4age head gasket - blowen onces, is it again?

[Volatile]

Its on a 4age 16v bluetop tvis

Head gasket was replaced at 151400km it's now done 190,000km and i took the oil cap off and undernealth is the classic creamy mix of water and oil

not like i'd seen it before tho - on my 2k it's a real creamy white - on the 4age its less and more of an oily colour than a white/cream

could this be that the headgasket is fine and all the left over crap from when the head gasket blew last just eventually mixing with the clean oil and appearing on the oil cap?

I'm looking to buy this car, i have seen the reciept for the head gasket replacement.


Cheers
James

[Gudgen]

check the radiator too. if theres oil there then oopss..

but it seems the fixed the problem but didnt diagnose the cause.

what cause the head to blow in the first place..

meh..

[kingcorolla]

have another look at the car, this time checking the coolant in the radiator, if h/g has gone, chances are, u will se drops of oil in the coolant. Check the dipstick aswell. Thers a few ways to check for shot h/g. Normally the detergant agent in the oil will clean up this previous gunk around the filler. Especially if it was 30,000km ago!!

[JT]

Take it for a good thrash and see if there's anything under the cap then. Mine used to get a bit milky under the cap but once warm it was fine. Have a compression or leakdown test done and that will tell you what's up.

[Drifter4ag]

the white stuff can be caused by running a too rich mixture which will make your oil watery most of the condensation will exit via the breater but small as it is it can rid engine of everything.
Not all headgaskets will leak into the radiator when blown often they will just blow between cyllinders.
Change your oil - get your car tuned - thrash the shits out of it and if it still has milky straight away then worry about it. Headgasket isnt really a big job its quite straight forward but worth alot of money to a mechanic

[Lloyd]

You get that creamyness just from lots of short running sometimes too. Take it to a garage and get them to have a quick look at it

[Farmer_dave]

Be very cautious of a vehicle like this, It could have a cracked head warped head cracked block or corroded head etc.
seems a bit dodgy to me.

[mike simmonds]

usually wen head gasket gone they piss steam out the exhaust

[thaphatty]

JT's got the right idea, cylinder leakage test will tell all

[CAMB01]

Was the head checked for straightness when the gasket was replaced, and was the block checked for corrosion. About 90% of all 16V 4AGE's will corrode the block round the back of No 4 cyl, this is usually where the gasket blows.

[kingcorolla]

JT's got the right idea, cylinder leakage test will tell all

wrong, a leak down test just tests for leaks when the piston is at TDC, so if the gasket has just cracked between a jacket, and an oil gallery, a leak down test will show nothing. Perhaps pressure testing the cooling system may be a good idea as well.

just remember, when doin a leak down test, disconnect things like the PCV, from cam covers AND the manifold, to check for leaks sources from intake valve,(check at manifold) and you will hear a leak out the cam covers, due to blowby past the rings. Taking the radiator cap off and fulling radiatior up to the brim, to check for leak from cylinder - water jacket. Not sure how you would check for a leak past the exhaust valve.. listening at the tailpipe might not be very effective.

[Adamal]

Check the dipstick.

[RS13]

FFS! Once again, a variety of answers from the panel of 'experts'.

Yes, indeed, your new headgasket could have blown, due to a number of reasons, (warped/cracked head, incorrect fitting, sustained high revs', or most likely the fact that you may thrash the tits off it when its cold; remember 99% of motors take at LEAST 11 minutes of medium revs' to warm up fully, and correctly lubricate the motor.. and anyone who tells you otherwise is a cletus; it could even be a crap headgasket.. TOYOTA GENUINE PARTS, PEOPLE!! ITS NOT THAT HARD!)
or it is possible for condensation (if the car hasn't been used in a while, or if your oil cap is bung) to produce the "sludge" under the cap.

There is no firm way to tell, other than to bite the bullet, maybe pay some coin, and take it to a mechanic to have a look.. preferably Toyota. Now, most people will be saying, "but I done tol' you, that them Toyota people charge me 2 pigs and a cow!", but seriously, it pays to have things done right the first time, by people who know what they're doing. End of story!