Hey all, im just wondering how the heck i can tell if my head gasket is wearing out? I know these engines have the ˟˟˟˟tiest head gaskets and im just wondering because the truck has 185,000 miles on it, and i have no clue if its been rebuilt or the head gaskets been replaced.

The engine runs very strong as well. If that matters any

THANKS!!

 

Some symptoms:
Loosing coolant slowly...say a quart every month or two.
Exhaust smoke smells like coolant and the the foggy cloud last for longer than the first few minutes the engine is running.
Oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil.
External coolant leaks at the block/head interface.

Send a used oil sample to Blackstone or another tester and they will tell you if they are seeing coolant in the oil.

 

ah ok. yeah my truck doesnt have any of those symptoms you mentioned

 

Some auto parts stores sell a product called Block Chek (I think that's right) that detects exhaust gases in the coolant.

Well, if your are having no symptoms, just keep an eye on things and act when symptoms appear.

 

Call your local Toyota Dealer with the vin # and they can tell you if the head gasket campaign was done on it depending on the year also.

 

rworegon is very correct. it like a dye that changes color that indicates carbon in system

 

I will be defiently talk to toyota and see if that work was done on my truck. For how strong the motor runs, it would seem like it has been rebuilt.

 

The best way to tell if the head gasket its bad is if you locate a ''v6'' badge anywhere on the vehicle! I have a 94 with the 3.0 and recently blew a head gasket. From my experiences with my truck, mileage is probably the best indicator as to the condition of the gaskets. I did mine at 189, xxx because they blew. History on any maintenance is also great!