Hey, just a thought, but I've got a 91 4runner v6 and I think the HG has blown. I checked the vin and they said it had been replaced in 97. I read somewhere that for a little bit they were replacing the headgaskets with the old design and eventually changed to a new design. Now, my question is that since I bought this in Arkansas and it was probably in a small town when the recall was done is there any way to see if the old gasket was used and get the dealer to replace it with a new gasket of the new design? Is this even a possibility? I don't know maybe I'm dreamin hoping to get a HG for free, but I know that my 4runner was in a small town for most of it's life so I just want to make sure before I spend the money. Thanks, sorry for the long post

 

I'd give it a try, but you might have better luck going through Toyota's US HQ. Sorry I don't know the number.

FYI - mine was done in 97 also.

 

That's cool...thanks for the thought. I'll try and find the number to give them a call.

 

I even took mine back to the same dealership that did the first HG repair under the recall, and got no justice. I complained on and on and on and nothing.
They even told me that they barely see any needing a second repair.
Good Luck!
P.S. I'm still think not using Toyota coolant caused my problem. I had a radiator replaced and they fiiled with green, a year later HG leaked. Before that I always used Toyota Red. Just my own personal conspiracy thought.

 

hehe...I'll keep that in mind. I got in touch with some of the folks at Toyota in the customer service department. He explained to me that the vo6 recall was done to mine. Meaning the gasket that is in there is the new design....o well. How hard is the HG replacement....maybe I'll just jump in and do it on my own

 

I have a 93 runner and because I have 130+ K, the "stealership" said I am screwed. What is the number that I should call for toyota corporate?

The previous owner never went and got the recall taken care of, and now I look like I am driving around in a steam engine (white smoke out of the tailpipe when I start up, and continutes for about 2-3 mins - worse when I accelerate, and odd sound coming from the block, plus I see liquid dripping out). Too bad I didn't climb under the car and check things out before I bought it.

 

Here is the Toyota case line #(800) 331-4331.

They will tell you if your truck is part of the recall or if it has already been done by a PO they will tell you that too.

One little tip when reading the letters in your vin# over the phone say Victor instead of "V", David instead of "D" etc.

 

There is NO mileage limit on the campaign. Nor is there a limit on the years or number of owners. In the states the campaign is called "V06". As well, there is no consequence even if the engine in the truck is not the original. I KNOW this to be true, as I had a "used" engine replaced earlier this year
It took me a full month (on their rental) and 49 hous of warranty labour plus alot of consultation with the service manager to get what I was due.

Do a search on head gasket and you'll find several posts from me about how it all went down. You really need to be aware of what the parameters of the campaign are, and then go to the service manager and let him know that you are fully informed as to what Toyota's obligations cover under this campaign. EG: The dealership tried 4 different times to blow me out the door. On the first two tries, they never even measured the deck warpage...until I told them that the tolerance was 0.039" to replacement...then they KNEW they were not gonna blow me off again. On the third try the SM told me they were going to try some liquid block sealant (!!!) to which I said " Not F'en Likely!.
On the fourth shot they finally went for the long block.

Call the national 800 number, run your VIN, and get the HG (and any related damage) fixed for 0.00

 

I actually just spoke with them at the 800 number and they very nicely informed me that it had been "taken care of" in 1998 at a local dealership.

The previous owner gave me a pile of recipts and so I am going to look through those and see what I can find - but do you think there is any way they might warrenty it now? Right now my truck is parked for a while now, yesterday I could barely start it up - and I burned a ton of coolant once I got it running so I shut it right down before it overheated or anything.

I can visably identify the leak, and I am almost positive that it is due to faulty parts - I think there has only been maybe 40-50 K put on the truck since they did it.

Anyone know of a solution? Or a good engine builder/rebuilder in NJ?

 

I agree, I have heard of guys getting new engines for free on trucks with over 150,000 miles. One guy had just bought a truck with almost 200,000 miles and didn't even get it home before the HG blew. Toyota covered a whole new engine for him, he was one happy camper. Good luck and be nice but fight for it.

 

Well, sad to say, you are SOL
Toyota did cover SOME second HG's replaced prior to '97, but after that, nothing. OCCASIONALLY, Toyota will reduce the cost, as a gesture of "Good Will", however this seems to be extended only to their regular customers and at the descretion of the Dealership. IE: The dealer may eat part of the labour costs. Otherwise, you're looking at about $2500, at the dealership. However, if you're at all handy with the tools, you could do it yourself for around $700, depending on what HG bolts you use, and you DO want to replace these, as they are "torque to yeild" type bolts, which means they stretch on installation and do not return to spec. FYI...Toyota DOES NOT replace these bolts under the campaign and this may be a partial cause of failure.

I'm betting you can see that leak between cylinders 4-6, which is quite common due to a design flaw, or else at the rear of the block, which is the next common spot for failure.

You might TRY the liquid block sealant, as some have had success with this. Otherwise, it may be best to look for a good, used engine. Most here will suggest the 3.4 swap...depends on how much time you have and how deep your pockets are....good luck.

 

Thanks for the responses. I have been digging a little deeper and came across some things that I might be able to help me out - but who knows. I have all recipts from the previous owners and it almost looks like the misdiagnosed things when all the tell tale signs of HG problems showed up. They had the guy replace injectors, buy a new radiator, everything. So I guess the person I bought it from was not trying to scam me or anything, his recipts are from the stealership (except the injectors) and total over 2 grand in just the past year- no wonder he wanted to sell it.

Do you think I have any kind of fighting stance that they should have recognized the problem last time that it came in and there was "powdery substance" on the spark plugs? Or should I just eat it and start looking into where I can get the parts.

I don't mind taking on the project myself, funds are really the only thing holding me back. Does anyone know of a good way to get the HG set cheap? I was thinking of using ARP studs.

I really have my work cut out for me here though - I have a few leaks under the hood. I think I am going to try to fix the coolant leak tonight, clean the TB, and try to figure out if I have a vacum leak or something (I have a ticking/hissing noise when I get on the gas, sounds like it is coming from the intake - but I havent gotten to look at it closly yet.

Does anyone know of any other sites that have good write ups on them? This site has some really great info, just wondering if you know of any links that might also be able to help me? And how much does the toyota service manual cost (I think it is a sound investment)?

 

Try these guys for parts: http://www.engnbldr.com/ I have heard nothing but great things about them.

Have you look over at 4x4wire? There are a lot of guys over there that have replaced HGs themselves. http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/postli...psed&sb=5&o=14

If you need some OEM parts these guys are a dealer in Texas http://www.toyota-parts.com/ Their prices are much cheaper than my local stealer.

 

There's a really good write up somewhere on that hard to find rear-of-the-engine coolant leak somewhere around here. Might check it out