Warped Cylinder Head = Chocolate Syrup in the Crank Case; How much do I need to replace?

It's always such a wonderful feeling, ain't it? Engine overheats, you get that nasty smelling smoke coming out of the exhaust.... and then you get the worst news when you drain the oil and out comes that forbidden chocolate sauce.

So I've been told by the folks at the machine shop, since the antifreeze that our beloved little cars use is based on an organic acid, it'll screw up most anything inside if left to its own devices, meaning that tearing the whole engine apart is a must in order to make sure you get every last drop of that stuff out of there.

So here's what I need to know: exactly how much do I need to replace here?

For one thing, the water pump is shot - this was the root of evil in our case, and no wonder since the spindle is seized as hard as they come.

The timing chain felt like it had a bit more slack than it should have had, so that's gonna go, too.

I'm pretty sure it's a safe idea to replace the main bearings, along with just about every gasket I can get at.

The head bolts looked good, though. Nice and clean, no rust, no galling of the threads.

Anything else? Is the intake cam phaser and solenoid valve safe to reuse? Should I do the piston rings as well? Any idea who's got the best rebuild kits for these cars? How worthwhile is a subscription to Toyota's TIS website and can I save the PDF files to my local drive?

 

You're talking about this like as if I got money to spare. Which I don't. Unless you can find a good engine for under $600 (including the cost of shipping), then it's gonna cost me a lot less to rebuild this engine instead of buying one. I'm already familiar enough with JDM importers to know that it's gonna cost me at least twice what I'll spend going whole-hog on the rebuild. And I also know that buying locally from a rebuild shop may cost less, but not by much, because they know what the importers charge, and they want to charge nearly as much so they make more money than the importers.

I don't know what your qualifications are, but I was a Mk45 5"/54 Gun Technician in the Navy. This is a gun that has well-over a thousand moving parts to it because it's more than just what you see on the ceck of the ship - it's also the 20-round ready-service carousel magazine directly underneath it, and the ammunition hoists that go down to the deep magazine below the ship's waterline. It's also the 440 volt 3-phase AC power supply and the computer that control the whole thing. There is all kinds of work that needs to be done to keep it running smoothly. Rebuilding an engine pales in comparison to some of the things I did working on that gun.

So, kindly, do not make assumptions about what I am capable of or what I am willing to do. You do not know me.

The only reason I'm here asking about this is because I am not familiar with the effects that the antifreeze will have on the engine's internal wearing components such as the main bearings and piston rings.

 

Thanks much! I'll probably still want to do something to clear the worst of it out, but at least now I can proceed with my original plans of basic cleaning and replacing only what needs to be replaced (gaskets, water pump, timing chain).

I admit, it is pretty dumb, but I wanted to be better safe than sorry since the materials used in things like the bearings are not the same as those used in the block itself. And in the military, even though things are made to withstand abuse, there's also the mindset of, "We designed it specifically for use with this chemical - do not deviate or you will destroy our equipment!"