2002 Camry 207 k miles, oil leaks around head gasket, how to fix or worth fixing it?
Is it possible to fix it my self, I’m a beginner and I have replaced valve gasket.
I can smell burning oil after each drive and when i open the hood i could see the smoke, is it okay to continue to drive/commute to office 20 miles one way.
I can’t tell much from the pictures . Replacing a head gasket is not a simple job . Do a Google search for videos on doing that and that should help you decide if you can do it. A local independent shop can give a ball park price and for a diagnostic fee they can see if the head gasket is leaking and how much internal damage might have happened.
Are you positive it’s the head gasket, and not the valve cover gasket? They leak much more often. How much oil do you have to add (miles/quart)?
I am inclined to believe the new valve cover gasket is leaking.
Also, which engine? The V6 or the 4?
Clean the area with a degreaser and see where its leaking.Replacing a valve cover is an easy job provided you have the right gasket for your application.You have either a 4 or 6 cylinder engine.Good Luck!
Valve cover gasket i recently replaced and it not leaking however i’m not sure if its head gasket or any other it is leaking any other place.
Its V4 engine.
I would fix it as you have the only V4 Camry in the world.
I will try this… but i see he oil around the engine
video are there as guide… i still looking for a video with clear instruction on replacing and fixing it.
It’s a BIG job to replace a head gasket for a novice, and I’m still not sure that’s the problem. Do as advised above, clean the engine thoroughly and see where the oil comes from.
How much oil are you using?
I guess last time i used 4 quartz out of 6 pack i bought it from costco and the oil level in the engine between low and max dot.
How many miles before you have to add another quart?
I change oil 3 to 5 thousand miles… I don’t add in between…
You don’t add because you don’t need to or because you don’t check it between changes?
That is a major problem, you should never let the oil fall below the ‘add’ mark.
Some oil seeped out of my 1984 Cavalier’s head gasket. I retorqued the bolts and the problem stopped. Things can go wrong when you do this, so be cautious. If the leak is small you could just wipe the oil off from time to time, before it goes down where it can burn.
sometimes I check and when it goes below add mark I top up one quartz or if the oil looks really dark… i will drain and refill.
I haven’t taken the vehicle… and today I decided to try gasket leak fix which is poured into coolant/radiator. one of my friend suggested to pressure wash the engine and then look up for for leak location, is it good idea?
