My possibly own 1989 DLX 4x4 [blown head gasket]

Hi everyone names Mike, and I recently bought this van backin February as a daily/cargo/tow vehicle. But After the literally the secondtime I drove it (from Colorado to pueblo) it blow its head gasket. :pissed: A littleback ground, I think I'm the third owner of this van, bought it from an eldergentleman in his 80s that had all the paper work of the repair that he had doneto it since 2001. Has a recently rebuilt 4yec engine with less than 3000 mileson it, automatic transmission with auto locking hubs. Everything works acceptthe fuel gauge (which I suspect is the leveler itself since the needle is stuckat less than half a tank), and the front driver side speaker. It drove straightand smooth and the brakes were great, better than some later cars I'vedriven. I haven't quite decided if I want to keep it or sell it as I bought it to use it and then sell it to work my way to a custom cab Toyota pickup turbo.
Well I’m currently in the process of repairing this head gasket,using Toyota brand parts of course. As I was breaking down the engine, I foundout that a lot of the hoses need to be replaced because of cracking, hardness, andfrom me ripping them. Injector wires need to be replaced as the insulation andthe wire itself has cracked and allowed the wire to rust a bit. There was a lotof oil in the lower intake manifold, not sure if that normal because the manifold does slope up and can make the left over oil stay at the bottom. Tofix that I will install an oil catch can to prevent that. As result of the oilstaying in the manifold, the intake ports in the cylinder head were almostspotless, which eases up the cleaning process. While untightening the cylinderhead by ¼ turn, it felt as though the bolts were not torqued down correctly (65ftlb) and the small 12mm came out by hand with no effort. After taking off the cylinder head the headgasket was completely in tack. No cracks or splits, just some coolant and oilon the surfaces. Cylinders 1 and 4 werethe culprits, and had some surface rust on the cylinder walls, nothing but someoil and steel wool can’t fix. I drainedthe oil
Shopping list:
Paint
Gasket kit from Toyota
Vacuum and coolant hoses
Injector ring kit
Coolant
Oil

Questions: Should I buy new head bolts? Also, where can Iget the injector nozzle covers, my cracked and fell off as I was pulling theinjectors of the rail.
Pics: [IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psdade9756.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps19bffe60.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps0615610a.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psfb9ce137.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps09298a98.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psf5eeadc0.jpg[/IMG]

Hi Mike, Welcome to TVT! Sorry for the late response, but I've been swamped with work lately. By the time I'm ready to mess with the forum I've been passing out instead :bored:. I haven't seen oil in the intake manifold before and I'd have to say that's not normal. The only thing that I can think of that might cause that would be lot's of blow-by from your piston rings. If that happens, the compression (pressure) leaking into the crank-case can overwhelm the PCV system & oil vapor can then leave oil deposits in the intake area. I suppose if the head gasket blew in a particular way, this could result in the same thing (hopefully this is the case).

The disintegrating hoses and wire harness are a normal issue with these vans. There's a lot of heat trapped in the engine compartments (particularly in the injector area) and over the years this takes it's toll. The good news is these formed hoses are still available through Toyota. The injector connectors are easy to find aftermarket, or nice ones can almost always be found at salvage yards. 84 - 87 vans use the Bosch style connectors & these are very common. 88 - 89 vans use the inverted Denso style (less common), but these are also used in 90's era Subarus. Due to placement, the Subaru connectors are almost always in pristine condition.

When I'm doing a head gasket, I still re-use old head bolts and have never had an issue doing so. If I have reason to believe the old bolts were damaged in some way or if I'm doing more major work (like overhauling or rebuilding) I usually will buy new bolts. I've never bought the smaller bolts, just the big ones. It's more of a personal choice, just be sure to use a torque wrench and stick to recommended torque sequence & torque settings.

There is lots of info here on TVT. Just use the search feature when you have questions and chances are it's been covered. Good luck with your project! Tim

Thank you.
Yea the headgasket seal was so bad that when I tried to start it the last time. Just cranking it forced lot of air into the coolant system making the over flow tank pour out coolant. Also while pulling the bolts out from the back part of the engine, they were soaked in oil and some coolant. So I assume that's what happened when I was driving it back as well.

