Expert: Ted Ritter - 11/9/2009

Question
Hi just wondering if you Have seen  small cracks in a cylinder head on a Toyota 4cyl. 4x4 22RE 218 000kms. I just had the head gasket replaced and the head planed.problem didn't get solved. The coolant keeps overflowing the Reservoir.Then when coolant is low the engine surges from low to higher rpms when I come to a stop.I don't have any smoke and no coolant in the oil.I also had the valves and timing set a few times but no one seems to do it right. Should it be done cold or hot or both? Have you seen the new barsleak 3 part professional series Head Gasket Fix???I don't have the money to buy a cylinder head Yet.Have you seen these problems before. Thanks Tony

Answer
Yes these cylinder heads have a tendency to have cracks, how long has been been since the headgasket was replaced? if done recently then there may just be a lot of air still in the cooling system, sometimes these air pockets take a while to clear up, the engine surges because the coolant temp sensor is reacting to the hot spots and the cools down when coolant makes contact with it. Was the thermostat replaced? Let the engine cool off and remove the top radiator hose from the radiator and slowly pour water/coolant into the hose, this may take a while but do this until there are no more bubbles coming up, reattach the hose and start the engine, let it idle and see how fast it overheats, the overheating may be due to another cause not the head or gasket. The valves should be adjusted with the engine cold at 0.008" intake and 0.12" exhaust.