TOYOTA HEAD GASKET (WHY)

Toddp

IT SEEMS LIKE TOYOTA HAS NOT SOLVED THE HEAD
GASKET PROBLEM. IS THE FAILURE DUE TOO HARSH
CONDITIONS. OR A SERIOUS MANUFACTURING DEFECT.
I HAVE A 90 4-RUNNER W/200,000 CITY MILES ON IT
IT FALLS UNDER THE RECALL. BUT NO PROBLEMS. I
DONT BABY THE VEHICLE BUT I DONT ABUSE IT EITHER.
I HAVE PULLED A 3800 LB SAILBOAT OVER 150 MILES IN

AUGUST W/AC RUNNING A NO PROBLEMS. LAST YEAR I
MADE A 1200 MILE NONSTOP TRIP FROM HOUSTON, TX
TOO ROCHESTER MN. IN 18 HRS IN AUGUST. AGAIN NOT
EVEN AS MUCH AS A WIMPER. I AM IN THE MARKET FOR
A NEW TRUCK AND WANT A TOYOTA, BUT WANDER IF I
WILL HAVE THE PROBLEM THIS TIME.

TODD

Motormouth

If you have 200,000+ miles on it and have done all that with "no problem" as you indicate, what are you complaining about?

Also, please use lower-case. Using all upper case gives the appearance you are SHOUTING.

Personally, if I got 200,000+ miles out of my vehicle the way you describe, I'd rush out to get another one. Just make sure you get the same warranty as before.

fredwood

AMEN.

smi

I think Todd's question was if the head gasket problem was design or harsh conditions. If design, and it still has not been corrected, then he may not be lucky next time and probably would not want to buy another. Me either. Or, maybe his application just doesn't cause the design flaw to manifest itself. Has it been fixed???

jholc

My 97 V6 Tacoma had the head gasket replaced at about 13,000 miles. I just took it to the dealer for routine service. They discovered it themselves and replaced it under warranty. The dealer said it is affecting enough pickups that Toyota may do a recall. The truck had not been driven under severe conditions so I assume it's a design flaw. Other than that, I've had no problems and love the truck. My brother-in-law has a 96 model with no head gasket problems.

mackabee

The head gasket problem reared its ugly head in the 96 4Runners with V6. This was a design flaw and has been corrected in later models. No need to worry about it anymore.

Mackabee

sundawg

I just had my 1993 T100 3.0 V6 head gasket replaced which was under warranty - My old Toyota dealership discovered that it hadn't been done since the recall by checking out it's VIN number - 2 days after I had just bought it from another dealer! It worked out - I replaced the timing belt at the same time - saving me a bundle, later,
and according to the mechanic - I now have a very good pickup truck!

roym

just bought a '96 t-100 4x4. no problems so far, but you guys are freaking me out re: this head gasket business. should i extend my warranty to cover this potential problem? anyone out there have problems with their head gaskets in their t-100's?

bbpeters1

my 96 t-100 v6 blew head gasket at 23,000 miles. Dealer blamed sticking thermostat. Has Toyota extended drivetrain coverage on headgasket to 100k?

reddfin

I paid to have my head gasket replaced at the dealership. My truck is a 93 3.0 V-6 4X4. I paid for the repair at about 6400 miles. It was done in 96. Do I have any recourse? Please help.
Reddfin

reddfin

I paid to have my blown head gasket repaired at the dealership. My truck is a 93 3.0 V-6 4X4. I paid for the repair at about 64000 miles os it was not covered. It was done in 96. Was there a re- call? The dealer did not mention anything to me. I was perticularly upset since I have rarely heard any negative responses by Toyota truck owners and have had nothing go wrong before or since. Do I have any recourse? Please help.
Reddfin

GAleo

Reddfin-
I had to have my head gasket replaced in my 95 Tacoma after only 23,000 miles- I was told it was a recall- They did mine for free- I would check in to it

rpgrin

I have a '90 toy 4x4 3.0 V6.with 150k on it. no problems with head gasket. a caller to a radio talk show has his 94 3.0 head gasket replaced by dealer with recall. I called dealer, he said they would do it now or when/if a failure occurs. there IS a recall on this, though I was never informed either.