As for the injector wiring i'm going to de-pinned them and use brand new wiring for all of them and wrap them in some protecting insulation.

Another question: Is it necessary for the injectors to have the pintle cap because they fall apart. Whats the part number for them because I cannot find them.

Check your local area for a "Dr Injector" business. If you take your injectors to them, they will clean and test them. Part of the service is to replace these parts and install new 0-rings onto them. They typically charge $20 per injector, but they have specials & you may get the 1st set done for free. If you don't have a local Dr. in your area, you can mail them in for service. They will evaluate and call right away, get your credit card info over the phone, and ship back. I do this sometimes as I'm often too busy to drive 35 miles to my "local" guy. Turn around time is fast & I'll usually get these back within a week (usually 4 or 5 days). Here's a link to a thread where this has been discussed: http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...ng-Head-Gasket

One thing I hate is having to remove the intake before pulling an engine, and then waiting to assemble until AFTER the engine is installed. My solution to this is to build a removable injector harness (saves time). I happen to be doing this for another van right now. I usually use salvage yard injector connectors. Here's a quote from another post where this is discussed:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by timsrv

I'm not qualified to know anything about the rebuilt rockauto injectors as I've never used them.........they are probably fine. Based on experience I am confident in old OEM injectors (after cleaning/testing) so I've never felt the need to spend money on anything else. Once I had a factory injector that would intermittently fire after long periods of inactivity, so I went to the salvage yard and got one to replace it. The injectors I'm currently running in my freshly rebuilt engine have over 250k miles on them and have only been cleaned & tested. Same thing for injector connectors. I know there are places that make these things new, but I am skeptical of the quality plastic they use. They are probably fine but I worry about how long they will hold up. To date I have only used connectors from the salvage yard. Whether Subaru, Toyota, or whatever I figure OEM quality is top notch. Of course I avoid taking used injector connectors from Toyota vans due to the extreme environment they have lived in. I take them with about 3 or more inches of wire then solder/shrink tube them into the van harness. On my rebuilt engine I built a removable injector harness so I could install/remove the engine without splitting the manifold........and yes, all the injector connectors are from Subarus in the salvage yard. Note: Since my van is an 89, it uses the Inverted Denso connectors (used in 88-89). All other years of van used the Bosch style. Here's a few pictures of my custom harness:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23...m/IMG_2240.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23...m/IMG_2247.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23...m/IMG_2382.jpg

As for your broken stud question, there is a thread for that that's linked to the head gasket thread (linked to in my previous post). It's a bit time consuming but it works. I'm sure there are other ways, but that's the way I do it. BTW, unless you have a custom injector harness (like above), you need to remove the top half of the intake manifold to disconnect the engine wire harness from the injectors (this needs to be done before the head can be pulled). Once you've gotten that far removing the other manifolds isn't that big of deal. The worst part of pulling manifolds is dealing with the small fasteners and tubing on the back side of the manifold. If you cut an access hole for the "hose of death" then that makes it easier. FWIW, I've removed manifolds in the salvage yard before with only my basic "carry-in" tool kit. That job is always a little aggrevating, but I've never run into anything that was unsurmountable. Tim

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beautiful. is it ok to weep? i feel such joy at seeing those pics

:LOL2:

Thanks timsrv. Am Iaware of the search bar, I've been using auto forums since 2005. I actuallyplaced this thread in the 4x4 section on purpose in making a build thread forthis van if I plan to keep it. I just wanted to start with the beginning of ahead gasket issue I'm dealing with and then continue with any updates with it,and that's why its titled like that as well. This is was not intended to be a"help me" thread.
If I do plan to keep it a lot of stuff is going to be doneto it in the future, if I don’t get my custom cab soon. Future plans include a lift of about 2 incheswith of course bigger tires. An engine swap, 1uz, 22rte, or 2C-T turbo. Some otherstuff I haven’t decided yet.

Hi Mike and welcome to TVT!

