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don (not verified)    November 29, 2020 - 7:36PM

I did the gen 3 head gasket and really thought it was pretty straightforward. The internal combustion section of the power train is found in many Corollas and a number of other similar cars. Unfortunately, the owner continued to drive it after the gasket failure for some time and complained that randomly, initial startup in the morning was difficult. And, coolant was being burned. Depending on the piston position in the affected cylinder, whether the piston was on the compression stroke, and amount of coolant, engine rotation can begin but then be abruptly halted. This, combined with the fact that electrically generated torque is well above what a normal car starter produces, IMHO could radically stress the piston rod. I'm not an engineer though. The affected cylinder had significantly higher compression than the other three. And, there was polishing in two areas instead of the cross hatching found elsewhere. This was caused by the bent rod and that eventually led to the break. My suggestion would be to inspect cylinders for any polishing and toss then engine if any is found. Also, compare all pistons at TDC and if there are any differences, toss it. I think a piston could also likely be replaced with the engine in the car but would require removal of oil pan, likely the oil pump, etc. Unfortunately, I didn't know enough to toss this one so wasted some time and effort on the gasket replacement.

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