1995 Corolla 7A-FE Valve Seal and Piston Ring Replacement project w/pics

[psychocoder]

schn0354,

Yesterday I put about 150 highway miles on it, checked the oil before bed (made sure to let it rest about 2-3 hours before checking) and so far have found no water in the oil *crosses fingers*, maybe Ive gotten real lucky on this one (damn I hope).

Did a wet test yesterday while in town, getting 233 across the board, MAJOR improvement from before the rebuild. And you're right, the major wear happens right away, and if anythings going to go wrong its going to be in the first 2-300 miles thats why Im using the car to go back and forth to work (52 miles one way) for a couple days before turning it over to my wife (its my family we're talking about so Im making sure everything is fine before I let her drive it).

Ill keep you updated on the head gasket situation as the miles pile up. By the way, went almost 150 miles yesterday and barely used a 1/4 tank of gas.

[schn0354]

psychocoder,

Wow, those are excellent results! If you have been on the highway that much already you should be fine. I pulled my cylinder head last night. Nothing is cracked. I could not tell where the leak was coming from on the head gasket. The gasket itself appears in perfect condition. There was more carbon buildup from 250 miles than I imagined on top of the pistons and an oily film in the intake manifold/air plenum. I will post a few more photos. There is something else to this picture that still is not operating quite right. I am questioning if my EGR valve is not working properly (stuck closed) and contributing towards a rich fuel mixture and hence excess unburned fuel. Once I get it back together I will vaccuum test it. EGR valves are $180 from the dealer (online wholesale). Ouch! I have not found any other place selling them yet. Does anyone know a source?

[psychocoder]

schn0354,

Well the inevitable happened, I did the 500 mile oil change and the oil was indeed cloudy from having water in the oil, gues I wasnt as I thought. Ill be ordering a new head gasket next week and will get it swapped next weekend.

ON a side note, I got 39.8 MPG out of the last tank of gas.

[Bitter]

Originally Posted by schn0354

psychocoder,

Wow, those are excellent results! If you have been on the highway that much already you should be fine. I pulled my cylinder head last night. Nothing is cracked. I could not tell where the leak was coming from on the head gasket. The gasket itself appears in perfect condition. There was more carbon buildup from 250 miles than I imagined on top of the pistons and an oily film in the intake manifold/air plenum. I will post a few more photos. There is something else to this picture that still is not operating quite right. I am questioning if my EGR valve is not working properly (stuck closed) and contributing towards a rich fuel mixture and hence excess unburned fuel. Once I get it back together I will vaccuum test it. EGR valves are $180 from the dealer (online wholesale). Ouch! I have not found any other place selling them yet. Does anyone know a source?

you may try a junkyard, i'd bet other toyotas use the same valve.

[schn0354]

Psychocoder,

That is unfortunate news! excellent gas mileage though. My Corolla has been back together again for about a week now. However, the oil still has a slight green tint. I will be changing the oil again and make sure I am not just seeing remnants of the old coolant in oil that did not fully drain out when I last changed oil. I re-used the head bolts recently purchased and although they appeared fine, I was reading about 80 ft/lbs. on the torque wrench on the final 90 degree turn sequence. This seems low for head bolts, but specs are not listed so I don't really know how tight they are supposed to be. Please let me know about how tight your head bolts are when you put it back together.

If I am still getting coolant in the oil, I will be doing this again. I am conviced it is worthwhile to use new head bolts with the new gasket every time. Initially when I put the head gasket on upsidedown a miniature brass rivet was crushed. Hopefully, it did not make an indentation into the cylinder head and block causing a small leak. Actually, I already looked at this and it appears good. However, it may be too difficult to see. At this point, I question whether putting new head bolts and a new gasket will solve the small leak. Can anyone suggest a solution other than bringing the engine in to a machine shop and having them resurface the cylinder head and block?

[Bitter]

copper gasket sealent spray may work well enough to seal something small like that.

[schn0354]

Maybe, but I am hesitant to use it as have been informed by a few mechanics not to use it on a Multi Layered Steel gasket.

Originally Posted by Bitter

copper gasket sealent spray may work well enough to seal something small like that.

[Bitter]

yea, i dont like the stuff either but if it works then it works. i've used aluminum paint to reseal head gaskets on small 4 stroke engines, but i'd never use it on a car that i cared about.

[Axelrod]

This is a great thread . I found I am not alone in this oil consumption/vibration situation . Any further results from the postees ?

[Cabanon]

considering this thread is 2 years old, best luck is to change the motor and putting it a 20v or gze.
thats what i learned. dont watse your time with this motor. worst motor toyota made i think.

my 2 cents