Blown head gasket 5.7 at 190k miles

5.7. So my truck started misfiring on the way to Baton Rouge. I immediately pulled off hwy and found a Toyota dealer in Jennings. Dealer said they couldn’t look at it till next month. Local guy scanned it but was booked up as well. Misfire on 6,7,8. I ended up disconnecting battery, and truck started up fine. On way to Baton Rouge I had to disconnect battery a few times to stop misfire, and disconnected battery once on way back to Houston. Egm was one of the codes, so I was thinking computer issue. When I brought it to Toyota in Houston they started by replacing spark plugs, and three ignition coils. Then they found out that coolant was getting in the exhaust, and I had a blown head gasket. Truck never overheated that I was aware of, but I was slowly losing coolant. It caught my eye a couple months ago, but i forgot to have it checked out. Maybe I got complacent since it had been reliable up until that point. Toyota suggested new motor for $37k, or rebuild for $17k. I had truck towed to a independent shop, still hoping to fix my existing motor. Shop called earlier and suggested putting a used motor in. The mechanic said he didn’t want to tear down motor to just scrap it later. He is getting me a quote. No oil in coolant or vice versa. I read the forums regularly and this issue seems very limited. I was hoping to get 500k+ Miles. Might still be able to, but not with this motor. Still a Toyota fan, but the 5.7 is not as bullet proof as I was hoping.

 

Complacent might be a big part of this routine preventive maintenance???
Typically, coolant flush completed every 30k or two years.. There's instances could go longer, every 60k...
Good luck and hope you get her back on the road.

 

what do you have to loose? put some head gasket sealer in the cooling system. They sale at autoparts store. Like Bars leak sealant.

 

Toyota has this as a 100k mile maintenance item.

 

Did you say 37k for a new motor or 17k for a rebuilt? Call around. That’s beyond robbery.

 

I was definitely behind on this. Probably over 100k miles since flushed.

 

I have noticed Toyota now has 100k everything. Not saying they aren't reliable but lets face it, no fluid can last that long with out consequences. I have read on other forums including Tacoma forums that Toyota did all this 100k service to save on fees and such. Not to mention to meet CAFE/EPA B/S. I personally wouldn't go 100k on anything Toyota says is ok for 100k.

 

37k for a new motor is not only laughable…..it’s criminal. That is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard a dealer say. You could buy a used truck for that amount!!!!

 

I can’t believe they gave me that quote with a straight face. It also made the cost of a used engine more tolerable.

 

Sucks man. Theres always going to be those that don't make it. I had a 4.8 Chevy Silverado, it had bad head castings and it would leak coolant into the piston. Never an issue, ran fine, just had to fill up the coolant every so often. If yours is misfiring then the leak must be big.

 

I was seriously tempted to try this, or that steel stuff. If I didn’t drive so many miles I definitely would. I really don’t want to deal with issues when I am out of town.

 

It might have gotten bigger in one day. Disconnecting battery didn’t stop misfire the morning I brought to Toyota. I am hoping my cats don’t kick the bucket soon burning off coolant.

 

I did a quick search and a reman from JEGs is 7k for a short block.

 

Is it beyond a head gasket replacement and pressure test at a machine shop?

 

Actually it is just engine coolant at 100k. Everything else has its own (or no) service interval.


Don’t tell @Tileguy the fluids aren’t lifetime. How often you change the coolant in your rig @Tileguy ?

 

Also did a quick search and OEM new short block from Toyota is around 5.5k. The cylinder block is 4.5k. Or a complete engine fro 23k. That dealer quoting you 37k is the reason I don't go to them other than warranty or to buy a new vehicle.

 

Doesn't Toyota call the WS trans fluid lifetime fluid. Or change it at 100k under normal conditions. Either way Cheap insurance to flush out the fluids early. Shit I just did my rear Dif oil at 16k to flush out the brake-in metals. And it had metal.

 

If it truly didn’t get crazy hot have a good Toyota independent shop throw a head gasket in it and move on.

 

Hands down a reputable shop can strip it down machine shop everything and assemble for around 7k give or take

 

Wait, what? A new 5.7L costs $37,000. Lol. That's the cost of the truck pretty much. I'm extremely confused.

 

toyota OEM long blocks have ridiculous price tags. but they dont want to sell them. they'll sell you a short block gladly. but its rare to even find a long block in the warehouse. they typically only assemble enough engines to produce trucks.

when we get a warranty repair on a car under factory warranty Toyota pays us to rebuild the engines with new short blocks.. its more cost effective since engine failure is fairly rare. no point on sitting on engines for a long time.

meanwhile our GM and hyundai stores STOCK complete engines they replace so many

 

Sorry to hear about your troubles OP. This is why I change fluids more often than not. Coolant doesn't stay in the engine and radiator for more than 3 years, regardless of mileage. But this could also be the case of just a rare headgasket failure at that mileage (obviously).

 

https://youtu.be/q3_kDiQb7lE
Chrisfix video on head gasket sealer. If its either this or get a new engine this might be worth a try.

 

co worker had a used 5.7 put in his 09. 8500.00 runs great

he threw a rod.....low oil. ouch

 

That’s called anchoring. They throw out a ridiculous number to get you to agree to a smaller ridiculous number.

 

No. Just no. That will gum up everything including the radiator and you don’t want that crap in your replacement engine.

 

Yeah that's exactly how I felt till I watched this video. I'm not saying it's a great idea but with the amount of money at stake and depending on OP's needs and financials and such it may not be a bad option. Doing this would mean you'd need to replace the rad an other associated things if doing an engine swap.

 

I'm skeptical this is a headgasket issue.

There is no possible way you had a headgasket leak into the exhaust (communication with combustion chamber) without overheating.

A headgasket failure between cylinders could result in miss fires as described. However you'd probably get cam phaser codes as well.

Lastly there is no effing way I'm buying a headgasket job without at least a compression test.

No water/coolant in oil? That makes my skepticism even worse.

Pretty sure the 5.7 uses MLS headgaskets and TTY bolts. This combination makes headgasket failures extremely difficult to induce with normal driving.


And $37k is a dealer trick to get you to sell them your truck and get you into a new one. They make money on sale and once they fix your truck they sell it for $48k.

 

Man the "good 'ol days" are gone for sure. I blew a head gasket on a business trip in my 1980 Nissan 4x4 and it cost me $300 to get it replaced and I thought that was a rip off! LOL

 

i spent 8k on a reman, i am happy with it