timmie

So with the help of YotaTech i changed my rotors and brake pads last weekend. With my new found confidence i was under the hood tweaking my idle speed since it dipped low (400-500) with the clutch depressed. Anyways, that is a different problem. It is a 1993 3.0 4Runner...

I was under the hood and noticed the tall-tale signs of green anti-freeze coming out of this part. I searched and searched this forum and the surprisingly useful autozone website but could not figure out the identity of this part. Should i change it or can the part be resealed..?

link to the bad_part photo

Kudos to the knowledge of the masses.

-tim

bigpest88

try putting some silicone. thats what I did.

dino1967

thermostat housing

midiwall

There's a gasket in there that's probably leaking. Can you visibly see coolant coming out when the engine is running? If not, then you may want to try LIGHTLY torquing on those nuts and see if they can tweak down a hair tighter. There are 3 of them in a triangle pattern, they're 10mm.

You can also use Permatex red on it, but I would go the gasket instead. It's easy to get to - though you'll spill coolant when you take it off. There's a drain plug at the bottom of the radiator (not sure where it'll be on yours) and you'll need to dump about a quart or two of coolant to get it below the top of the block.

midiwall

While that's nicer than the crap you posted up slaming him, I'm pretty sure the thermostat is at the lower hose in that engine, at least the FSM shows that it is.

timmie

I will take your advice Midiwall and get a replacement gasket, might as well flush the radiator while i am at it since it sounds like it might be messy anyways.

thanks for the info guys,
-tim

callmej75

You will not find a replacement gasket, for the rubber gasket is made into a groove in the housing from Toyota. Its just FIPG from Toyota. Get a tube and put some of it on there and it will stop the leak. I used Permatex and it never sealed....

timmie

Gotcha, no gasket just some goop to seal. Or as i just learned from google formed-in-place-gasket.

Callmej75 you say that you used Permatex but it did not seal, with a quad set of dots after your sentence. Does this mean your, (is it really the thermostat housing?) still leaks..?

-tim

callmej75

I used blue and red Permatex....like 10 different times and methods and it still leaked. I ordered some FIPG from strap22 and it solved it within 1 hour. Such a pain....but thats the top water coolant passage that goes through your timing idler. Just PM strap22 for some FIPG for coolant passage and he will save you alot of headaches

timmie

Nice, thanks for the helpful hints Callmej75. I will give it a try.

-tim

dwh91102

Just make sure you clean the grooves out real well on the housing and the top. I've used permatex on 4 of these with no problems what so ever. Just a fyi, this is not the thermostat housing, i'm noticing a lot of new members giving some pretty crap advice. Either use Permatex Anaerobic Flange Sealant or PERMATEX ULTRA COPPER Hi-Temp RTV Silicone Gasket Maker

callmej75

I cleaned mine off with a die grinder and wire wheel...and wiped the surface with Acetone. I would have 2 tubes of permatex...one to S*** on and another tube to cover it up with!

timmie

Sounds like Dino1967 is quickly not making friends on this board.

Thanks to dwh91102 and callmej75 for posting some real info to get me started on what seems like an easy project.

Cheers,
-tim

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

Yea, i have to agree with the advice part....a lot of people dont know what they are posting. FYI you can buy some FIPG from the dealer for a decent price. Works really really well. good luck!

midiwall

Ahh... 'k, I know there's a gasket on the 3.4L, I figured it'd be there on the 3.0 as well.

callmej75

That would be a negative Mark...It has that little groove on the mating surface that FIPG goes in between. Theres alot of things similar on the 3.4 and 3.0 but I guess they got wise on that aspect and made things more "user friendly"

Shmoboy

I actually used a roll of gasket material, used a little moisture to mark on the roll where I needed to leave material, then using an razor blade (box opener) made a gasket for it. Has not leaked since.

rbmc

Caution with the FIPG, use only enough to make a good enough seal.

("DISCLIAMER": Before everybody starts adding their ten cents about the 3.0 head gaskets, I UNDERSTAND THAT THESE HEAD GASKETS ARE PRONE TO FAILURE already. That's why I added "DISCLAIMER" above.)

I noticed lately that while helping tear down and rebuilding engines at my friends shop, I find alot FIPG in the engine blocks clogging the water jackets and sometimes find it even in the oil galleys, especially on the Yota 3.0's.

I also noticed on a some of these engines, right where FIPG was stuck in the water jacket, that's where the head gasket seemed to have failed, maybe due to the excesive heat...?

As I CAN'T say with absolute certainty that the FIPG is the root cause of all eleven of the blown HG's that I researched, but it did raise questions.

So we did further research, by talking to the vehicle owners about signs and symptoms before the engine failure occured, talking to friends that are Toyota Dealer Techs and by doing a bit of engine forensics myself.

In the process of my investigation I found that of the eleven engines that failed, one had no signs of failure at all, according to the owner it just would'nt start that morning. Three had chronic overheating problems, two of which started soon after they had the HG recall done and seven had no signs or symptoms aside from rough idle and excesive water in the exhaust before failure.

In each and everyone of these engines, they had the head gasket replaced at least once before, either by the dealer, private shop and one did it by himself and out of the eleven engines reasearched, eight had enough FIPG to seal a battleship.

My buddys that work as a Toyota Dealer Techs told me that the FIPG is free for them and too much is not enough and is Cheap Insurance on preventing his wrench job from leaking and a return visit from the customer.

Once Again, Caution with the FIPG

RBMC

BMWSTOY

Thanks for the FIPG advise. I planned on using Permatex, but I am not sure now. I am putting my 3.0 back together now. I have not had luck with permatex on my Transmission pan either.
Thermostat housing? Sure hope he does not try wrenching on his vehicle. To confirm, this is not a Thermostat housing. To get it off use the 2 nuts and back them together to get the bolt off. The rag you see in my photo is only to prevent things from falling in during my timing belt project.

rbmc

To confirm, if you're talking about the water outlet in the middle of the picture with the bearing around it.

No that is not the thermostat housing, it is the No.2 Idler Pulley. The thermostat housing is connected to the lower hose on the drivers side of the engine. The black one, on the lower right with the rag stuck in it.

RBMC