What can I look for/have checked prior to buying a car?
If headgaskets have been replaced before, will they have to be replaced again?
It sounds like just blowing the gasket isn't a huge deal as long as you don't overheat the vehicle?

compression test the motor before you buy. that will generally tell you the amount of life left in the motor before a rebuild is needed.
also look for a good solid frame, you dont want a rusty frame.

the headgasket can let go at any time, just because it's been replaced once doesnt mean it wont need it again. the head gasket is not a big deal to replace because all you have to do is pull some stuff off, replace it, and bolt it back together. if you dont overheat its pretty easy

Thanks. I assume any mechanic shop should be able to test compression right?

That is what I was thinking about the head gasket, sounds like something worth doing every so often just as a preventive thing to avoid causing larger problems.

Now, I guess the real trick is finding out if there is a previous head issue before buying. Will compression always answer that?

yeah or you could buy a compression tester, its a good thing to have. you can get them for $40 and easy to use.

you don't need to change your head gasket unless it shows signs of failure. my truck for instance was running fine but i noticed a little line of coolant down the block and replaced it right away. just keep an eye on stuff.

compression testing will sometimes reveal head issues. your compression will read low if your cylinders are worn, rings are worn, valve seals are bad, valves are not seating properly, if the head or block is cracked, or if you have an internal head gasket leak. worst case scenario you will need a new/rebuilt head but that's not very common.
what year truck are you looking at? which motor?

I am looking at a 92-95 4Runner. I don't have a particular truck yet. Just sold my Celica and starting my research. I think I am going to get the 3.0 as the 4 cyl sounds like it might be slightly more reliable, but have it's issues as well and they are pretty hard to find in that year 4 runner.

I will have to check into a compression tester, I guess I didn't realize it was such an inexpensive gizmo and was easy to do. I am not really inclined when it comes to engine rebuilds and such, but not a complete dummy either.

i would try and go for the 4 cyl if you can. i dont know what year 4runners even had them the 3.0 isn't a very good motor from what i hear. it has a reputation for being the biggest head gasket blower and have quite a few other problems. it's also a pain in the ass to work on.
i've never owned a 3.0 this is based on what i've read and from people i know that do own them. anyways thats just my two cents worth.

yeah if you know how to change spark plugs, you can test your compression. it's just an air pressure gauge with a hose on it that screws into your spark plug ports. it tells you how many psi your cylinder will hold.

i second what algranger says. those 3.0's have a reputation of being a pain in the arse motor. they fail alot more often than the 4 cyl and are quite hard to work on. I helped my buddy swap one in his '90 pickup and it took us several weekends, to be fair, it was the first time either one of us had touched a toyota 3.0.

I will keep that in mind. That is part of my problem though, because it seems just as many people who swear off the 3.0 there are those lined up to support it as well.

yeah thats the problem, some guys just want that power no matter what.

heres how i look at it, people's opinion on the 3.0 is split, some hate them some love em, but damn near everyone (and i do mean DAMN NEAR) agrees that the 4cyl is an amazing motor, whether they prefer the 3.0 or the 4 cyl in their truck.

'84.5-'95 4runners had the 22r/22re. '88-'95 had the option of the 3vze

I have had experience with both...
I had a 92 4Runner with a V6 for 3 years. It was ok, but it was geared so low (from the factory) that the only thing it had was torque when pulling something, other than that, it just reved way up while not accelerating too fast. I sold it when I thought the head gasket might be ready to go out. Got about 12-14 MPG. Also, the head gasket was replaced at 80k and from what everyone I talked to said, thats about the interval it needs to be changed.


I then bought an 89 22re 4x4 pick up and I love it. It has pleanty of power and the gas mileage is way better, about 18.

The biggest reason for changing over, aside from MPG, was the ease of working on the dang thing. Any time I worked on the V6, it was such a pain to get around everthing! There is no extra space to work or get any tools in the engine compartment. Because of this and because of the way the engine was built, the head gasket is dificult to replace. My boss knows about how skilled I am, and has worked on a couple projects with me (he worked on yotas for 15 years and still builds crawlers all the time). I asked him if he thought I could replace the head gasket on the V6, he laughed. I asked him what he thought about the idea if it were a 22RE, and he said he thought it would take about a day.

I know that this was a lot of info, but I feel that after having both, I have a bit of insight others may not. If it were up to me, unless you are pulling a trailer all the time, I'd go with the 22RE all the way. Mine has 254k and runs perfectly.

I would definitely go with the 22re if you can; much easier to work on; easier on gas; lots of other benefits as well. I have 2 different 4runners (95 3.0 and 91 2.4) and I have to say the 22re is alot better. This is solely my opinion, and as you know you can get 'lemons' which could turn you on one motor or the other. Listen to the people on this site, they know their stuff and you can learn a ton by just looking through the treads daily.

Just for a comparison, if you wanted to change the 3.0 head gasket in would take you 12-15hours work if you know somewhat what you are doing..

If you needed to change the 22re head gasket, if would take you 3-6 hours

yes i know from looking how difficult those 3 slows would be to work on. the 22r/re is great and easy i could rebuild one in a weekend

the 22re/22r's are well known to eat headgaskets just as often (if not more) then the 3vze. The only big different being the 22r series engine is MUCH easier to work on. A headgasket job is told to be 1-2 day job max. Where as a 3vze would require more work/time to fix. As mentioned the v6 is pretty tight in the engine bay, but its not THAT bad.

I still get 18 mpg mixed driving, up to 21mpg hwy. MAke sure you keep the cooling system in tip top shape. Seems after an overheat these things will want to pop their hg.

I'm currently in the process of replacing the head gaskets on my 90 3.0. What a pain. I hope that I never have to do it again. After tearing down the engine I still don't know why coolant was being sucked into #1 cylinder as I can't see anything wrong with the head gaskets. Since this was a real pain ( I spent 3 days trying to get the crossover pipe disconnected ) I spent extra and got new head bolts.

Good thing, toyota calls for new headbolts every time you take things apart on a 3vze....