One of the goals Tim and I had for this forum from the beginning was to keep things organized for the benefit of ALL users, current and future. I'm the one who moved the thread and clarified the title. :wave1:

The 4WD section is NOT so those who have 4WD vans don't have to mingle with the 2WD owners, but instead is ONLY for the technical aspects that are unique to the 4WD vans (that is, "stuff" never found on 2WD, or jobs that have to be done differently because of 4WD components in the way). I do sometimes briefly leave threads that I think might have been incorrectly posted in 4WD to see where they go, or if I'm unfamiliar with a particular system and thus don't know if there are 4WD-specific issues, but if they don't belong there according to our organizational needs, either Tim or I will end up moving them to the correct subforum.

I can't judge people's unwritten intentions for a thread, but thread content is pretty straightforward in terms of future usefulness and to whom. Along the same lines, any thread can quickly diverge from the original poster's intentions, as did this one — it gained technical content useful to others with any Toyota Van, 2WD or 4WD.

This particular forum software package has a individual blog feature for EVERY member. Trip photos, mods, restorations — that's where they go! You can make it as fancy or simple as you want, but it's ALL YOURS to manage YOUR way. Check it out! :thmbup:

Gwen

I understand what you mean and every forum is different. Well update just checked on the cylinder head warp age with a straight edge leveler, and it is with in spec. I cannot find anywhere where my .0020" filler gauge cannot fit under which is a relief. I was very productive the other day with cleaning other parts, and painting them.[IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psf1b5fae4.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]Testing the seal between the valves and seats with some solvent, let it sat for over 30 mins. No drips or moisture in the ports. The head will be cleaned up pretty good before the headgasket placement. http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps12cbb277.jpg[/IMG]


Using the straight edge from hell.


[IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps88b93084.jpg[/IMG]
I also rewired the injectors with 16 gauge (it’s not my best work) but it will do. I notice that the wire sizes varies between the injectors, for example, injector one had 16 guage while 3 and 4 had as small as 20 gauge ? Shrinkage?:?: I will test the wires before I start the engine, to see if the voltage and resistance are within the parameters.
[IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd36fd85a.jpg[/IMG]
This what my van looks like currently on the inside.[IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps9e3f24e7.jpg[/IMG] All I am waiting is for Toyota to deliver my parts and clean the heck out of the block surface. Everything is ready to go. I am a student at a university in Colorado so I definitely don't want anything to go bad at all since the semester is coming to an end. I also plan to drive this thing back to California and make it my daily driver there.

Welcome to the forum STREET90!!! That looks like a nice van despite your current issues, which you seem to have well in hand! I have to admit I am extremely jealous right now--what I would give to do college over again WITH a toyota van! And the abilities and means to maintain it as well!

PLEASE continue to post pictures and update us on your progress! You can be assured many of us van nuts are daily users and are watching intently (right gushaman?) This is serious van porn for us. After all, there just aren't too many of these things around and not everybody is as able to tear into them as you have. If you do have more questions just ask! Most of the experts around here are used to being bombarded with the novice questions from folks like me. I would almost certainly guarantee they enjoy bantering with the better technicians rather than answering the same questions over and over again. I know the rest of us enjoy following it more.....

Today I cleaned the block the best I could. Will wipe it down with some brake/carb cleaner for a final surface prep. I was also trying to clean the threads for the head bolts, but here at a university within the automotive and technology building anywhere within the confines of the shop, tool room, engine room or a fully equipped machine room with 3 different heavy duty lathes, press drills, cnc machine, every type of drill bit in existence, THEY DO NOT HAVE A M12 x 1.25 tap/drill to chase the threads.:pissed: But I think I got away with a wire brush, some wd40, and a strong air nozzle to clean them out. As I was doing so, I started to ponder as to why the bolts didn't feel torqued down properly in the first place and my professor gives the idea of stretched bolts. I hope that's not the case, as I am on a tight budget for this. I do not want to have to order new bolts especially on an engine with less than 3000 miles on it. And the fact that Toyota will take another two weeks to ship them and I have until around April 20th to get this thing running and ready for a 1200 mile trip. Yea sometimes I talk a lot. [IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps0434505a.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psb66225c8.jpg[/IMG]

Well I just got an email from Toyota parts zone saying that my parts are on backorder until the 24th:rol: So I cancelled, made over 20 calls to other Toyota parts stores all over the nation to find the valve grind kit. Found out that most of the parts were discontinued. I made one last call to a company in Arizona, and found out that they had one valve grind kit in stock at their main warehouse. This is why I want to swap engines into this thing. 1uzfe or 22re-t hmm some measurements and planning need to begin this summer.

