Hello to all,

A few weeks ago I decided to try to get some more heat out of my truck (1995 Tacoma 2.7L 4x4 166,000miles). I noticed the coolant was brown and sludgy when I replaced the thermostat. I took it in to get the coolant flushed and they said I have a bad head gasket or cracked head, this was confirmed by a carbon monoxide test on the coolant.

I'm not saying thier diagnosis is wrong but the oil is clean and there isn't the obvious white smoke coming out of the exhaust and no performance problems at all. Just not expecting this.

What do you think?

 

Just because the oil is clean and there is white smoke does not mean the head gasket is good.


However, if you still do not believe them, flush the coolant yourself and run the vehicle. Often times, the reason the coolant is nasty and brown and sludgy is because it was never changed in 15 years!