05 Camry Head Gasket leak - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Neiko1967 · 05-26-2011, 12:35 AM

I have the 2.4l engine and the car has 177K on it. Bought it from a friend at 60K and never had a problem with it. I started getting the coolant puddle from the rear of the engine. We took the intake manifold off and saw that the head was leaking in the rear. Real small drop forming and then falling. No codes at the time either. Seems this car has problems with the Engine bolts and was wondering how many people out there had a blown head gasket and there was no bolt issue?

Also I know this is not the right thing to do but has anyone used a Engine Block Sealant? This is the kind that you drain your antifreeze,flush twice and then run this stuff in it for little while and then replace with antifreeze.

I am upside down on the car because I put 50K a year on so don't think I will get anything for trade.I am hoping my brother in law and I can fix it but am wondering what the odds are there is a problem with the bolts.

Sorry for the rambling but it is late and I am tired. Thanks for any help you guys can give.

sam333 · 05-26-2011, 01:18 AM

Block seal sucks( not reliable) , fix it right.

BlackG5 · 05-26-2011, 12:15 PM

its definitely the head bolts, and with basic tools and a bit of knowledge can be done in the garage...

sorry about your luck, im at about 175k right now, knocking on wood mine doesn't start leaking..

If you could, let me know the first letter in your vin number, to tell if its a US built or Japan built car. I think a majority of the head bolt issues are on US built cars...

Neiko1967 · 05-26-2011, 12:23 PM

It starts 4T1BE. I emailed Norm on the kit to see how much it is. The more I read online the better I am feeling about doing it with my Brother in law. Is there anything else I should replace at the same time? I just did the water pump and thermostat. How long do the timingchains last?

BlackG5 · 05-26-2011, 12:30 PM

its probably a US built car, mine starts with J.... since you just did the water pump and thermostat, you should be good with just replacing the studs and doing the inserts..

there are plenty of detailed how-to guides online with pictures and everything, this issue is pretty well documented..

good luck!

johnfrisco · 05-26-2011, 06:15 PM

All Japanese cars built in Japan start with the Vin letter "J".

You can also open the driver's side door and there will be a sticker that tells you when and where the car was manufactured.

Good luck.

my.rims.are.stock · 05-26-2011, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neiko1967

It starts 4T1BE. I emailed Norm on the kit to see how much it is. The more I read online the better I am feeling about doing it with my Brother in law. Is there anything else I should replace at the same time? I just did the water pump and thermostat. How long do the timingchains last?

It's definitely U.S. Built. That's what the "4" means and the "T" means Toyota ;-)

wcahrens · 05-26-2011, 09:51 PM

I just replaced head gasket on 2004 2AZ-FE camry US built with 178,000 miles. I replaced the bolts with new ones but there was no stripping problem with original bolts. I wondered if this was a bolt problem, but it wasn't. Believe it was my fault for delaying the repair of faulty water pump.