BHG today, wondering about my options

[steveyblack]

hey everyone, well it looks like my HG just went...really bad Idle, smoke screen out of the tailpipe and coolant spewing out of the over flow...The car didnt over heat, it didnt get fully warmed up...I just parked it at my auto shop in my school and I left it...

I only need this engine to last me another 6, maybe 7 months max...Im wondering if i should just get a cheap cosmetic HG and ARP head bolt, clean the gasket surfaces well and just drop it in...I know the cheap way out is not the way to go, but like I said, The NA is on its way out in feb.

Ill check the compression tomorrow and do some more tests after that to make sure its a BHG...well thanks in advance

 

[lewis15498]

Im assuming this is your daily driver since you seem to need it. Your planning to do a turbo swap soon, odds are your going to have a lot of down time, due to many minor issues. I know from experience its not a good thing to deal with that as your daily driver. If you can afford it, buy yourself a cheap daily driver that way your turbo swap or this bhg issue doesnt interfere with your daily life. I just picked up a 2000 jetta for $3000 off craigslist.org, but theres 1000's of deals for under a grand if you have the patience to look. ( a couple years ago i bought a 90 accord for $200 and all it needed was an alternator) Having a daily driver also reduces the pressure to get ur supra up and running again fast, and cutting corners. Drive something reliable every day and enjoy yourself taking your time making your supra the monster it should be. This is my opinion cuz i bought a turbo supra as my daily driver and spent more time fixing it than i did driving it now its sittin in my driveway waiting to be fixed again, but i dont have to worry about how im gonna get to work or school anymore thanks to jetta.

 

[steveyblack]

yah the car is my DD and it is going down for a swap in feb, but till then the car is a dd...im just wondering if I put a cometic HG and arp studs and what not, will it be good enough for me? Its a NA and I dont drive it to hard.

 

[suprahero]

I don't know anything about the NA, but I didn't think the arps were necessary for them. I would think the stock hg and stock bolts would be good enough to last you until february as long as their isn't anything wrong with the car. If it didn't overheat then you shouldn't have warped anything. Good luck.

I also agree with Lewis about the daily driver. However long you think your car will be down for this turbo swap............double it and then add a week and a half and you may be close.

 

[Chambers]

I just finished the head gasket in my car a two weeks ago, it is my daily driver. Luckily I had a good friend who loaned me his Civic for two weeks. I purchased ARP studs and the gasket kit from driftmotion, the gasket kit came with almost everything needed, it is a very nice kit, the head gasket was very nice.

The hardest things were waiting for parts and for the head to be refurbished (overheated so it needed it), and then vacume lines. But after doing them once its not hard at all, hehehe.

So far I've put over 1,400 miles on it, and checked the studs torque at 1,300 miles, they were all good.

At any rate, good luck!

 

[86yota]

so in theory you could just slap a HG on and use your stock bolts. just make sure you check the head, maybe have your teacher or someone who knows what to look for check it out. And make sure the block is smooth, it doesn't sound like you over heated it to much so you might be able to get away with it.

Iam not saying its good to do this but in worst case it might work.

And ill tell you from my personal experience it is great to have an extra car while owning an un-restored supra. After replacing one thing after another it got annoying and inconvenient i just started to replace all wear and tear items at once, it was a little easier for me since my brothers owns a parts store but still expensive enough.

 

[steveyblack]

whats better, a stock toyota HG with ARP's, generic stone gasket with arp's or a cometic HG with arp's? With the cometic hg, is it a MHG? if so does my head and stuff need to be cut for it? I know you need to have a certain RA spec for MHG, but is it as low as the HKS and others?

 

[gaboonviper85]

whats better, a stock toyota HG with ARP's, generic stone gasket with arp's or a cometic HG with arp's? With the cometic hg, is it a MHG? if so does my head and stuff need to be cut for it? I know you need to have a certain RA spec for MHG, but is it as low as the HKS and others?

all metal headgaskets require the head and usually block to be resurfaced....in your case I would go with a composite toyota gasket. Forget a metal gasket as the motor is comeing out soon anyway....and yes a cometic is metal.

 

[86yota]

ya you dont need a MHG for an n/a you dont run boost so its pretty much extra money spend for nothing. Now i would say get it if you where planning on rebuilding your block and going n/a-t But if you are buying awhole other motor dont waste the money right now.

