hektikwon

Yes it's a 3.0. What happened was: I was driven back to town in 100 deg heat, lower hose springa a leak, 4runner shuts down. Doesn't look like antifreeze in the oil, but maybe oil in antifreeze? Antifreeze is thick and kind of oily. Anyway, the engine sounds good when you turn in on, its not runnin rough at all. I haven't done anything with it yet cause I didn't want to futher damage it. It even got a ride on the back of a tow truck.

If this is the HG, should I use block seal, or get the Hg done. $1100 quote from Toyota, no freebie cause it's not the original engine. Will this job be to big for me to tackle. I haven't done a HG before and will need a writeup, I did a search but coudn't find one.

ChickenLover

It's more than likely a blown HG. When mine blew, I was 180 miles from home in the middle of nowhere. The 3.0 got me back to town without so much as a sputter. Are you getting a build up of milky sludge under your oil cap? Overheating? A compression test will help with the diagnosis.

Forget block seal. Replacing the HG yourself on your 3.0 is a big job, but it's definately doable. I did mine for under $300. And there are quite a few people here who can help you through it.

hektikwon

Yeah, i really want to keep it cause i just loves it to death, so i figure i want to do it right. Is there a writeup or web address on doing this?

2ToyGuy

LoL! U don't blame you, I love my trucks too. And I've done the HG on the 4Runner twice now. Not it's fault, I got a bad head from the shop once. It happens. The first time it was because a "friend" (note the quotation marks!) decided he could drive it until the temp guage topped out, after throwing the water pump belt, and only then stop and let it cool. Oh boy, did I have a few words with him on how to treat MY vehicles if I were to ever let him drive one again. bahh!

Point being, it' a kind of tough job, and well worth the effort, but it's been gone over so many times...just do a search on it, and you'll be swamped.

Good luck, and keep us up to date!

hektikwon

Ok, I'll try it but what else needs to be done other than just the gasket? (sorry for the stupid ???s)

Epic Ed

Holy crap!! The EXACT same thing happened to me last month! I was driving home from Yosemite and about 250 miles away from Phoenix, my lower radiator hose blew, soaking my distributor cap and shutting down my engine. I was pulling over when it blew because I was starting to smell coolant, and I don't think it heated up much. In fact, I only saw the needle slightly over the 1/2 mark immediately after shutting down the engine. I was hopeful that it didn't cause any additional damage and got a tow (thank God for AAA +) all the way back to Phoenix.

My buddy has had it at his shop for over a month now (the price I pay for cheap fix-it costs), and after a couple of failed attempts to keep it from over heating he has determined that the head gasket did blow -- AGAIN. Third time for me.

As for doing the work yourself? Whatever...not me bro. It's too damn hot here to be working on it, and I don't have the time on the weekends to do the tackle the job. It's very nice to have a buddy who is a mechanic and is willing to do most of the major repairs. If I didn't have him to turn to, I'd very seriously consider trying the repair myself if it wasn't my daily driver and I had the time to work on it.

Ed

2ToyGuy

The only stupid ? is the one you DON'T ask
You need to see if the head or block are warped. Just get a good quality straightedge and lay across the head, corner to corner, and measure any gaps underneath with a feeler guage, then do the opposite corners. I don't know the requirements for max warpage allowable on yours, but you can look it up in the book. Or take it to a reputable shop and have them do it, and check for cracks, while they're at it. Most shops will do this for a moderate charge.
Make sure you clean the mating surfaces of the head and block thoroughly before you put the new hg in and the head back on. I use a brass wire brush on a drill, not a steel one, because it can do some bad damage to the aluminum head. Also, make sure you clean the holes for the head bolts out real well, as they tend to collect carbon, oil, coolant, or any combination of the above , and that can keep you from getting an accurate torque on the head bolts when you put them back in. You should chase the threads with the correct tap too, for the same reason...crud buildup in the threads.
I also make sure I drain and flush the cooling system, as I always seem to get the crud I clean off the block and head bolt holes into the cooling jacket. I change the oil, while I'm there, for much the same reason, and if the fuel filter is close to being due, I'll change that out too. Same with the O2 sensor. Better a few $ now than a lot later...

Other than those few little details...

ChickenLover

Hmmmm, off the top of my head:

-New head bolts
-Perfect time to install headers (budget permitting)
-Intake, plenum, and T-body will need a good cleanin'
-Timing belt and water pump (budget permitting)
-New gaskets for top end ie. intake, plenum, T-body, valve covers
- Perfect time to send injectors off for a cleanin'
-Replace all belts
-Clean piston tops

hektikwon

ok it sounds doable but time consuming. I could ride in this POS 94 probe (it's fast as heck though) and take my time, due it right. I'll cry everyday the 4runna sits lookin hungry for action, but it'll save money I don't have. Oh, I still have my 91 engine as a reference too. Or maybe I should dump the runna & get a 3rd gen, I saw one for 6k, 4x4 (a must).