My daughter hit a small deer and drove home not realizing that the radiator was broken. The car temp jumped around and then stopped running on the highway due to an likely overheat condition. We had it towed and 2 adjacent cylinders have no compression. Is a head gasket replacement worth it? I can do the work myself. Also - should I replace the piston rings due to the car being overheated? Car only has 110,000 miles on it and is in great shape.
Or ... if it was me, I'd consider looking for a used engine to swap in. There are millions of Vibe/Matrix/Corolla engines of that era out there, it shouldn't be too hard or expensive to find a decent one.
Is a head gasket replacement worth it?
That depends on you, and if you have more time or money.
Find the cost of parts (probably around $500) and a repair manual. It'll take you a day or a weekend.
Find the market value of your car. Make the call.
piston rings could be fine. But if the heads are aluminum then they may need to be machined flat.
It's an 18 year old car. If you are capable of doing the head gasket job, with a rebuilt head yourself, go for it. If you are going to do piston rings, you might as well do rings and rod bearings at the same time. You're going to need a ridge reamer, cylinder hone and other, special tools.
Thanks for all the answers. I have the tools to repair both the head gasket and rings/bearing/etc. Since this Toyota engine has both an aluminum head and block, I am not sure if it is necessary to replace the rings/bearings due after being overheated. I would hate to just put in the head gasket (with the cost of having the head machined) and then have oil consumption problems because the oil rings were cooked.
thoughts?
Once again, thanks!
Dennis
That decision would be based on my skill level.
If I were skilled enough to take on the job, and liked to work on projects, and had the time, I’d do it. it doesn’t seem to bad on a Toyota.
If not, I’d either engine swap or just get another car.
With only 110K miles on the engine, I would be surprised if it needed rings and rod bearings, having had regular maintenance, ie, oil and filter changes.
Thanks for all the answers. I have the tools to repair both the head gasket and rings/bearing/etc. Since this Toyota engine has both an aluminum head and block, I am not sure if it is necessary to replace the rings/bearings due after being overheated. I would hate to just put in the head gasket (with the cost of having the head machined) and then have oil consumption problems because the oil rings were cooked.
thoughts?
Once again, thanks!
Dennis