msw1

I guess I should introduce myself before imposing on the group with my questions.

I'm new to the BBS, and hopefully soon will be an actual 4Runner driver. My name is Michael White, and I live in San Mateo, CA. I have a 1990 4Runner 3.slow (when I first read that in this group, I practically fell out of my chair laughing - how true).

In any event, my Runner has a little problem with - you guessed it - the head gasket. I won't bore you with all of the details. Let's just say that I've learned a lot, the hard way, about these motors blowing up. This was my wife's kid-transporter for two years; however, three motors later, it became a very large paper weight in front of my house. Now, it will either be my running and reliable transportation, or off to the glue factory.

Which brings us to now. A while ago, in response to temp guage issues, my local auto shop diagnosed a leaking head gasket after they found hydrocarbons in the cooling system. The good news was that they found this before any serious overheating occurred, so other than the head gasket itself, the motor seems to be in fine shape.

As mechanical skill goes, I wouldn't say I've got a lot, but what I lack in knowledge, skill and common sense, I more than make up for in tenacity and ignorance. Therefore, I rarely know when to quit and cut my losses. Which makes me perfect for this job. So, over my Christmas vacation, I'm planning on reviving the Runner.

So to make a long story longer, here's my first question: I've seen a couple of suppliers on ebay selling gasket sets for the 4Runner. Given the long and tortured history of the 4Runner head gaskets, are these kind of aftermarket parts a no no? Should I only be installing Toyota factory gaskets?

Also, I've seen recommendations here for a couple of non-ebay online parts sources, but none seems to be universally liked. Any that I should definitely avoid, or should I just be shopping price with them all?

I'll cut myself off there. I have about a thousand more questions, but I'm probably dangerously close to wearing out my welcome already.

Thanks in advance, and I hope that one day I can even be an active (and helpful) contributor to this forum.

Michael in CA

P.S. Did you realize that when you're trying to type 4Runner and you accidentally hit the shift key too soon, you actually type "$Runner"? Do you think that's a coincidence?

rimpainter.com

Welcome. Why dont you give us your address and CC # while you are at it?

First of all:

1. There are 2 headgaskets, not one on your 3.slow.

2. Have you ran your VIN with a Toyota dealership to see if the recall (correct HG) was performed on your rig?

3. I would only go with OEM gaskets, as crappy as they are. At least they will carry a 12/12 warranty from the dealer.

4. I would not attempt the HG install myself. And I have some pretty good mechanical experience. I would leave that one to the pro's.

TDiddy

Michael,

Welcome to the forums. I recently moved out of your neck of the woods. My wife and I lived in Foster City and worked for Applied Biosystems. She still does actually, thanks to telecommuting.

I agree that it may be a job best left to the pros. Your two closest would be Putnam Toyota in Burlingame, and Toyota 101 in Redwood City.

Good luck with it. Once its up and running, check out the Gettin' Off 4x4 club (see my sig).

msw1

Thanks guys. Question: Why do you suggest not tackling the HG myself? Complexity? Special tools needed? The head bolt torqueing thing?

Just curious. I haven't even gotten my factory manual yet, so I'm working with very little background here.

As you know Tom, especially in this area, I'm probably looking at over $2k to have a dealership do it.

BTW, on the service program, thanks to the great info on these forums and other sites linked from here, I checked it out, and mine did in fact have the HG replacement in November 1998. It had the updated part installed.

Just my luck.

Michael in CA

Bob_98SR5

Michael,

Another CAifornian here. Just take it back re HG. They should fix it for free as it is defective. But before you go in, call Toyota's national help line and file a claim. That way you'll have it on record in case it happens again.

As far as I know, a recalled item that has not been properly fixed or continues to be a problem should always be fixed by the manufacturer. someone please correct me if I'm wrong here, but that is my understanding of recalls. Just b/c they install a new part does not absolve them of fitment, poor installation, etc

Bob

msw1

Is that true? Has anyone tried that before? I didn't even consider doing that, as I had read a couple of threads in these forums where people were told to take a hike if the HG had already been done once with the updated part.

I'll give it a shot and let you all know what I find out.

Thanks for the response.

Michael in CA

rimpainter.com

That's because the dealer wont make any money on a HG recall "redo." They will do everything they can to get you to take a hike.

I agree with Bob.