bolts that caused the failure.  Cleaned up all the bolts, chased the threads in the block, and will install tonight after work.  Had the head hot tanked and dissasembled.  Head was not warped bad, just had the surface cleaned up with a light pass.  Amazing the diff proper lube makes in torque readings.

[subsonic]

Got everything back together, even all 3000 vacume lines :x .

Adjusted the valves, sealed it up, added oil and a filter and filled the radiator.  I win!!

Wrong.

Coolant running down the side of the block from somewhere before I even start it.  Cant see a damn thing because the intake manifold is in the way with all the vacume lines and harness.    GGGGRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrr........Who did I piss off the deserve this  :?

[jimfoo]

That sucks. Maybe it's just some hose you forgot to tighten the clamp on.

[subsonic]

Pulled the head again.

While pulling the Intake manifold off, I noticed that the gasket had a crinkle in it right where it sealed around a water jacket.  That was right in the area of the leak so I am suspecting that was the culprit.  Of course now I have to go buy another 70 dollar HG kit because I already torqued down on the other new one.  What a pisser.  I can't wait to get started on my VW build up.  The engine bay on the diesel looks so empty compared to this mess.

Back into tha garage I go.

[jimfoo]

Acme adapters, you could put an M-TDI in it :twisted:

[subsonic]

If the body was solid I would consider it.  It's a 14 year old new england pickup.  The engine I can work on, a body man I am not.
If I find a nice southern 4x4 I would be happy.  Perhaps that will be the next project once the Franken Sleeper is done.

I just came in for dinner.  Heads on, exhaust manifold hooked up, Intake lower half is on.  I will be hooking up the top half after another helping of ice cream
Then its just emissions hoses, adjusting the valves, valve cover, coolant, air box and air lines.  Hook up the battery and pray all goes as it should.