ok, I did an oil change on my 88 4runner with the 3.0 in it last night. i checked the oil today after warming the truck up and it was low, right at the bottom of the checkered lines on the dip stick. there is no oil leak and i put at least 4.8 quarts in, maybe a little bit more. When i removed the oil filler cap i noticed that there is light colored oil on it, could this be coolant? Is this a sign of a blown HG? the truck has 215,000+ on it and i dont know when the HG was last changed. Should i do the HG and timing at the same time, is that enough or maybe a full gasket kit? I have also heard that the 3.0 engine is a hard job when the HG has to be done, any estimates for having that done at a shop? Thanks for your responses!

 

expensive for a shop to do it.

ya know, wouldn't the oil level go down just after you shut off the motor..since a lot of it will be in other parts of the motor instead of the oil pan.

is your oil level correct after the motor has sat for a few minutes?

 

Now that you say that, I cant remember if i let it sit for a few minutes or not. I will check again tomorrow. Have you ever used Mystery Oil in anything? I have used it in mowers and tractors, but am curious if it will do any good in my toyota. I have heard that bringing it to a sop is expensive, but im just wondering what a good estimate would be. I normally can figure out how to repair my own vehicles, but am very nervous to do this one.