94 4runner 3vze head gasket issues?
 

Hello everyone, I am brand new to this site, so please bear with me and please let me know if I'm doing something wrong. Getting down to business, I recently picked up a 94 4runner in awesome shape body and interior wise. I got it cheap because there is something wrong in the motor. Cheap as in 1000k. I will post pics. It is seriously in cherry condition. It runs great, but it was overheating on the previous owner and they drilled the thermostat. Its not overheating now but of course that is due to the comprimised stat. The only symptom I can see aside from that is that it blows white smoke upon decelleration. Any thoughts on what might be causing this? I suspect the head gasket, but I don't want to assume since this is an expensive fix. Any thoughts are appreciated.

Everyone has their theories as to why, but the 3.0 is notorious for bad head gaskets; my '91 with 240k is on it's 3rd set of head gaskets (but I pulled it b/c of a burnt valve and am working through a 3.4 swap now).

If you're blowing white smoke, its a good indication that you're burning coolant, and with this motor, its more likely the head gasket rather than anywhere else. A couple quick and easy things to do would be to check your coolant level in the radiator (are you mysteriously losing any?), check your oil for coolant, and check the compression of each of the cylinders.

And from what I've read, overheating those motors (and the 3.4's) only increase the likelihood of a bad head gasket.

Good luck and welcome!