This is my first post. Sorry it's so long. I have an ’89 4x4 long cab 3VZE pickup with 180K miles. I’ve owned it since ’91 or ’92, so I can attest that it has definitely not been properly maintained. Even so, the engine has been bulletproof. I had been thinking about fixing some dents and rust, getting a Maaco paint job and turning our kids loose with it, until a couple of weeks ago. I was driving it after it had been sitting for six or eight months. It overheated and before I noticed (I don’t think any idiot lights came on) the water temp gauge was fully in the red and it stalled.

I immediately saw symptoms of head gasket issues including billowing white smoke, and liquid dripping, from the exhaust pipe. I found some off-white pasty residue on the underside of the reservoir cap (although for some reason I feel like that could be from some time in the past??)

I decided to run a bottle of Bar’s Leaks HG-1 Blown Head Gasket product through the cooling system. While doing that, I was unable to get up to operating temperature and concluded the thermostat wasn’t opening, so I replaced it with one from Advanced Auto, which I presume is not the two-stage Toyota variety I have since read about in this forum. I cannot say if there was any improvement from the Bar’s Leaks since at that point I was still having overheating problems, even on short drives, which I did not realize then may have been due to still having lots of air in the cooling system. After learning on this forum how to properly burp the 3VZE, I did several lengthy sessions, one about an hour, with the front end elevated and a funnel in the radiator opening. Now the water temperature is staying just below the midpoint on the gauge.

I can now drive it without it overheating and the coolant level drops less time each drive, probably more from the cooling system being burped than a reduction in the volume of coolant escaping. I can drive maybe 6 miles and after it cools it takes 2 cups of coolant to top off the radiator.

Two (relatively) positive points: I was curious if combustion gases were escaping into the cooling system so I picked up a Lisle Combustion Leak Detector and to my surprise it showed no leak of gases into the cooling system. Also, the oil is not milky at all, which may be partly why I think the material beneath the oil cap may be old.

I’ll also mention that the heat is only blowing maybe slightly warmer than the ambient temperature. I don’t recall a heater problem before the overheating event, but I can’t swear there was not. (One reason I burped it for so long was my hope that heat would return – it didn’t.)

I wondering if anyone has any thoughts on possible next steps or things to try. I’m considering putting a second bottle of Bar’s Leak through the cooling system. I’m open to doing more testing or having more testing done at the shop. I don’t feel I can muster the mojo to tackle removing the heads myself, but taking it to the shop is not out of the question, although I have to cut my losses at some point. Many thanks.

 

A overheating engine that stops running by itself isn’t usually a good sign. It can be an indication that the pistons got hot and expanded, enough that they got stuck in the cylinders. Once the engine cools down they'll free up, but it can seriously compromise the engine. I’d recommend doing a compression check and see which 6 cylinders might have been affected.

 

Thanks. I will do that and report back.