Head Gasket Replacement - Feasibility

[Whisperhead]

So I'm losing coolantz struggling to locate where. Still investigating, I can't see anything suspicious in the coolant bottle.

Ideally I'm gonna need to get underneath and inspect all the hoses - the car is 25 and used daily, I don't really know if any of the coolant hoses have been replaced.

My worry is that the head gasket is dicky. It overheated last year (blew a hose off and emptied it's coolant all over the A14).
I'm a bit worried the head may be a little warped but can't tell.

Any advice on tracing where this coolant could be vanishing? It's not blasting out anywhere, I'm just topping up every few drives. Occasionally I'll have no heat from the fans, check and top up.

I'm assuming the 1ZZ is cheaper to replace than get the head gasket swapped out?

[Ardent]

Is there not some sort of glow in the dark coolant leak detection fluid you can add to help trace.

[Carolyn]

Before you investigate the head gasket, take out the plastic frunk surround and the frunk itself, then you can see much of the hoses and cooling system plus the radiator (which is your most likely culprit). Check the water pump for drips. 

Do you park on the street or on a driveway?  If on a driveway, check for drips under the car after it has been parked overnight.

Head gasket failure is rare on the 1ZZ.  But a major overheating incident could cause it.

I'd pull the spark plugs and look for any crusty build-up on an electrode, which would indicate coolant in the combustion chamber.

If you can get hold of a boroscope for your phone, take a peek in each of the cylinders (you will need to roll the car in a high gear to get the pistons down in turn), after the car has sat for a while, and see of you can see the shiny reflectance of any liquid sitting on top of a piston.

You could also run a compression test to see if any cyinders are weak.. You should see around 185 psi, but mainly you are looking for one cylinder being low compared to the rest.

If it is a head gasket, it's easier to do the job with the engine out.  I've done one with the engine in and I wouldn't try it again - it's a PITA.

[Whisperhead]

Good advice here, thanks folks. I'll do some digging.