Crap.

This time it is just leaking out not into the engine and I'm loosing oil not coolant.

The shop I took it to last (which has a pretty good rep here in San Diego, Protrux)said Felpros were better than OEM. My current mechanic (TLC) says I should use OEM.

I don't think it was an install problem by the Protrux guys, so I'm thinking my new mechanic is right.

What do you think?

btw. I'll have to check my receipts but it been over 1yr (not over 2yrs), so I can't take it back to Protrux.

you say your hg is leaking, but it is oil not coolant?

Are you absolutely sure it is a HG? My truck has leaked oil for the last 7 years..

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

Felpro has a poor reputation on most of the boards.
To tell the truth, I've used their HGs twice and never had a lick of any problem.

If you have it done again, the block needs to be carefully checked to make sure it is flat - and even more importantly - the head should be checked.

Ted (engnbldr) sells Rock Auto gaskets which seem to work well. OEM has a good reputation also. Consider upgrading to studs ($120-$140).

Check to see if they used/charged you for new head bolts. If they re-used your old ones then they didn't do a correct job, and owe you another HG job or your money back.

I would use the OEM over felpro.

Where is the oil leaking from, the head or one of the valve covers?
Has a compression/leak down test been done yet?

When they changed the HG, the also changed the heads because they were cracked. I'm pretty sure they re-used the head bolts. All the mechanics I've asked about this say they only change them if they find a problem with them. Protrux, Toyota, and my new mechanic.

With a mirror, the mechanic showed me where it was leaking from. It is definitely the head. You can see where the HG is pushed out a bit and the oil leaking out. It is leaking from the front below the power steering pump. No oil in the coolant or visa versa. Also, the engine runs strong no stumbling and I'm still getting really good gas mileage 250+ mi per tank.

The last time the engine was running rough and I only got 200mi per tank.

Maybe this time, I'll just buy the bolts and have them install them......or figure out how to do this HG myself <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" />....but I can't afford the downtime. It generally takes me 4x as a normal person.

This is your problem. NEVER reuse the bolts, they are single use only. I can`t believe how many shops do this to people. Get your new gasket and bolts from EB. DIY or have somebody do it for you, but buy Ted`s parts.

Rauch,
What warrents the need for new bolts?

The fact that they are Torque to Yield.

This is standard for standard head bolts, however it isn't the case at all for torque-to-yield head bolts. TTY head bolts are a one time use only bolt do to their design. TTY bolts are designed to stretch when torqued, once torqued to the final setting you can't ever achieve the correct torque value again. This is why so many of the V6 HG replacements failed, the old bolts when retorqued weren't holding correctly. I understand why so many cut corners, at $6-8/bolt it gets expensive, but it is cheaper than having to do it again. If you know for sure that Protrux re-used the old headbolts, i.e., the bolts aren't listed on the work order for parts, then they owe you a new HG or your money back, regardless of it being past the 1yr warranty.

The torque problem is why DOA designed and sell studs for the 3.0. and now I believe EB sells regular bolts for the 3.0 as well. Unfortunatly only DOA studs were available 3 yrs ago when I rebuilt the top end, and the studs were unavailable at the time so I went with new TTY's.

I wish I could find a shop/mech that understood this. When I ask if head bolts should be changed and explain what I learned on a 4x4 board, they role their eyes and give me the line of how many hundreds/thousands HG they've done especially for the recall and never had a problem.

TTY bolts can't be a secret, so why the resistance?