88 supra turbo head gasket problems

bertbiz666

New Member
Sep 9, 2010
8
0
0
Anaheim ca
I made this account for a friend who has a 88 supra Turbo I'm more of a Honda head but I'd really like to help him out.

He got it as a gift the car is Pearl white blue interior i believe (the seats are completely ruin'd) and it turns out to have head gasket problems..

So i was looking around for engines... and i found one for 1200 from a jdm engine place.

I'm wondering now tho if it would be better/easier/cheaper to just fix the head gasket... i also seen a reman head for like 450 on eBay... also does anyone else know a cheaper or better route. Or just a cheaper or even more known engine spot?. Also does anyone know a place that will do the headgasket... that knows what's up
 

northwestsupra

New Member
Sep 19, 2006
1,166
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0
Washington, Marysville
bertbiz666;1616744 said:
I made this account for a friend who has a 88 supra Turbo I'm more of a Honda head but I'd really like to help him out.

He got it as a gift the car is Pearl white blue interior i believe (the seats are completely ruin'd) and it turns out to have head gasket problems..

So i was looking around for engines... and i found one for 1200 from a jdm engine place.

I'm wondering now tho if it would be better/easier/cheaper to just fix the head gasket... i also seen a reman head for like 450 on eBay... also does anyone else know a cheaper or better route. Or just a cheaper or even more known engine spot?. Also does anyone know a place that will do the headgasket... that knows what's up


I have heard mixed things on jdm engines mostly bad.
Why get a remanufactued head? Is it broken?

What's the condition of the engine? Mileage? How did the previous owner drive it?

How car savy are you "Honda head"? Do you have tools? Do you know how to safely pull a head?

Personally do the work yourself. Its super easy. Pull the head in the car if you want. Look at the head and block surface and determine if it will be needing work. Check its flatness and look for any obvious cracks. If the engine is stock just put a stock gasket on it. If there is any future plans for more boost then get the head and block resurfaced to a 25 RA better and buy a metal head gasket.

Or if your lazy or in-capable just find a newish working engine and drop it in. If your if you got a 89+ get a 1jz and ecu and do the swap everyone does.

Pretty sure more will butt in and give there thoughts but that is just mine.

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bertbiz666

New Member
Sep 9, 2010
8
0
0
Anaheim ca
Yeah I have tools the if he has the manual I'm sure we could pull the head.. the only that that ever confuses or maybe scares me is DC. how ever I have swapped my engine twice.. and 3 other friends cars
 

northwestsupra

New Member
Sep 19, 2006
1,166
0
0
Washington, Marysville
bertbiz666;1616810 said:
Yeah I have tools the if he has the manual I'm sure we could pull the head.. the only that that ever confuses or maybe scares me is DC. how ever I have swapped my engine twice.. and 3 other friends cars
The manual is online my friend. I think its stickied but I'm on my phone so giving you a link is a little more work than I want to do. What is DC? Direha and constipation?


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UT93sc300

New Member
Jul 18, 2010
38
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0
Ohio (Tol/Cle)
There is no need to buy a new engine if the one you have isn't broken. A blow head gasket is a common problem and an easy one to fix.

Just type in tsrm in google for the manual.

Solution (if remaining stock): Buy new gasket. Buy ARP studs/bolts. make sure the head is not warped or cracked. torque head down to ~75 lb. with new gasket. Put in new fluids.

In a nut shell, that is what i did.
 

honeydew

Supra Freebaser
May 10, 2007
164
0
0
47
Toronto, Ontario
What is TDC? Here is a really useful link,

http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/default.aspx

You are definitely capable. I'm in the Toronto area and fortunately for me 7M's and 2J's are quite plentiful from a variety of vendors. However when you buy one the first thing you want to do is take it apart, check it out and replace all the gaskets. That's just kind of what you do when buying a used engine. Just dropping it in blind is quite the risk.

As northwestsupra mentioned, the surface may need some work. Low mileage cars are worse, but the block can have some pitting just due to age and may need to be milled or just a little clean up to seat the new gasket properly. While you are there, replace the valve cover gaskets too. (Unrelated, but they get crusty and busted once played with.)
 

northwestsupra

New Member
Sep 19, 2006
1,166
0
0
Washington, Marysville
honeydew;1618396 said:
What is TDC? Here is a really useful link,

http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/default.aspx

You are definitely capable. I'm in the Toronto area and fortunately for me 7M's and 2J's are quite plentiful from a variety of vendors. However when you buy one the first thing you want to do is take it apart, check it out and replace all the gaskets. That's just kind of what you do when buying a used engine. Just dropping it in blind is quite the risk.

As northwestsupra mentioned, the surface may need some work. Low mileage cars are worse, but the block can have some pitting just due to age and may need to be milled or just a little clean up to seat the new gasket properly. While you are there, replace the valve cover gaskets too. (Unrelated, but they get crusty and busted once played with.)

Tdc: top dead center. The location at which the piston is at its highest point in the cylinder

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honeydew

Supra Freebaser
May 10, 2007
164
0
0
47
Toronto, Ontario
sorry, he said DC first and that confused me so I couldn't put it together when he added the "T". boarderline retarded I guess, I blame my mother's side of the family.
 

SupraSean

SPRASEAN MTHRFKR
Mar 3, 2009
487
0
0
Pittsburgh, PA
How long was the car driven with the bad gasket? what issues is he having, overheating? smoke? all of the above? make sure to have the head checked out before re-installation. other than that use common sense and its a sinch.
 

metaphysico

Mad Scientist
Jan 2, 2008
428
0
0
44
Gainesville, Georgia
Bottom line is head gaskets blowing is one of the main problems you will have with a 7m. That being said if you put a jdm motor in the car, one you will probably end up with a blown head gasket soon again, two the engines usually sit for a long time so god only know what condition its in. So best bet take the head off take it to a machine shop to see if its good put a new head gasket on it with arp studs torqued down properl and call it a day.