Originally Posted by thegipper

My HG failed on cylinder #3. I also had a slow coolant loss I couldn't find and the rough start up in the mornings.

Eventually I got the massive white smoke show and decided to do a leak down test. Once I pressurized the #3 cylinder, bubbles came out of my radiator.

I had a good working engine on hand so I swapped engines instead of trying to rebuild the old one (had 214k miles on it).

For the last couple months I've been losing coolant on the new/used motor and it's had me worried. Could I really have the insanely bad luck to blow another HG on one of these engines even though the donor engine was meticulously maintained (bought it off a member on here)?

Thankfully, I found my leak. The heater hose that goes from the heater core to the heater control valve sprung a leak. It would only leak occasionally after the truck had been running for awhile and was really warmed up. What made me a little less concerned was I could smell coolant under the hood but I couldn't find the leak.

When the HG blew on the original engine, I never smelled any coolant.

Good luck to the OP!

Originally Posted by Mudeprived

I am on my 3rd vehicle in a row with a blown head gasket so nothing surprises me. First was my 2001 XJ, then a 2000 XJ, and now this 99 4runner which was maintained very well. I am on a string of bad luck.

Originally Posted by RuggedRunner

Thanks for your help, Ill be able to check the plugs tomorrow. I forgot to mention, the timing belt and water pump was replaced 6 months ago after overheating a few times from a busted water pump seal. I've heard that overheating can lead to head gasket failure. If this is true I'm assuming my head gasket has most likely failed. I don't have the time or skill to do this repair so I'm planning to let a shop deal with it. Anyone know any good mechanics in Raleigh?

Originally Posted by Mudeprived

I am on my 3rd vehicle in a row with a blown head gasket so nothing surprises me. First was my 2001 XJ, then a 2000 XJ, and now this 99 4runner which was maintained very well. I am on a string of bad luck.

Originally Posted by thegipper

I had a 95 ZJ with the bullet proof 4.0 I6. That engine had 303k miles on it and it never let me down once.

As much of a piece of junk the rest of that Jeep was, the engine was the one thing I could trust.

I actually saw it on facebook BST a few months ago for sale again. It had like 320k miles on it and the seller said it still ran great but was otherwise a POS...lol

I'm surprised you had a couple HG's go on your XJ's.

Originally Posted by gamefreakgc

Aww bummer, if your truck was drinking coolant then it might be the case and your head gasket failed because of the overheat. However, these engines are pretty stout so you might catch a break and nothing on the bottom end might be damaged. When you pull the plugs out, get a long breaker bar and turn the engine over one complete revolution by hand (360 rotation clockwise) via the crank pulley bolt. Watch for anything bubbling out of the spark plug holes and listen for any abnormal noises. That will give you a clue as to what might have went wrong and if there's hope to revive it.

Originally Posted by sdwaltz

I'm the farthest thing from an expert, and the posters above are likely more on the right track than I am, but that behavior is almost exactly the same behavior I experienced when my fuel pump went out. Similar mileage too, I was maybe at 208-210k or so.

Best of luck.

Originally Posted by RuggedRunner

Funny you mention that, my fuel pump went out 2 months ago!

Originally Posted by RuggedRunner

Update:
Pulled all the plugs and didn't see any liquid down there, I had a bright light and I'm pretty certain it was dry. But cylinder 3 had moisture on the end of the rubber plug attached to the spark plug wire. None of the other rubber plugs had moisture. I stuck a hose down cylinder 3 and it came up dry. My ultragauge had no new codes except 420 and 440 which I knew were already on. While manually turning the engine 360 degrees I heard a very light but constant clicking noise. Almost like when you turn the knob on those old toaster ovens. Is that normal? I heard no other noises. Checked inside the cylinders again, no bubbles or anything. As a side note the coolant reservoir has gradually dropped a little more than an inch in 6 months. Doesn't seem like very much but maybe its enough to hydro lock. If it is hydro locked maybe the engine dispersed all of the coolant when I cranked it yesterday, making it look dry. idk. I know theres no way to tell for sure but what do y'all think, can it be salvaged?

Originally Posted by thegipper

I had a 95 ZJI'm surprised you had a couple HG's go on your XJ's.

Originally Posted by gamefreakgc

If it hydro locked, that fluid didn't just disappear or evaporate. It would either have drained into your crankcase, or be pooled up in the cylinder. So if there's no trace of coolant, that's good.

Can you describe this "ticking" noise? It should not be ticking as you rotate. Where did the noise come from? Was it from inside the engine, under the valve covers, or perhaps something external like the A/C compressor bearings?

I should also ask, have you tried to start it again?

Originally Posted by Yoter

Were your spark plugs super clean when you pulled them?

Originally Posted by RuggedRunner

Not really. They're pretty grimy.

Originally Posted by Yoter

Im not an expert on head gaskets yet (luckily ) But the rust coloring around the base of the plugs is slightly concerning, as well as the gritty debris. You don't have classic white ash colored tips though that would be indicative of head gasket failure.
This might be a dumb question but did you clean the spark plugs? You can use a wire brush, they are not that delicate. You might just not be getting enough spark to get it turned over. Of course a compression test would also be a good idea I think most auto parts stores will lend you a compression gauge for free.