I have a 2nd gen 4runner. The factory recall head gasket work has already been done, but it just blew again. Has anyone else had this happen to them?

 

of course...............im sure youll find lots of people in the same boat as you.

i blame the toyota mechs who half-@ssed the recall on my truck.

 

My 95 Toyota Tacoma with a 3.4 liter V-6 just had it's had gaskets changed for the fourth time.... getting old quick....

 

That should be an external leak...which still sucks. But anyway, I was wondering if Toyota covered this each time?

 

No, first time was pre-recall so they did it for free, once for the recall, since then it's been up to me each time. Same symptoms each time, running rough, loosing coolant, smell of antifreeze. The rest of the cooling system has no leaks, and they can't find any cause for it either.

 

I wonder if the head is warped on that side. You would think they would check the tolerances (flatness specs). I demanded that the shop foreman at the dealer do the work, and they were happy to oblige.

You might be better off to score a motor out of a 99 or something.

 

This problem has actually carried into a second engine. The new short block was put in at the third change (10/02, 240,069 miles), and this last time, the fourth one (03/04, 30,000 miles on new engine), the heads were warped so they were machined flat again. I am talking with the gasket manufacturer to see if they are supplying the correct gaskets, as it is aftermarket. I am running out of ideas... but next week I am taking it back to the same place and having a complete pressure test done of the cooling system, compression check and cylinder bleed down check just to make sure this new installation was done correctly.

 

So each time the HG blew, the repair was done at the same shop?

 

Each of the first times was changed at a different dealership. The third and fourth time were at the same shop. I can't really find any similarities that would cause the same thing four different times. If they had all been done at the same shop I could fault the shop. The third change involved a new short block, 'new' rebuilt heads (last ones were cracked), water pump, belts, hoses, all the stuff that goes with a motor change. I am runningout of ideas that may be causing this, short of a problem with the basic engine design or gasket design. Surfing the web makes it look like there are a few out there who have had more than one blown head gasket. Maybe I hjsut have enough miles on my truck to get to four. It does have 273,000 miles on it, but only 31,000 on this engine.

 

Have you thought speaking with the regional service manager about this? Your case is unique, and is totally unacceptable. I would get my documentation together and start getting some peeps on the horn.

 

I had not thought about the regional service manager. I will get in contact with them. This weekend I am going to dig up all of my old paperwork. I am waitin gon replies from Toyota and AJUSA (gasket supplier) to see what they say. But I don't have much hope in them right now. If I don't get any help from anyone, then I will sit down with an attourney and see what happens. If nothing else, I will get with our local media that helps people out when the regular guy like me can't get anything done. It's amazing what a little bad press will do to get them to change their mind sometimes.