yogmuney

Hi all,

I hope you can help me with an old problem. I am about to buy a 1989 4 runner with a V6. It has 160K miles on it and the head gaskets have not been done. I have read quite a bit on this forum about the failures but they are primarily on the 1990-1995 where there was a toyota recall. That being said, I have the following questions.

Why was the warranty not extended to 1988 when the motor was introduced? Is there something different about 1988-89 motors?

What causes the failure typically? Can the life of the head gaskets be extended by retorquing heads? Frequent changes of anti-freeze?

If the head gaskets go, do the heads need to be surfaced?

I am confident I could replace them myself, how long does it take?

I have read that there have been several iterations of the head gasket since, is there one brand that is better than others to keep the problem from happening again?

Any help/advice is greatly appreciated. Glad to be joining the T4R nation!

Thanks and have a great day.

toyota4x4907

AFAIK, the early v6 head gaskets had Asbestos in them, which the engine was designed to run with. But somewhere in the late '80s it was banned so '90+ v6s didnt get the asbestos gaskets which leads them to fail often. The older v6s didnt get the recall because there wasnt a huge problem with them failing compared to the '90+

yogmuney

Thanks for the information. Anything that should be done to help extend the life of the ones on there? I see head gasket replacements on 88s and 89s around the 150-180K mi range and would like to do everything I can to make them last!

bugs1961

I pulled the heads off my then newly acquired '89 3.0 pickup last summer (summer of '08) due to burned exhaust valves (probably never adjusted by the PO). The head gaskets were fine with over 210,000 miles. I had new exhaust valves put in, along with 12 new seals, guides, and seats. The intake valves were all fine and were reground. The cylinder bores had almost no wear and still had the original honing marks visible.

It's a pain, but I'd recommend checking and setting the valve clearance to prevent burning the exhaust valves.

Yes, if you remove the heads you should have them milled at a machine shop. I'd also replace any bad valves and guides. Regrind any valves not replaced.

I spent more than 50 hours (maybe more like 80) on the job but that included thorough cleaning of all components. Everything was covered with slime from leaking valve covers for many years.

I have 232,000 miles now and everything is perfect. Great power (for a 3.0) and engine response.

I used a Felpro gasket kit and haven't had any problems but if I had to do it over, I'd use a Toyota OEM kit.

There are literally millions of 3.0s out there, with more than 200,000 miles, running along just fine so don't get too worried about all the 3.0 bashing.

pruney81

The head gasket issue is something that is important to be aware of but, in your case, the 89's were less prone to issues although it is the same design with the crossover exhaust which gets hot and burns valves on cylinder 5 or 6 I believe.

Every 3.0 I have ever had has been a little low on the performance side and 1 out of the 3 blew a head gasket while I owned it , the other 2 had been previously fixed.

Every 22re I have owned has had well over 200K miles and ran pretty well.
These days I just tend to lean more towards the 22re when it comes to reliability and economy but if I wanted to take a chance and was ready to tear the heads off a vehicle I'd buy a 3.0.
While the 3.0 is not a bad engine for being designed 20 years ago, it has it's flaws and headaches and the 22re is a proven reliable engine.
I would just watch the coolant level and oil condition and if it starts using coolant or smoking you know you have an issue, in the meantime just make sure the cooling system is in good shape

eugenedbrooksiii

Before you buy a 3VZE with 160K miles on it, I would suggest a compression check to spot any problems with burned exhaust valves. The valves can be burned and the engine can still run reasonably quietly (as mine did at 150K miles with several valves roasting, I made the mistake of letting the 120K mile valve check slide).

I wouldn't change the head gasket on spec, but you should certainly should do a valve adjustment and timing belt change, unless you are absolutely sure that the previous owner did these service items on schedule (60K, 120K miles). If these were done properly, your next interval will be at 180K miles, don't let it slide...

mmcpeck

I had an '88 Pickup with a 3VZE that blew the HG and cracked the block at like 120K. Blew it in 1996 and Toyota gave me a whole new short block free of charge.

I didn't even know about the HG problems or srevice campaign at the time, and Toyota just said no problem we'll fix it.

Team420

^ thats why I love toyota... they actually stand behind what they sell, and fix their mistakes!

Personally...I have 3 of these rigs, and only 1 has had the h/g's done, and that was at 70k and part of the recall... never actually blew it.... the other 2 have over 230k, and have never had the heads off.