Is my van having a bad head gasket?

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sifan

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My 1997 Toyota Previa minivan with a factory super charger and 200K miles on the original engine is blowing a huge amount of white steam from its tail pipe when starts up. In the past few years I have noticed a gradual loss of coolant (I just topped off the coolant with no engine overheat), but never seen the white steam like this before. I have heard from other Previa owners that their engines suffered from head gasket issues. Is my Previa showing the sign of the same issue? Is it worth to fix it since the engine is still very strong (but the exhaust pipe also needs replacement), or is it the time for donation to a charity? Thanks.
 
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Sounds like a head gasket to me. Eventually it will get really bad and start running rough more than likely. Better stop driving and fix it. Don't let it overheat.
 
I'd say get it fixed...unless you can afford a car payment right now
wink.gif
Gotta outweigh the pros and cons really....cost of parts + labor, vs. cost of new/replacement car.....hehe.

Another aspect you could look at, is if the parts are more than what the vehicle is worth.....

But then again.....still comes back to #1.....may be easier to slap $500 onto a car, that's only worth $200 and let it run for another 10 years.....just make sure you do the job right. May as well change out the T-stat, belts, hoses, water pump, gasket, etc....do it all right the first time.
 
Many of these decisions are not financial. Decide whether the love affair is over and make the decision.

I would not take the plunge unless you have 100% confidence in the person doing the job, that includes yourself.
 
There is a "cult" demand out there for these rolling eggs,if you advertised for sale,it would sell.To somebody.
 
Yeah, the engine did start up very rough lately, but once warmed up the engine ran very smoothly and strong. I will not start the engine now. Previa engine is made of steel not aluminum; does this mean a crack head is not possible here?

I just called a local garage whose owner suggested a low mileage replacement engine instead of replacing the head gasket due to the high mileage. Just few months ago the servo for the driver side door lock died. A brand new servo would cost $500 from a dealer in CA. A local dealer came up a refurbished one costing $275. The mechanic could not find one from junk yards. I am not sure how likely in finding a used low mileage engine. Anyway this just shows my Previa might worth a lot in term of parts to the right persons.

I am waiting for the garage owner to give me an estimate. I will decide the van's fate after weighing all the options. Thanks.
 
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I'd love to get my hands on one of these!

I had an 84 Toyota Van (yes, it was called the "Van") and thought it was the coolest thing on a 18" wheelbase. Running a refrigeration loop through an ice cooler between the front seats?? They just don't make stuff like that anymore!
 
Originally Posted By: antonmnster
I'd love to get my hands on one of these!

I had an 84 Toyota Van (yes, it was called the "Van") and thought it was the coolest thing on a 18" wheelbase. Running a refrigeration loop through an ice cooler between the front seats?? They just don't make stuff like that anymore!


I had a 89' Toyota Van! Good times! We used to call it the "turtle van". I drove it till 296k miles, till I finally retired it. It never left me stranded, all though the starter was very weak. Sometimes I'd find myself laying on my back hammering the starter, trying to get it to start. Never could fix the starter (issue with the ground, i think), but the starter worked most of the time without smacking it. lol
 
Previa is mid-engine designed. The engine situates right under the driver's seat. According to the garage owner the whole engine and transmission have to be removed. Just the labor of removal and re-installation of drive train will cost $2500. An used engine (over 100k miles and available outside Maryland) costs at least $1200 without any mock up from him. So, I am looking at a minimum of $4000 in repair cost without a guarantee that nothing would go wrong. Any surprises would skyrocket the final cost. At the end he recommends not to fix the van due to too many unforeseen factors.

It is very hard to find an AWD minivan like Previa with a large cargo space nowadays. The AWD Sienna is just too pricy and rare. I will have to let it sit for a week and make up my mind.
 
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Why not just fill up the coolant every couple of days? Sure, it wastes valuable time but much cheaper than fixing the problem.

My 89' Van had the engine under the driver's seat as well, let's just say the van was very comfortable to be in during the winter. lol, who needs heat seaters when you have an engine under your a**.
 
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Originally Posted By: sifan
Previa is mid-engine designed. The engine situates right under the driver's seat. According to the garage owner the whole engine and transmission have to be removed. Just the labor of removal and re-installation of drive train will cost $2500. An used engine (over 100k miles and available outside Maryland) costs at least $1200 without any mock up from him. So, I am looking at a minimum of $4000 in repair cost without a guarantee that nothing would go wrong. Any surprises would skyrocket the final cost. At the end he recommends not to fix the van due to too many unforeseen factors.

It is very hard to find an AWD minivan like Previa with a large cargo space nowadays. The AWD Sienna is just too pricy and rare. I will have to let it sit for a week and make up my mind.

Know anybody that specializes in Toyotas? They are rare, but you might be able to find one. Those shops might be able to save you money on the job.

Anyway, if I really loved the van, I would get a really good remanufacturered engine. A 100,000 mile engine is so risky with all the other expenses.
 
Wish I could come buy it.

The biggest weakness with my 84 was the fact that it had TWO condensers in front of the radiator. To get decent AC it had to be hot enough for the fan clutch to by fully locked up. So, on a really hot day, the front and rear ac would keep up but it was drawing do much power that top speed was about 60, I couldn't use 4th gear, and it sounded like a tornado.

To get back on topic, I'd probably advertise the van and find my local equivalent to buy it.
 
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