The head Gasket on my 1989 Toyota Cressida has given up...
I need instructions on how to dismantle and repair it.

another victem of the BHG gremlin...had mine done start of the winter on my '90.

since your post seems a little brief, i'm going to toss up a small disclaimer here - if you've never done any job like this, i'd take it to a competent mechanic. this is not to question your mechanical abilities or experience, i just simply don't know. i'll leave it up to you, and use the following materials at your own risk.

http://www.thermactor.com/files/pages/Gallery/BHG/BHG.html

that site has some great pics. i learned a lot from it.

http://www.cygnusx1.net/supra/Library/TSRM/MK3/

that's the mk3 supra repair manual. very useful as the mk3's used either the 7M-GE (exact same as what we have in our cressys) or the 7M-GTE (same thing, simply added turbo, ignitor pack, extra knock sensors, etc.)

so a few things i can tell you - all 7M's blow their head gaskets, its just a matter of when. the why is a bit of a mystery, but the general concensus was that the torque on the head bolts is far too low. reason is said to be that they changed the HG material at the last minute before production and forgot to change the torque spec. the other theory is that apparently there is a cooling line behind cylinder 6 in the head that was never drilled out. the passage way is there in both the head and block, but just didn't get drilled for some reason. i've heard of people drilling this out with success but not brave enough myself.

weather you do this or not is your choice, but i HIGHLY recommend you torque the head bolts to 70-72 ft-lbs! the stock spec is 58 ft-lbs and general concensus is that this is wrong. make sure you use a toyota head gasket as it has been revised over the years. in fact, it was cheapest where i am. be sure to use either a new set of toyota head bolts (there's 14 of 'em) or better yet and possibly cheaper grab a set of ARP head bolts at:

http://www.alamomotorsports.com/arp/arp_he...lts.html#toyota

the 7M-GTE are ok for our 7M-GE's as well. ARP head studs are even better if you know how to install them and plan on putting any boost into it down the road. if not, i'd just get the bolts.

hope thats of some help to you. its a lot of info, there's a lot around the net if you search around. best resource is the forums at www.toyotacressida.net. ignore the front page forums. its a joke and changes when u sign in. there's some very very knowledgeable people there!

be sure to check the head carefully for flatness using a precision straightedge and a set of feeler gauges. machining of the head will likely be necessary as its aluminum. block is cast iron and should be fine.

be sure to do an oil change after as i'm willing to bet your oil is loaded with coolant (probably some nice sludge under your oil cap) and flushing the coolant system couldn't hurt either. that sludge will blow the rod bearings rather quickly. replacing the fuel filter will be very easy with the head off as well. also, check the camshaft seals and valve seals while you're in there.

and last but not least, most recommend re-torqueing the head bolts 1000km's after the job and roughly once a year after. i just did mine this weekend about 3000-4000km's after the HG was done. well worth it, i got nearly 1/2 turn out of one bolt and about 1/4 out of 2 others. this site gives a good procedure for that:

http://www.supras.org.nz/techinfo/stuart_w...rd/storque.html

however DO NOT loosen the bolts when doing this! that is wrong and could damage the HG.

oh and plugs will probably need to be replaced as well.

sorry if this is a lot of what you already know, but like i said i have no idea how easy or hard this job would be for you. best of luck and let me know how it goes!

P.S. welcome to Team BHG!

take your time and lay everything out as you go. clean everything up and reassemble. there not really that hard to do. rrickettss

If you take your time and are methodical, replacing your head gasket isn't that difficult. Howerver, I'd go the extra mile and replace both of them, as the expense is only measured in time. Make sure that you completely clean off any old gasket material and debris, leaving the surfaces perfectly clean. You also might want to consider having the heads ground to ensure perfectly flat surfaces, especially if your 4Runner has severely or repeatedly overheated (approximately $50.00ea.) In addition, you might as well replace the timing belt and water pump. Doing so will ensure many more years of 'Runnin' pleasure. Erick Faust Service Advisor, O'Brien Toyota/Scion Indianapolis, IN rrickettss

Thanks Erick. Paul Erick Faust

Thanks Kevin. Paul kevin ehlers

Erick Faust

its not too bad a job. but remeber to mark up all the tubes and hoses. get them wrong and it will run like a pig. change the cam belt whilst your at it and also the water pump. the radiator is a big cause of blown head gaskets and on your if it is the original it will be working at about 30% efficiency due to clogging from old age. which means the engine will get warm really quickly. best of luck its worth doing. oh skim the heads its worth it.

well i could tell you (from experience) that if its a 3ltr engine then its a whole heap of work. i dont know how different the 2.5ltr is. I fully recommend getting a workshop manual before even thinking about starting. You might want to think about getting your turbo serviced/reuilt while you have it out also. ihave done the gasket on mine. it took me about a week (working on it after work). But do it soon as possible, if you intend on driving it for alot longer.