I have a 1997 SR5. 144,000 miles. I am third owner. I have maintained well, but previous owner did not, as much. Exterior rough. body good. Engine seems fine.

Car has overheated twice recently. 1st time after about a 30 mile drive. Took dealer two days to determine it was the thermostat. Drove it local, a few miles here and there for about 2 weeks. Then drove the same 30 mile trip last week, over heated again. Now the dealer says it's a blown head gasket.

I have two questions:

1) Any thoughts on whether this dealer is wrong, right, etc.?

2) If it is the head gasket, any thoughts on whether it's worth replacing. They say it will be about $2K. That's about what sites list for the year and mileage.

Any comments welcome.

I'd have taken the 4Runner to a local mechanic (especially the ones who specializes in Toyota's vehicles.) Based on what you said, it sounds like the Dealer's guys have no idea what they're doing and they are trying to squeeze every dollar you have out of your pocket. Just go to a local mechanic and see what they say. If it's similar to what the Dealer said then I'd check prices for both to see which one is cheaper to fix

I would check the radiator first. It may be plugged, and it's WAY cheaper to replace than a head gasket.

This same thing happened to my brother-in-law on his T100 (same engine). They replaced the head gasket and it still overheated. They replaced the fan clutch and it still overheated. Then the replaced the radiator and all was good!

yes, usually a good idea to check the simple things like a thermostat or rad first before looking at head gaskets etc.

Start with the cheap stuff, but if you already have overheated the engine, the head gasket and head work will be needed.

The "blown head gasket" they are quoting you for is probably replacing the head gasket and resurfacing the head because it will most likely be warped from the multiple overheating incidents.

No matter what, take it to a private shop (because of the age/ condition) and hopefully you can find one that is moderately priced.
Good Luck

Don't just start throwing parts at it. That's just expensive and rarely fixes the problem.

Pressure test the radiator first. If all good, do a leakdown test on each cylinder. If you find two adjacent cylinders are leaking more than specs, there's your blown head gasket.

another easy test you can do is to test for exhaust gas in the coolant, Napa has a kit for this, that is something you can do at home w/ out having to trust a shop/dealer.

If it is a blown head gasket, then post some pics of the 4runner so we can get an idea of what kind of shape to know what its worth.

I would second both comments by LINY 4Runner and Stick Figure. The test for the exhaust gas and leak down are both used in the shop I work in to confirm a blown head gasket.

All...

thanks very much for this info, much appreciated.

The dealer did do a pressure test after original event. So that should have been/be fine. We'll see.

Thanks!

Bill