89rnr91rnr

Hello,

Newbie to the forums, in need of some advice and guidance.

I own a 91 4runner with a 22re, 5sp, 256,000 miles and still doing ok.

My wife and I just bought a 89 4runner with a 3.0, 5sp, 232,000 for $2900.00 that was going to be her daily driver, unfortunately I did not notice any problems until I few days after we had bought it.

I started it up and my wife says "there's white smoke coming out of the tailpipe, is that bad?" I checked the coolant and found it to be low (about a quart or so low). I added coolant and then checked it after the next time we drove it and sure enough it had gone down some. I added more coolant, drove it and checked it again and sure enough it was down again. There is no coolant in the oil or vice versa.

So we took it to a Toyota mechanic and he confirmed the that the headgasket was blown and told us that a top end rebuild would be $2500 (with no guarantee that it hold up) and a remanufactured (Jasper is the only one he'll use) replacement will be $5500 maybe more. I checked with a second shop and they said $5500 also.

The rest of the truck is in pretty good shape and i know that she would like to keep it. That means putting out double what we paid for it in the first place. So that would be over $8000 invested.....ouch, that we don't have.

We live on the California Central Coast (San Luis area), that being said, what options would you explore, any ideas who to check with for a better price?

Any and all advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.
Kevin

P.S. sorry to start out on the forum this way, but from what I have been reading you folks have more knowledge and experience than anyone I know.

ChickenLover

How handy are you with a wrench? A blown HG is a difficult job, but it is doable. You can do it yourself for a fraction of the quoted $2,500.

89rnr91rnr

Oh, one other thing, I don't have an awesome set of tools.

Chuki

Basic set of tools will work... only special tools you'll need are

Torque Wrench, 12pt 14mm socket (for head bolts), 19mm socket for crankshaft pulley bolt (if your timing belt needs to be changed), and 17mm for camshaft sprockets. All other bolts on this thing are your Toyota typical 10, 12, or 14mm. Some screw drivers, and pliers will help too.

I just got done with mine, and I have pretty much basic tools, its not that difficult really, its just really involved. There's just alot of stuff in the way.

If you aren't afraid of wrenches and have wrenched before I say do it yourself! If your little uneasy find a wrenching buddy to help you out!

I just got done with mine, and my total bill was about $225. That included Headgasket kit, new head bolts, heads machined flat, spark plugs, Black RTV silicone, and a trip to the store to get a few odds and ends. I didn't replace my timing belt as it looked fine, same with my water pump.

ChickenLover

That would be a 12pt 12mm socket.

So, do it yourself for under $300 or bring it to a mechanic and take one up the tail-pipe.

Chuki

14mm 12pt socket - OEM headbolts
12mm 12pt socket - EB headbolts

ChickenLover

Interesting, my OEM head bolts are 12pt 12mm. I only own one 12pt socket (bought specifically for my HG repair), and it is 12mm.

Chuki

Hmmm well the ones I have sitting in my garage I took off are 14mm for sure!

ChickenLover

What year is the engine? Perhaps they were changed to 12mm for some reason by '95.

Chuki

90'

When I got the headbolts from EB I even got ahold of him to make sure thats correct. He said he went with the 12mm head to help reduce the risk of rounding off the headbolts (which I still did to one while torque'n it down anyway )

mt_goat

Sorry dude. I think I'd take it back to who ever ripped you off and try to get some money back. If that doesn't work pull the head and hope the block isn't bad too.

89rnr91rnr

Thanks for the replies.

Yea, I am not to happy with the guy that sold it to us ......my wife ask him point blank "do you think this would be reliable vehicle for a woman to drive daily" and he said "YES". Sad part is he is a local business owner who does quite well and certainly does not need our 2900 bucks.

We might just put it back up for sale advising that it needs a head gasket? And someone with more skills and time than I could get a nice looking project 4 runner up and running.

One other question: could the indicators be anything other than a headgasket? Would a second opinion do any good?

Thanks again.

89rnr91rnr

Ok let's say I go ahead and try the rebuild.....what is the best reference manual? (i have a Haynes)

The Toyota mechanic says that if we do the top the bottom is probably no good at 232,000 miles.......Thoughts, ideas, what to watch for.......

Thanks

Kevin

mt_goat

It has to be the HG. Here is a FSM for the 93, it will be very similar to the 89. http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...fsm/index.html

Here we have a local news station that will do stories about people getting ripped off. When the news cameras show up it is very effective at getting people there money back, especially with business owners.

CoedNaked

Don't you have to machine the head to make sure it's true? Sorry I'm in the dark, but don't you have to do that?

mt_goat

You need to check it to see if it is flat and not too rough, if it's not smooth and flat then it must be decked. Here is the section on heads: http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...68cylinder.pdf Page 16 of 41 has the head inspection process.

89rnr91rnr

When the heads come off I can take them in to be machined, but what about the block itself? How do you make sure its ok?

How much does it cost to machine the heads?

mt_goat

The block inspection proceedure starts on page 17 of 44 here:http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...ne/69cylin.pdf

Check with a local machine shop for costs.

That first link I posted is the whole 93 FSM, so you can click on engine then scroll down to 3ZVE to find these sections.

kyle_22r

i could've sworn that 22RE head bolts were 14mm 6 point bolts? the only time i've "needed" a 12pt socket for head bolts was on my hybrid, but i've got ARP studs.

Chuki

We're talking about the 3.0 (3VZE) engine