markg

Hey everyone,

I have a '94 4runner with the 3.0 V6 and I've been having an issue for the last year and a half or so where when I start it, it runs rough for the first 20 or 30 seconds. The problem is by far the most noticeable after it's been sitting for 20 or 30 minutes and the motor is still warm, as opposed to when the motor is started when it's cold, I think because the idle is low when it's warm so the rough running is more noticeable. If I try to drive it right after it's started and it's idling rough, it sputters and hesitates and has no power for a few seconds, then runs fine. This issue only occurs after it's started, once it's running it runs great until it's shut off and sits for a bit.

I took it to a Toyota dealer and had them look at it, they pulled the plugs and they said that they can tell from the colour (I think they said 5 of them were brown and the other was grey) that I have a minor head gasket leak. I was talking to a guy at work who's really knowledgeable about these things and he asked if it ever overheats, if the coolant is dirty looking, if there is coolant in the oil, if there is ever any white smoke or if I see air bubbles in the coolant if I run it with the radiator cap off. The answer to all of that is no. He doesn't think it is the head gasket, he thinks it may be some sort of fuel issue.

I called Toyota again to ask them about this and the service advisor I talked to was insistent that it is the head gasket, and that when they first start to leak you will see no other symptoms other than a rough run on startup.

I do have to add at least a liter or so of coolant to it every month, but Toyota also mentioned when I had it in there that the radiator has a tiny pin hole at the top. They also mentioned a previous time when I had it in there for an oil change that they saw a tiny bit of coolant at the bottom of the engine near the rear. I'm not sure where that would be from as I've looked at all the hoses near the top of the motor at the back and they don't look like they're leaking, unless there's one further down the motor on the back of it.

So what do you guys think? Head gasket issue, or something else?


Thanks,

Mark

screech

sorry A.D.D is kickin in pretty good right now so I didnt read alot of the post.
there are 2 different ways a head gasket can be diagnosed as being pushed out.
- oil in the radiator
- water in the oil
water in the oil is most common but seen it more in common of mustangs and few in the 22re's.
if its hard to start, check your plugs, just the 1st cylinder will tell you alot.
Spark plug if its blown will have some brown on it, and being darker than normal. Dark from the fuel not being ignited as well.