so..ever since we got our '86 toyota 4x4 ext cab pickup its been having a couple of problems...first..the front pass. side axle is leaking grease from the boot...(fixin that soon) and whenever it got warmed up..i would idle rough..like it was only running on 3 cyl...fixed that for a while...but now its doin it again...and this mornin when i started it up...it would not idle worth a flip..it would idle high for about 5 or 10 secs...then idle low and sputter and cough then die...this is our DD..hopefully its not the headgasket...but if so...VW diesel swap here we come...so if anybody can tell me whats goin on..i'd appreciate it...thanks

 

now water is dripping out of the tailpipe...a wet spot on the ground about 4in. in diameter..in about...15 seconds...or less..im trying to convince dad its headgasket...but it aint workin...

 

now it wont stay running unless i give it a little bit of gas...is this headgasket or not...it has white smoke coming out of the exhaust..(it has never smoked ANY>....AT ALL since we got it...i mean NONE...and now its doin this)...i cant smell a sweet smell in the exhaust...but it is definately NOT drivable...so is it headgasket...or is there another culprit..thanks

 

Wet spots under the tail pipe isn't necessarily a sign of a problem. One of the byproducts of combustion and catalytic converter operation is H20. When the engine and exhaust are cold it's normal for this 'water' to drip out of the tailpipe and make wet spots on the ground. Side note- that's why you always see 'steam' from tail pipes in the movies.

On the other hand, if you're seeing white smoke that disappears fairly quickly all of the time coming from the tailpipe, there's a good chance that the head gasket has failed.

When the engine is cold, pop the lid off of the radiator and start the engine. If you see bubbles coming up in the radiator while the engine is warming up but before the thermostat has opened, I'd say "YEP, yer ed gaskit's afailin'". If you get a big bubble when the thermostat finally does open that's a nail in the coffin.

And a headgasket is FAR cheaper than a VW diesel even when you consider buyin a new head if the old one's warped and fubar.

 

Well, since you mentioned in another thread that you have a build up gunk under your oil cap, I'd say its very possible.

 

the buildup is on the cap of my '80...this is the '86...we've come to the conclusion that its headgasket...we're gonna run a compression test to make sure..if so..then its goin into the shop...we cant afford a swap right now...damnit...o well...the truck leaks more H2O than it should out of the tailpipe...i mean...a puddle on the ground about 6in. in diameter in about 10-15 seconds...yeah...thats alot..

 

Good luck with the compression test.

I have water coming out of my tail pipe when its cold. It will leave a mark on the ground. I've also only got 3 cylinders...so who knows.

I don't necessarily think it's the head gasket though. I would check compression though!