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Old 02-07-2011, 01:59 AM #1
tsk tsk is offline
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tsk tsk is offline
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Help! - Coolant Leaking into the Engine

Greetings everyone,
First, I apologize if this isn’t the correct area to post my problem & question (I’m new to the forum, but need dire help on a recent problem). This past weekend, I experienced my first major issue with my 1997 4Runner Limited (3.4L v6), at 257,800 miles… Here’s what happened….

I drove my 4Runner to work on Fri (about 50 mins drive). On the way, I noticed no issues whatsoever (normal feel, response, sounds, etc.). As I was leaving work in the afternoon, I turned my key in the ignition and heard a loud engine cranking noise and no start. Tried this several times to no avail. The battery was fine (had full electrical power), oil seemed fine (slightly dark amber as usual), and transmission oil seemed fine too (still reddish and plenty). I also noticed a weird leak from the passenger side of the car that left a small puddle (with liquid running downslope because of the parking garage I was in) that was in the area under where the passenger foot would rest (around the exhaust manifold connector area?). I was worried of the leak, but more so of the weird cranking sound (seemed violent). With the 4Runner in neutral, I had my friend tow it out of the 3rd- basement level garage to be able to look into it (it was dim down in the parking garage). After much research and discussion with my friend, we came to the conclusion that my starter was bad. Today, we replaced the old starter with the new starter… When trying to start the car again, the violent cranking noise was gone, but I now notice a quick sputtering sound… realized the battery became too weak. After charging the battery, we were able to start the car. Initially, I was ecstatic. But now here’s where it became even more interesting to me (and sad, since this car is sentimental).

Almost immediately, I noticed thick white fumes blowing out of the back exhaust. Then I thought back to the leak. Initially, I couldn’t tell what the leak was of (coolant, oil, other?)... But noticing that my radiator looked dry as can be, we deduced that all my coolant had leak out. So, I poured in a gallon of 50/50 mix. The fumes were still white and my friend guessed that there may had been a coolant leak inside the engine and that the remains were being burned up, was leaving via the exhaust, and would go away after completely burning up. I turned the heater on high and started driving home when sure enough, the white fumes let up and all seemed fine. But then my engine started to struggle/vibrate whenever I pressed the gas pedal and the fumes came back. My friend was following me and told me (via open constant phone line) that liquid burst out of my exhaust and splashed onto his windshield (he was following me). The temperature gauge then started to increase, steam started coming out of the hood, and my engine struggled heavily. Luckily I had enough momentum to exit off the highway and into a gas station. But just as I got into the gas station, the car stalled with much steam/fumes coming out of the hood. After opening the hood, I noticed the radiator felt cool but the engine seemed HOT! We opened the oil cap and noticed light brown/tan cream-like residue under the cap and inside. My radiator was empty/dry again. My friend was now confident that coolant leaked into the engine compartment and mixed with the oil, causing my engine to struggle/seize (due to lack of lubrication) and overheating (losing coolant in the radiator). The gas station attendant was nice enough to let me leave it overnight at his station until tomorrow when I would schedule for a tow truck. But I needed to move it toward the back of the gas station. So I poured in a gallon of water to cool the engine while I move the car. When pouring the water in, I noticed much steam coming out the back/left area of the engine. After moving the car, I noticed lots of liquid marking the trail while moving it into another spot. Under the hood, the entire engine front and right sides seemed dry, while the rear and left portions of the engine seem wet with coolant.

I plan to have my 4Runner towed to a shop and have them look at it and hopefully get an estimate for repairs. My fear is that they will totally BS me and rip me off (of course). I just want to be somewhat prepared to question their conclusions and know a little bit of what’s BS and reasonable. So, here are some of my questions…
1) What could cause the coolant to leak into the engine block and mix with the oil?
2) What service would I need to request to have the oil/coolant mixture cleaned from the engine (assuming the leak can be repaired)?
3) Where could the coolant liquid be leaking out of, as to the trails of liquid after pouring water into the radiator? (The front-top and mid-level “S” shape hoses seems in place and very dry)
4) What price range should I expect to pay for replacing a head gasket?

Other than this issue, my car has been running well since day 1. I love this car and it has backed me up so many times and I feel awful to just let it die. Thus I need to be smart about what all these symptoms mean and evaluate my options. As long as it’s not too costly (~3K+?), I’d like to fix the problem and drive it another two years +. Up until now, I’ve noticed no issues, such as weak performance, struggling engine/transmission, weird mechanical sounds… again, like perfectly new. Then all of a sudden this happens. So any help would be greatly appreciate… greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
-Tony
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