at the moment im just about to pull apart the engine in my 2.6 efi TR. its currently sitting at work and undergoing a minor rebuild.. maybe. now, i realise that a few posts down theres a thread about a v6 TR losing water but it was difficult to apply similar checks to the 4 cylinder so i thought id post about it separately.

ok, the basics.

pulled off the rocker cover since it was leaking anyway so all the gaskets up the top are getting replaced. no visible water in the oil, although one of the guys did suggest either a cracked head or a blown head gasket. i filled up the overfill and the radiator and had driven it from work and back to work which made up just over 60km's. overfill bottle is empty, radiator is dry. the car has NOT overheated. theres no visible leakage from the radiator or any hoses although ive noted down to check the water pump. there DOESNT seem to be any white stuff in the radiator (as suggested for a blown head gasket).

the car has been idling unevenly after a week of not being started. im guessing thats from the oil on the plugs. they will be pulled out and checked tomorrow.

how much would a compression test cost roughly?

the head should be coming off in the next couple of days to replace the head gasket. at the same time the injectors will be cleaned and all the gaskets replaced.

the overfill bottle cap IS cracked and has a visible hole which will also be replaced. there are visible water leakage marks on the bottle and generally around it. is that enough damage to dry the radiator out though?

bursons has quoted me $116 for a full gasket set. that seems reasonable as im able to do all the work by myself and the guys i work with (one of them has just fully rebuilt a v8 in his camaro)

the leads, plugs, dizzy, thermo and o2 sensor have been replaced not long ago. is there anything else i should be looking at doing at the same time out of convenience thats not too costly? the car has done 250,000k's chain doesnt rattle and i dont think im able to do the stem seals without spring compressors (i dont think they need replacing yet but would have been good to do at the same time). oil and oil filter and air filter will be done at the same time

thanks for reading

Alex

pulled off the rocker cover since it was leaking anyway so all the gaskets up the top are getting replaced. no visible water in the oil, although one of the guys did suggest either a cracked head or a blown head gasket. i filled up the overfill and the radiator and had driven it from work and back to work which made up just over 60km's. overfill bottle is empty, radiator is dry. the car has NOT overheated. theres no visible leakage from the radiator or any hoses although ive noted down to check the water pump. there DOESNT seem to be any white stuff in the radiator (as suggested for a blown head gasket).

how much would a compression test cost roughly?

the head should be coming off in the next couple of days to replace the head gasket. at the same time the injectors will be cleaned and all the gaskets replaced.


Alex

have your noticed any change in colour of your exhaust fumes?? check the thermostat too...

by a screw in compression tester and do it yourself, supercheap or repco... about 30$ i think just take out the plugs and wind the motor over like 8 times using the starter...

when the heads off take it too someone so they can check to see if its warped... you won't be able to do this yourself i dont think; need very precise tools. With the head check it yourself to see if there's any cracks (theyll be tiny)...

If you havnt taken it too far apart there is a simple test that most good mechanics can do.
It involves a little jigger that goes on top of the radiator opening, it has blue liquid in it and a little pump on the top.
He gives it a few pumps and it sucks air from the rad through the fluid.
If there is exhaust fumes present (head gasket trubs) it will change colour.
Check with the mechanic if he has the gear before driving the car anywhere and keep an eye on the fluid level.
It should only cost a few bucks and will tell you if you have any head leaks to the water jacket, no matter how small.
It could save you lotsa bucks on unnessessary work. :D

thanks guys, will take these suggestions and test some tomorrow. ill keep posting

Alex