Foxbat

All of these problems seem to be related to the V6 engine. Does anyone know if there has been any head gasket problems with a 4 cylinder?

stan11

Foxbat:

Spoke to friend who is a service writer at a Toyota dealer. He said the head gasket problem is isolated to the 3.0 L and 3.4 L V6 engines only.

lonmtn

Sounds like the V6 headgasket problem may be limited to '96 and earlier models. Anybody have trouble with the 97 or 98 V6?

lonmtn

Just saw that jholc had a head gasket replaced in a 97 Tacoma. I have a 90 2WD pu w/22E engine that has 175000 miles on it--uses no oil, has no problems ever--I just do routine maintenance. I use it like a 4WD (I do a lot of back country field work but I can't always get through with a 2WD, plus I carry a hand winch) but otherwise it just cruises along non-stop. I want to stick with Toyota, and am looking at a 98 4WD Tacoma V6 but don't like the idea of potential gasket problems when in the field. If the problem hasn't been rectified by the engineers, then does anybody have any idea how common it is for the V6 gasket to fail?

eneth

Toyota changed designs (and suppliers) starting with the 1996 model V6 truck engines. The problems and the warranty extension covers some 1990, all 1991-1994, and some 1995 (which is actually when they made the switch) models.

If you have Usenet access, you can find more information in the alt.autos.toyota newsgroup.

lonmtn

Thanks to eneth; this puts my mind at ease again. Seems like some people have trouble with Toyota pickups but I've never known anyone with anything but stories of mechanically indestructible vehicles.

Doccers

That's the 3rd time they've "Corrected" the gasket problem however. I still see 97's and now 98's losing their gaskets.

polsen

My step-daughter's 96 4 cyl 2x4 toyota truck blew a hole in the oil pan at 44,000 miles. It got replaced under warranty but I heard no explanation about what happened, filtered back through my step-daughter and wife. Has anyone heard of a similar problem?

eneth

If the hole was in the oil pan itself, and not
in the gasket, it's much more likely she hit something in the road that punched a hole in the oil pan.

polsen

We had the same thought as yours eneth especially considering that her longgggg-term fiance was driving alone when it happened. Leaving distrust alone though he reported picking up engine parts along the grease trail and the dealer fixed it under warranty. I didn't inspect it as it was sitting in the next county and I didn't have to drive 60 miles to retrieve it as she had a good towing insurance. All in all she lucked out of a large repair bill.

rkoesler

Toyota sent me a letter informing me to go to my local dealer for a head-gasket repair, courtesy of Toyota. I had 122,000 miles on the '90 4x4 SR5 V6 with no problems. But since Toyota was nice enough to do it for free, I decided to have them also replace the timing belt, idler, tensioner, V-belts, water pump, thermostat, coolant, plugs, knock sensor (it is down inside the block, in the V) and all related gaskets - all for 1/3 of the "normal cost" for such work. A headgasket job by itself is usually $1200; I got it all for $460.

I looked at the old headgasket after removal and could see a very small split starting to appear around one water jacket opening - it would have eventually gone - but at 120000 + miles, I would not exactly call it a big problem. Also, I'm told the gasket design has been changed so no more problems should occur. And, the ones that usually did happen, were due to severe engine stresses such as towing and "lugging" the engine.

Doccers

Yes, like I said, this is the third time they've "Fixed" the problem. Considering I still hear people complain about their 97's (and even a couple 98's) going, I doubt they've really fixed the problem. Most likely it's the engine design that puts too much strain on the gaskets.

rkoesler

I guess I'm lucky - neither of my Toyotas (90-V6 truck and 96 V6 4Runner) have had gasket problems, or any other problems for that matter.

roym

add my name to the list. my external headgasket blew on my 3.4L v6 t-100. i took it in for its 30,000mi service and i noticed over the last couple of weeks a small puddle of coolant underneath the engine. i took a look and saw it was running down the block and on to the floor. the gasket going to be replaced under warranty and the service dude said that from what he's heard, it's a problem with the material used in the faulty gaskets and the current batch is made from a superior material. he also said that before it was a problem of the 3.0L V6's but now he's seeing more and more 3.4's coming through with a busted headgasket. my question for anyone out there that had there gasket replaced is whether you had problems with the replacement gasket? did you have to return a second time? any feedback, as usual, would be appreciated.

plymouth1

Oh What A Feeling! Toyota!

james20

What year is your T100 with the blown head gasket?

roym

1996

jstivers

I am considering buying a 93 T-100 with a 3.0 V6. The current (and second owner) said that the gasket blew at 60K damaging the cylinder wall and the engine was changed. The new engine has 15k on it with no problems--so far. My question is will Toyota honor any future claims by a third owner on blown head gaskets?

Thanks

JDIAZ

ABSOLUTELY

roym

i just blew my 2nd ext. headgasket in two months on my 3.4L '96 4x4 t-100. what a freakin' drag! beware of the '96 models with that size engine. the dealer is going to replace the gasket again (they're bending over backwards to try and make this right), i hope this one takes. they say the problem is with the material that the gasket is made from...evidently it's of an inferior quality. i'll let y'all know if this next gasket takes...

Rich

This may be a silly question; but.....

