2012 Toyota Camry 2.5 liter 4 cylinder, 70,000 miles. Was running hot a few weeks ago, replaced thermostat, all was good until yesterday. Hard to start, ran rough on idle, overheated very quickly, white smoke out of the tailpipe, smells like coolant, oil is milky. It is in the shop now getting the head gasket replaced. I bought it recently from a reputable used car dealer and it has a warranty, so it is getting repaired for free. But I picked this car out particularly because of its reliable reputation. I don't count a failed thermostat as a big deal. Easy, cheap fix. Literally, it cost $20 and took 10 minutes. My last car was a 2007 Ford Focus that I was able to drive over 326,000 miles with minimal problems (I did have the transmission rebuilt at 186k). I need to get 300k out of this Camry, and I'll shoot for 400k if I can. I do my own maintenance and full synthetic oil changes every 5k - 7k miles (my commute is 2/3 highway driving).
My question is this: Assuming all is repaired correctly... head not warped or cracked, or if it is, properly remedied, will this blown head gasket likely have a long-term affect on the longevity of the engine?
Assuming all is repaired correctly
assuming. And that's a big 'if'.
long-term affect on the longevity of the engine?
well the coolant in the oil couldn't have been good for the bearings and gaskets. The junk in the exhaust couldn't have been good for the catalytic converters.
If oil got in the coolant, that couldn't' have been great for the radiator and heater core. It's never going to be 100%.
On the plus side, the steam cleaned pistons probably look better than ever.
Long Term Life Expectancy Concerns? (...) It is in the shop now getting the head gasket replaced
If it was repaired and diagnosed correctly - they can last for a while.
How long was it run on milky oil, what caused the head gasket leak, etc - that's what matters here.
I bought it recently from a reputable used car dealer
Welp they sold you a car with a blown head gasket...
I don't count a failed thermostat as a big deal.
Well - the results of that happened to be a big deal tho.
My last car was a 2007 Ford Focus that I was able to drive over 326,000 miles with minimal problems
a US Focus or a Euro Focus?
I need to get 300k out of this Camry
I would not count on that out of any modern car.
Assuming all is repaired correctly... head not warped or cracked, or if it is, properly remedied
You know what they say about assuming...
will this blown head gasket likely have a long-term affect on the longevity of the engine?
We do not know what's the history of the car - if it was sold with a leaking head then the engine internals can be in bad shape. It requires disassembling the engine and looking inside to determine how it's looking.
I'd considering selling it after it's all repaired and buying a different car if you want to keep it that long.
You might want to consider selling it after the repair. The 2012 to 2014 Camrys had torque converter problems that resulted in transmission failure way before the mileage you hope to achieve. Research the U760E transmission.
I want to thank everybody for your input. Dan, I realize although the results of having a bad t-stat and ending up with a blown head gasket WAS a big deal, I think you know what I meant.
They determined the engine was no bueno and are replacing it with a used one. If I can verify the mileage on the replacement engine and it has a favorable service history from CarFax, I'll be satisfied. This car was a one owner and had a very good service history, hence the reason I bought it.... just goes to show there are no guarantees in life.