Courts22

Needing some advice on a 99 tacoma, auto, with the 3.4..it's had a small coolant leak for a few years..this last week it died on the road,all the gauges lit up, steam coming from the engine, I had it towed..the mechanic said it has a cracked head...I got it to my garage and can find no evidence that they tore into the head to know what the problem is....when I poor water into the radiator it all leaks out within 10 minutes, without the truck running..I cannot tell where the leak is..only that is at the rear of the engine , the exhaust extension ( not sure if that's it's proper name) blocks me from being able to pinpoint the exact spot of the leak....there is no evidence of water in the oil, the truck starts and runs fine, of course until it gets hot..any suggestions? Could there be a coolant hose on the rear of the engine that has a good size hole in it? Also..when it's leaking it's dripping from everywhere, and it's just water, no oil...how could a trusted, reputable mechanic say the head is cracked without tearing the motor down? (When I talked to him it was very brief, I plan on calling him and getting more info on his diagnosis)...thanks for any info

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Is the coolant leaking out between the bell housing and the block?? Freeze Out plug

Oil cooler coolant hose if your engine has a oil cooler

If all the coolant is leaking out it means it is at a level with the bottom of the radiator

Pressure tester is a good way to pin point a coolant leak

Rear of engine heater hose ??

Not all mechanics are good on all engines so it was a best guess did you really want a bill for a few hours to trouble shoot a coolant leak ??

Courts22

Thanks for the reply Wyoming9....the coolant is leaking on the back of the engine, and the exhaust extension and firewall are preventing me from locating the leak. I should of asked this in my first post to try and narrow this down to either a coolant leak or a cracked head....with a cracked head, or blown head gasket, wouldn't i see some oil leaking out with the water? Or water in the oil? Also would the truck run just fine with either of the problems, also the truck only has 109,000 miles...the shop I took it to, (they are a highly recommend shop) didn't charge me for the diagnosis, and actually wanted to buy the truck off of me because of their diagnosis that it needs a new engine..I talked with him more in depth today and he said they made the descision of a cracked head or a hole in the block based on the water coming out the bottom. I'm not a mechanic but with either of those problems I wouldn't think the truck would be running as smooth as it ever did, as long as you keep putting water in it every 5 to 10 minutes

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

FYI it is called the Cross over pipe

Where you running antifreeze ??

****Was it below freezing long enough for things to freeze ??

Engine get Hot enough to crack a head at any time??

I am thinking if it was a cracked block or head why would they want to buy your truck??

Just a guess something simple they wanted a cheap Tacoma

Can you look up from underneath maybe a mirror

Maybe help is close just where are you ??

Courts22

They wanted to buy it because of the condition...always garage kept, no rust anywhere, extremely clean truck...I live in WV, and was running antifreeze..once I determine the cause, if it is a cracked head, I plan on putting a new engine in it and continuing to drive it, just because of the condition of it...I looked from underneath and from above with a mirror and an inspection camera, but it seems like the leak is behind, or close to the crossover pipe, so I can't see it..I think I'm going to have to start tearing it down to get to the location, really didn't want, that's why I thought I'd see what this forum thought about it before I started

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

The thing is heads and blocks for the most just don`t crack .

Things need to either freeze or over heat .

Most times overheating to things get so hot the engine quits

Now there are all types of coolant lines back there blocked by the cross over pipe .

I would venture something there is leaking although the down side is you might need to pull the engine to get access

Best of luck

Courts22

Got a hold of the mechanic, he said they pressure tested it and it's leaking between the head and the block just above the crossover pipe

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

That says head gasket not cracked head in most cases

You really don`t know till you pull the head off and check it out

Best of luck