And I'm pretty much moping right now. I took my rig for a little drive today, with the engine running rough. Usually, when I open my radiator cap, the water is right there. But I noticed that I don't see it at the top when I open it. So, I take it for a drive. On the way back, I floor it. It revs up to about 4000 RPMs and stays there for a while. Then all of a sudden, my engine lost power like I dropped a cylinder. I got it back home and opened the "dog house" and heard bubbling in the reservoir. After letting it cool for a bit, I removed the radiator cap. It made a pretty loud hiss too that I never heard before. I had to add almost a gallon in it. Of course, I did it a little at a time. Poured some in, started it, poured more in, started it. I topped it off and started it. I noticed the water was bouncing like crazy and bubbling over. It's never done that before. I put the cap back on and messed with the throttle and looked at the exhaust at the same time. It does blow out a little steam when I rev it high enough. So, this must mean my headgasket is finished and the problems I was having with the engine were being caused by a dying headgasket.

I also noticed it pings really loudly when I give it throttle. Could this be from the valve? My guess is that the head gasket could be blocking some of the oil flow going to the valves. I remember when I lost my pressure sensor and lost all my oil, it was really noisy.

How much does a typical headgasket replacement cost? On our Chevy Corsica we used to have, it was around $500. But I imagine it'll be more on my rig, since the location is under the seat. Now, just to let you know. I do NOT want a suggestion to get a new car. I hate it when people tell me that. Afterall, it's just a gasket and it's replaceable.

What kind of car,van,truck is it???

Originally posted by jamie1
What kind of car,van,truck is it???

Look at his avatar.:D

Yer looking at it. In my avatar. ;) Just to be more specific, it's a 1984 Toyota Van. The engine on it is under the front seats. www.toyotavans.org has a lot more info on them.

this may seem like a suicide approach, but smell the exhaust, if its white and has a sweet smell to it, its most likely a head gasket.

i reccomend a new car.

I called the local shop. They said it's around 7 hours of work according to their book. Around for 7 hours of work, the labor is $350, plus the cost of the headgasket, and the cost of a raidiator flush. That isn't too bad, actually. My engine is under the seat, but, I'll have it torn apart and ready for them so they don't have to do that part. That should keep the labor charges down. I've taken some video this morning. It should confirm that I, indeed, blew my headgasket. http://www.toyotavans.org/img/kc/blownheadgasket.wmv

:cry:

yes white foam is a sign of headgasket failure, time to replace!

Ok. Will do.

Best of luck with your repair!:cry: