Hello. I am Considering purchase of a 1991 4runner with about 85,000 miles on it. it is a nice low mileage yota. I am wondering if all the headgasket fears are for real and if this vehicle would be covered for repair by Toyota recall if I buy it and the headgaskets blow in 3 months. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

The fears ARE for real. If it has a V6, it's probably going to blow, no matter how well-maintained. That said, there are MANY 4runners out there that may NEVER have a problem. Here's the latest info I posted re: Head gasket campaign. https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/90-4runner-blown-head-gasket-28719/

Gee, I'm starting to feel like the 'official' head gasket guy. Pretty soon I'll be able to actually DO one!

 

If it's a V6, then yes the head gasket issue is real. Do a search for headgasket and you'll see plenty of thread dealing with the issue. Get the VIN and call toyota (I don't remember the number but it'll be in the some of the threads from your search). Toyota will tell you if the vehicle is eligible for the headgasket campaign. If it is, Toyota will replace the headgaskets for free. Or, you could wait until the headgaskets fail and you might get a brand new engine.