 

[steveyblack]

looks like I might not half ass it. Im going to be getting a toyota gasket set, new timing belt and tensioner, ARP studs. Im going to be replacing my rod bearings while im at it. One problem is that the previous owner replace the HG before, and he doesnt know if the head was cut already...he said he doesnt think so, but i just want to make sure, what can I do to find out if it has?? and can i lap the head a little to make sure it has a nice face to it? If I go with a 1.4mm(i think thats stock) and I do need to cut the head a little, can I still run the 1.4mm Hg????

 

[lewis15498]

Not to question your experience, but you do realize that your talking about a rediculous amount of work and money for an engine your gonna throw away in a few months...doesnt seem even close to being worth it to me. Like i said get yourself a new daily driver and take your time on the turbo swap. You will thank me when you realize how long your car is going to be down.

P.S. if you chose not to listen to me and change your rod bearings you should change your main bearings as well. and the crank seals. which is easier with the motor out. none of these are simple tasks which is why i say dont bother.

 

[steveyblack]

Not to question your experience, but you do realize that your talking about a rediculous amount of work and money for an engine your gonna throw away in a few months...doesnt seem even close to being worth it to me. Like i said get yourself a new daily driver and take your time on the turbo swap. You will thank me when you realize how long your car is going to be down.

P.S. if you chose not to listen to me and change your rod bearings you should change your main bearings as well. and the crank seals. which is easier with the motor out. none of these are simple tasks which is why i say dont bother.

yes i know how much time it takes, I just ripped apart a GTE that turned out to be an expensive paper weight. that HG was also blown and I got to that part with minimal problems...And I paid 800 for this car, and it has lasted me for a year and a half. Im going to just get her to a nice dd right now. Im taking my time with the turbo swap when im ready(taking care of all hoses, sensors, ect)...

 

[gaboonviper85]

looks like I might not half ass it. Im going to be getting a toyota gasket set, new timing belt and tensioner, ARP studs. Im going to be replacing my rod bearings while im at it. One problem is that the previous owner replace the HG before, and he doesnt know if the head was cut already...he said he doesnt think so, but i just want to make sure, what can I do to find out if it has?? and can i lap the head a little to make sure it has a nice face to it? If I go with a 1.4mm(i think thats stock) and I do need to cut the head a little, can I still run the 1.4mm Hg????

you need to take the naked head to a machinist and have him measure how tall it is....the trsm tells you what it's supposed to be and how much metal can be removed....you can use a regular gasket but if it's been cut then you will also be raising compression which isn't that good...you also risk the valves being able to hit the pistons if too much material is removed.

 

[gaboonviper85]

yes i know how much time it takes, I just ripped apart a GTE that turned out to be an expensive paper weight. that HG was also blown and I got to that part with minimal problems...And I paid 800 for this car, and it has lasted me for a year and a half. Im going to just get her to a nice dd right now. Im taking my time with the turbo swap when im ready(taking care of all hoses, sensors, ect)...

what's the problem with the gte?

 

[AJ'S 88NA]

Take the head as is to the machine shop, don't take it apart.

 

[steveyblack]

well i think I have a plan

Im going to take my head off, get it milled and checked for warp. Get a felpro gasket set, clean my block well. get some ARP's and then throw it together...Im also going to be putting new rod bearing in.. I started getting a knock so im going to be knocking(no pun) them out while everything is apart...

 

[shiftysupra]

tell me about the swap... my engine got here in the 15th and I am still waiting to be done... need a new damn injector resistor! wtf and i have to buy a new clutch and mgh on january 3rd when I get my christmas bonus! :naughty: but I said for like 2 yrs... "oh i'll have it done in like 5 mos." then a year passed... do it right or get another dd. i would just save the 300+ bucks for your swap. Thats partially there...can get one used really cheap around 1400..

 

[nightrider760]

My suggestions is using stock oem parts, because if you are about to swap
a turbo motor into that car.If you buy another car it will actually give you more time to look at the smallest details before doing the swap,like cleanning up and painting the engine bay.The only thing of having two cars that its like having two girlsfriends they both need attention and care or else they will leave your ass and you will have none of them to cruise with.:cry::aigo::3d_frown: