Head gasket hell

Hey guys, just wondering how much you gys have paid or been quoted for a head gasket job on a 3sgte?

Concur

Has anyone in Sydney had their head gasket done recently?

It would be much cheaper wouldnt it if you pulled it off yourself and sent it away? but youd need all the tools etc. Get some ARP studs to fasten it too.

A new head is around $1,800 anyway.

lol... the 3S basically IS a camry engine... will be interesting to see if a conversion proves as reliable.
 
i think the key to mr2's is making sure they're maintained. If you let numpties work on them then things go wrong. the problem is it can be hard to know whos a numpty till its too late, and often when one thing goes wrong it leads to another and another... 
 
eg. my car. (that i know of)
 
numpty 1. doesn't know how to bleed the coolant. engine overheats, does head gasket.
numpty 2. (toyota dealer) tests compression but finds a spark plug is seized, neglects to remove plug or investigate further and claims engine is ok. replaces radiator cap. head gasket leaks water into cyl 3 causing water damage to the bore. engine continues to overheat and warps head. requiring rebore of cylinder, and a new head. (took opportunity to rebore all cylinders and install forgies - as you would)
numpty 3. reinstalls engine and gearbox, uses bolts that are too long to mount transmission and cracks tranny case. slightly bends clutch plate when mounting tranny to engine. timing wire from dizzy is brittle from overheating, snaps, and proves impossible to repair. Replace loom with Haltec MIL spec.
numpty 4. oil light stays on for a little while on startup. numpty checks oil pressure and decides it's all ok and within spec. I drive the car to Tassie to my normal mechanic. finds the oil pump is completely shagged and theres damage to bottom end bearings. bottom end bearings replaced....again. 
 
i'm certain there's been more along the way but i think it's important to get a good mechanic and make sure you stay on top of stuff.
 

I agree. Retards can fix Camry engines. Fixing a mr2 engine is a whole different thing. Problem I had is I thought I had a good mechanic but I didn't. Now the 3 times that the engine has overheated since he "fixed" it has properly fu•••d it. So it's rebuild a 2nd gen for $8000. Gen 3 conversion for $7000+ or 2gr for $8000. Where's the smart money in your opinion?

Don't blame you for going 2GR. I strongly disagree about the 3S being a POS though. They typically come with little history (in Japan) & were poorly maintained due to the lack of local knowledge (or lazyness overseas). Troubleshooting is typically a biach.  Additionally, they're old now too. Gen2 is also known for having a weaker HG.
 
In retrospect, most of the 3SGTE failures fall under the below:
Headgasket (age, weakness Gen2)
Poor modification (spun bearing, BHG)
Piston rings (age, poor tuning etc)
Cracked block (for the more hardcore)
 
Honestly, the single biggest problem owners come across is entrusting MR2's to big rep mechanics who charge a premium without results.  Compare that to the other issues/motors out there:
 
13B - rats nest vaccuum lines, complete inability to take detonation, even more sub-standard workmanship
SR20 - block (requires nice sleeves), head oiling issues (same with hydraulics) & bunch of other problems known to occur over 300rwkw
4G63 - Crank walk, noisy cylinder heads, connected driveline weakness
B18C/B16A/K20A - no torque + coke can for a block
 
For the record, 5SFE Camry's etc are known to suffer headgasket issues above 200,000km too.