I have a 92 Toyota Cresida with 207,000 miles. Head gasket bad. Have to put water in radiator and check oil every morning. I park on the street to keep the oil off my driveway. It smokes for a bit when I park. Can’t afford another car. Does anyone have experience with engine sealants? I purchased Blue Devil that my mechanic doubts. I know it is risky and may not work but also could give me another 5,000 miles if I’m lucky. Is it worth trying? Any recommendations?
pull the head ,and fix it properly.
good luck.
If you can read instructions and turn a wrench you can probably change the head gasket yourself.
Avoid all additives and sealers. The only fix for a leaking gasket is a new gasket. If your Cressida is leaking oil it probably needs more than just a head gasket. The head gasket explains the need for coolant, but not the oil spots and smoking. There may be multiple leaks. There’s no way to tell from here.
Sorry to hear that, but the longer you wait the more expensive the repair. Nothing but a proper repair is going to help.
Let me humbly say, it is best to properly repair the engine but in a desperate effort to keep a car running any of several block sealers MAY keep the engine running for a few thousand miles. Being familiar with the weak/failure prone points of engines and an understanding of the basic principles involoved, I would venture that if the engine is marginally operational, a few dollars for one of the snake oils might make it somewhat reliable for the near future. Shade tree mechanics have used such tricks for years with some amount of success.
Hello, I have just registered for the car talk chat, so I do not know if one gets an alert or something when somebody replies to one’s old post. This is is why I am writing here to ask Rod Knox to look at my question in “Engine knock?” (the topic started back in Aug 2007). Hope to hear from you! Thanks much and sorry for being off the topic of “Engine Sealant.”
Years ago, I had a problem with a cracked block around the valves on my 1947 Pontiac. I put the head back on after I found the problem and “fixed” it with K & W seal. This repair held as long as I owned the car. Just recently, my brother used this same product to keep one of the vans going in his plumbing business. They seem to have been able to keep this truck on the road for the last 6 months.
I agree with Rod Knox on this one. My understanding is that you’re just trying to keep the ol’ beater going for awhile longer and don’t have the funds or desire to do a new head gasket. This is a perfect application of additives. Try some and let us know the results.
yes, IMHO it’s worth trying in this case.
There is no alert. If someone responds to an old post, it simply moves back to the top of the list.
Try reposting, start a new thread.