hi i am a newbie. i have a 95 4runner sr5 4wd a/t. i have oil in my radiator. i read some threads and i think it is a head gasket problem. i checked with toyota and my vin is not on the recall list so i am s.o.l. i do not however have water in my oil or tranny fluid. could it possibly be something else (hopefull but doubtful).. also if i drain the oily rad. fluid and put new rad. fluid in will rad. fluid then get into the engine? any help of ideas would be great. thanks.

p.s. i have about 102,000 plus miles on odometer

 

many joys of haveing the 3.0L

 

Is there any loss of power or did you just check your fluid one day and happen to see oil?

 

It's almost certainly a blown HG. 100-120k seems to be the 'danger zone' for these engines. '95 wasn't included in the recall, so you are on your own. Expect a shop to charge you between $1k-$2k for the repair. If you are handy with a wrench, you can do it yourself for about $300. There are a lot of people on this board who have done it themselves, so don't be afraid to ask questions.

 

With an auto tranny it could also be trans fluid from a leaking cooler in the bottom of the rad. If the truck is running fine check the oil and trans fluid level for a few weks and see if either one is going down.

 

I'm in the middle of this nightmare as we speak. I will say it has been a learning experience.
Ryan