Today I cleaned my head as good I can, with some hand held scotch brite pad, carb/brake cleaner and some wd40. I took my nail across the surface and could not feel any roughness at all. Will do a final flatness check and solvent rinse to get any left over residue within the head out. She should be ready to go when the parts get here I HOPE. [IMG]:thmbup:http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc774e4f4.jpg[/IMG]

What? NLA? :doh: Now you are feeling the true pain of a Van owner! I am digging the self imposed deadline and am anxious to see if you make it. Slapping that thing back together and heading straight out on an extensive road trip----I like your style STREET90.

Not my first time being in a position with No parts available situation with a deadline. I have Cressida which a few years ago hadno aftermarket support. But I still managed to make it a fast little grandpa sleeper. It’s currently sitting in a garage waiting for a more powerful engine,and entire overhaul on brakes, suspension and exterior.

He's too busy working on it to post......

Good news everyone!! My parts came in:thmbup:. I hope to have this thing running over the weekend or next week. Also some other good news is that I passed all the ASE test taken today that I did not prep for :LOL2:. [IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc1f628c2.jpg[/IMG] As I mentioned before, I was suspecting that the last person who rebuilt the engine did not use a genuine Toyota head gasket. So I compared the new to the old and there are some differences between them.[IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psaa5e5a66.jpg[/IMG]

Well tomorrow is V day I think. I will be putting the cylinder head back on. Today I've prep and installed the cleaned injectors with their new o rings.[IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd3a38787.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps3c38710f.jpg[/IMG] I also painted a few things to give the engine a fresh look since it only has a few thousand miles on it. I had to paint the valve cover because it had rust. So that meant that the original warning and 4Y-C sticker had to come off :(. Bead blasted(NEVER bead blast the inside of the valve cover:no:) to bare metal, rinse in some solvent, dry, rinse in solvent, dry, and repeat to make sure any left over bead material was off before final painting. It came out great but I need to get a sticker on it as it seemed too plain for me. Its seems as though the valve cover was dropped before.:no:[IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps4d9ce3a4.jpg[/IMG]

So today wasn't V-Day, :(. I was more busy trying to find stuff then putting things back to together. But anyways I replaced all the valve seals to be cautious and they seemed a bit dirty anyway. [IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...pscfa840b4.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps53982780.jpg[/IMG] aI finally got the head on all torqued down. All is correct order from 20, 40, to the final 65 ft-lb. I manage to get the manifolds on before the night ended, but will continue tomorrow.[IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd4c1e9ad.jpg[/IMG]

SUCCESS!!!!! [IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psee4b2ada.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc4a5aaa2.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse45fcf24.jpg[/IMG]

Well I made it home to socal, with only having to make one stop because of an engine light, turn out the temp sensor and tps sensor plugs came off. Couple of things that need to be addressed with this van, one is an over heating problem? Not sure if its just a sticky thermostat, but the needle will pinned almost past the temp symbol on the gauge about 70 percent, and during those times the fan would only kick in at about 50 to 60 percent on the gauge. Another is an engine swap. This thing suuuuuucccked going uphill laterally no power on any incline. Everytime I see a hill up ahead I literally speed up to keep up the momentum but I usually slow down to 50 mph after climbing 4% grade for half a mile. Even slower on 6% and up. But all in all it got me home. But its time for some upgrades.[IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psenedmlma.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...pssu4gzxkr.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psdmjrf9cf.jpg[/IMG] My dogs seemed to adapted to it quite well. [IMG]http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/a...psqth16rqx.jpg[/IMG]

I might as well update. I am back in Colorado another school year and I have the driven the van from California. I might be selling it as well. I need something with a little more power to haul my other toys.
What do you guys think its worth? don't forget to check the back story on this thread

Oh I took it off-roading recently
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...e8311d896f5f4c

Does it have any rust issues?

Only the sides on the sliding doors and the driver side in the same area as the sliding door. I was going to repair it in California but cutting some panel off another van and replacing the whole door but never got to it. That's only the area I saw where rust was. and I stripped the entire back end of the van to clean the carpets and seats and no under the wood either