I am just so sick of it...

the only thing that is SURE to fail on these engines.
does anyone have a cure? is there an aftermarket head or gasket that helps?? i like to stay as stock as possible but these hg failures are just getting stupid.

different engines/vehicles/driving conditions etc. NOT just one truck..

When the factory put these engines together, the original head gaskets usually lasted for about 200,000 miles. I talked to someone whose original gasket only lasted 70,000 miles, but that is the exception. My 86 went 195,000, and is now at 265,000 on gasket #2, and still has the original piston rings and engine bearings. Usual causes for head gasket failure involve improper preparation. If the head is flat and smooth, and the head bolt holes in the block are clean and have no excessive oil or foreign material in them to prevent the bolts from being properly torqued, and the properly lubed bolts are tightened in the proper order to the proper torque values in several steps, you should expect your head gasket replacement to give you long service.

yeh, it has to do with resurfacing. cleaning out the bolt holes. new head bolts. run it untill it is warmed up. take the valve cover back off re torque the bolts.. 500 miles re torque the bolts.
I don't know how the factory makes them but this has worked for me.
maybe even at a 1000 retorque. I do it every time I have the valve cover off.

oh make sure that there is no, water, oil, anti freeze in the bottom of the bolt holes.

x2. I'd be willing to bet most head gasket failures are due to this. After chasing the threads in the bolt holes, I spray carb cleaner liberally into the bolt holes, then I blow the holes dry with compressed air using a blow gun with a tip that has a short piece of 1/8" nylon oil pressure line that really blasts down into the hole. You must lube the head bolt threads to get proper torque readings, but too much oil can hydraulic lock the bolts, guaranteeing a gasket failure.

Have you read anything about the 22R rebuilds in our tech archive? They've helped a lot of folks; might give you some other ideas.

In the lower left corner, open up the viewing to 'view all' to find them.

x3. Machine and clean.

thanks everyone. I will remind the mechanic to clean the holes out.

does anyone else share my frustration? I love my toyotas but how can i depend on them you know?

ive owned probably 50 cars/trucks in my life and no other brand has ever had a hg fail- with the 22re it is a 99% guarantee!

I am in the same boat... 3rd HG in 6 years.

I properly prepped it. I made sure all the holes were clean. I even posted pics for EB to verify everything was done correctly... But since I built the engine, I lose the HG every 2 years like clockwork. Always blows the fire ring in the #3 cylinder.

Replaced mine when I rebuilt the engine and never had a problem.

real easy. never run plain water, have anti freeze in it. get a mechanical temp gauge thats read in degree and keep a eye on it, and it properly would not hurt to change the gasket out every 100k miles.