If the head gasket is always failing, why not after market? What I mean is get an aftermarket gasket and take to the Toyota dealer when yours fails? It couldn't cost more than $20 and think of the grief you'll save with future trips to the shop.
Rich

faste

once owned a 96 4runner v6. head gasket went up at 9000mi and again at 24000mi. both times it was fixed under warr. after 2nd. time i got rid of it and bought american.

wsnoble

Has anybody heard of any 98 head gaskets going?

-wsn

ApexEnv34

I suggest you look into NHSTA web page (just type NHSTA to search for it.) under Consumer Complaints, pick the Year option. There are complaints on Toyota truck V6 gesket failures on 95 and 96 models, but not 97, 98's. That does not mean 97 and 98's are free of problems, but certainly suggest they may have addressed the problem.

It will be fun to do a comparison on problems reported per 100,000 sold for different year models and brands, if some one has access to annual sales data.

markbuck

have 'em replace the head gasket with one made by ROL next time.

pmoo

I bought a 1996 T100 exactly one month ago today, 37,000 miles on it. Today it started leaking what appears to be antifreeze, and it looks like it may the head gasket. I am absolutely new to this whole debate. I hope the dealer will fix it with no problem. Tell me, what is "ROL"? Does anyone have tips on how to get the dealer to fix it under the warranty without hassle?

pmoo

Nevermind! The dealer has already fixed it with no problem. They said that there is a recall on the head gaskets, that they have re-engineered the replacements so that it shouldn't happen again.
They were very good, even providing a rental for the one day that the truck was being fixed. Hurray for Toyota!

ApexEnv34

That is the kind of service we expect of Toyota. Even though I haven't had a problem with my 98 v6 4runner, your posts made me feel the money well invested. Good luck TO YOur T100 Adventure

26andrew1

Question

I had a head gskt replaced a year ago, 89 v6 pickup. It lasted barely a year. Now I have a milk shake on the oil cap again, and again coolant is disappearing, no marks on the ground. Will Toyota warrenty it again ( it lasted less then a year)?

quinones

I had the headgaskets replaced on my 3.0 V6 92 4Runner at 98,000 miles. That was done in April, '97. The replacement headgasket(s) blew again, this time at 141,000. I called two dealers and after giving them my VIN number, they told me my 4Runner is no longer covered under the "recall." I then called the 1-800 Toyota Service number and they told me the same thing - my 4Runner is no longer covered under the "recall" (they call it the "headgasket campaign") because the service was already done back in April, '97 and they have not received any more complaints or reports of these replacement gaskets blowing on the 3.0 V6. Yeah right.

My brother-in-law owns a used car sales business who buys cars and trucks at auctions and sells them for a profit to his customers. He told me that 80% of all 3.0 and 3.4 V6 Toyota trucks and 4Runners he has seen at the auctions in the Southeast U.S.A. have headgasket problems. He told me the problem is well known among the car sales industry.

Needless to say, I am frustrated and disappointed at Toyota over their apparent inability to solve the headgasket problem. This is the second time it has happened, and now Toyota refuses to cover the cost of replacing it. The replacement gasket did not even last half as long as the original gasket.

wsnoble

I have a 98 Tacoma 4x4 V6 with 11,700 on it and no gasket problems yet......

I think they (Toyota) fixed the problem in 97

-wsn

slorenzen

wsnoble:

I was speaking to the service manager at the local toyota dealership and asked about the problem as we were talking about a '99 tacoma.

His response was that it is STILL an issue....

I beleive his comment was "rampant"...

stan11

Had the gasket replaced on my '95 Tacoma this past March. When I picked up my truck I commented it was a relief not having to worry about the problem anymore. The service writer warned me that some "new" gaskets have blown and I should keep an eye on my coolant level just to be safe. The job was completed when promised, a loaner was provided and a discount was given on additional services. Overall, I'm happy.

wsnoble

slorenzen

Thanks for the info. My Tacoma is a 98 with 12k on it and no problems yet, and my buddy's is a 99 and the same for him. I'll keep an eye out for coolant, but every person i have spoken with (Local dealership Service Manager) and everything i have read says that the problem was finally fixed in 97.....

-wsn

wsnoble

Alomost 13k and still no gasket probelms on my 98 V6 Tacoma.......

-wsn

phyllis

I just bought a 99 Tacoma V6 and I am getting pretty nervous with all this head gasket talk. Does anybody know if the problem is fixed? And if it is not, what are the warning signs to look for?

quadrunner500

Oil floating on top of your radiator coolant, or a white/gray milky swirl to your engine oil. Coolant and oil are supposed to stay separate, but get mixed when the gasket fails. Might also backfire. Or white smoke goes out the tailpipe. By that time, the gasket has already failed. But it's fundamentally not a gasket problem, but happens because the piston bores are so close together, that the surface area available for sealing is diminished.

I would ask my dealer if I was affected, and otherwise hope for the best.

wsnoble

phyllis

I heard the gasket problem was solved in 98....

-wsn