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possible blown head gasket

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Old 11-17-2009, 04:51 PM
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possible blown head gasket

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Last edited by buckz6319; 05-20-2010 at 05:35 PM.
Old 11-17-2009, 05:44 PM
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All 3.0's are prone to head gasket failure and yet Toyota decided that the late 95 models were not subject to the recall. My 95 4Runner blew the head gaskets around 159K miles and was losing coolant out the exhaust, the coolant and oil weren't mixing. I parked it and ended up buying a complete top end gasket kit from Toyota along with many other parts. After I fixed it, it ran great for a while then I sold it.

Last edited by pruney81; 11-17-2009 at 05:46 PM.
Old 11-18-2009, 02:26 AM
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Old 11-18-2009, 05:35 AM
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Are you losing coolant? I am having the same exact issues and I think mine is related to a burnt exhaust valve -- also common on the 3VZE. The white smoke I get is unburnt fuel (but the smoke goes away and does not show every start up). Best bet would be a compression test.

Also, does the white smoke smell at all? If it smells like Maple Syrup or something sweet, then it may be the HG.
Old 11-18-2009, 08:12 AM
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Old 11-18-2009, 08:31 AM
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My HG blew last week, .. spiking temperature, next time I start it it would hardly turn over, (due to water on top of the piston), white smoke, rough idle. After tearing it apart myself i am hoping to get it running again today. New top end gaskets, water pump, and timing belt. Doing it yourself will save you $1000 to $1500 dollars in mechanic labor.
Old 11-18-2009, 10:54 AM
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Originally Posted by buckz6319
Well to tell you the truth...the white smoke doesn't smell like antifreeze....not much of a smell at all..no smoke at start up..but if it indeed is a burnt valve would it cause my engine to run hot then cool back down, then repeat the cycle
No, the burnt valve would not cause that. Did you burp the cooling system? Check the coolant temp sensor? Sounds like there could be air pockets -- which would also cause weird idle. A bad temp sensor would also make it read temp. all funky and would also cause weird idle since the ECU relies on that ECT reading. Usually if a HG bad the temp just rises and does't really come back down and in most cases you lose coolant (because it's either being burnt up through the exhaust or just leaking from the mating surface of the head/block).

Last edited by BoostinChick; 11-18-2009 at 10:56 AM.
Old 11-20-2009, 11:55 AM
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Old 11-20-2009, 02:20 PM
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Is it smoking when it's warmed up or just when it's cold? Also, are you losing any coolant? Have you had to pour any coolant into the reservoir?
Old 11-20-2009, 02:59 PM
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Old 11-20-2009, 03:11 PM
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Old 11-20-2009, 03:13 PM
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Cap Off, Bubbles
Cap On, Smoke

Sounds like a HG to me for sure.
Old 11-20-2009, 03:19 PM
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Old 11-20-2009, 04:06 PM
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yep, head gasket. damn 3.0! I don't know why Toyota covered pretty much all of them until the last half of 95 which clearly blow head gaskets as well.
Old 11-20-2009, 04:17 PM
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Old 11-20-2009, 05:26 PM
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^^Have you decided what you are going to do? Sell or fix it?

I think if you stop driving it right now and fix it, it will last for a long time. You could do what I did, drive it for 6 months to a year then sell it for a couple grand and buy a reliable 22re 4X4 pickup with half the mileage!

Good rust-free 4Runners that have been well maintained go for 3-3500 here in Mass all day long. If you fix the head gasket that repair could just be another selling point. Just get the top end gasket kit and new head bolts and you'll be good to go I promise.
http://www.engnbldr.com/toyota_30_v6.htm

I used the gasket kit from Toyota when mine died but that's kind of a long story, engnbldr has some really good prices though, it will take more time than anything.

Last edited by pruney81; 11-20-2009 at 05:32 PM.
Old 11-21-2009, 02:00 PM
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....or 3.4L swap it!

GL on whatever you decide to do.
Old 11-21-2009, 06:13 PM
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i have a 95 3.0 4x4 with 182K and just replaced the head gasket does the oil leak on cylinders 1 and 6? check it out if you have spots under your car when its parked 5 bucks says you have a blown head gasket and when mine was blown there wasnt any coolant in the oil but just do a block test (little chemical tester for your coolant) on it and that will tell you for sure
Old 11-22-2009, 05:16 PM
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Originally Posted by pruney81
^^Have you decided what you are going to do? Sell or fix it?

I think if you stop driving it right now and fix it, it will last for a long time. You could do what I did, drive it for 6 months to a year then sell it for a couple grand and buy a reliable 22re 4X4 pickup with half the mileage!

Good rust-free 4Runners that have been well maintained go for 3-3500 here in Mass all day long. If you fix the head gasket that repair could just be another selling point. Just get the top end gasket kit and new head bolts and you'll be good to go I promise.
http://www.engnbldr.com/toyota_30_v6.htm

I used the gasket kit from Toyota when mine died but that's kind of a long story, engnbldr has some really good prices though, it will take more time than anything.
What brand of gaskets does engnbldr.com sell ? there prices look pretty good but was wondering if they are factory or just a cheap brand ?
Old 11-22-2009, 05:26 PM
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I imagine they are D&J Rock products like all the other stuff he sells, but if one was on a budget and needed to get it up and running I think they would work


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