So this weekend i bought a toyota 4 runner 1995 for $1500 Head block was replaced in 06' radiator was rebuilt so it seemed like a nice pickup. However, i noticed something when driving it the other day it seems that the car has funny smelling exhaust, i say it smells sweet, my gf on the other hand says it smells like campfire. Either way its out of the norm. As well as when i started it this morning it was having a little white exhaust nothing billowing but it was noticeable. I also noticed that the reservior for the coolant was completely empty and i opened the radiator today and saw that it was low. All symptoms of a cracked head, but it still isn't showing signs of a milky color to the oil on the dipstick. Its just a golden brown color. So my question is this a blow/cracked head? or maybe just the radiator leaking, i noticed some coolant right of the connection to the engine i'll take a picture and show where the coolant i'm talking about is. I pray to god its not a cracked head because its going to be expensive to pay for it, and i have never repaired a cracked head before or anything of that magnitude. Any help is much appreciated!
2nd gen T4R Possible cracked head?
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the great him
Elite Member
blowing "white or grey" smoke first thing in the am when you start it up is not an issue, most cars do that, espacially if its cold out, its just the condensation burning/evaporating out of the exhaust system... but yeah it sounds like you have a blown head gasket. it sounds to me like you are leaking coolant into the cylinder and its burning it off. try pulling the plugs and looking at them. do you have a miss every once and a while...? your coolant wont always mix with your oil when you have a head gasket leak.
Okay, so is it something that i should be concerned about that will potentially destroy my engine down the road, or can i deal with it at the moment just making sure i top off my coolant and check it regularly? And how do you post pictures on the forums? do i have to upload to a website then link them in? I want to post a picture of the spatter of coolant i have from the radiator hose to the engine.
Yes it does sound like it misses especially when idling after starting it up sounds like its rugged like almost like its a diesel engine. But when driving it doesn't sound terrible or anything of that nature.
Here are some pictures of the leaking i spotted coming from the radiator
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*UPDATE*
I filled the reserve up with water today seeing that it was empty and i wanted to know how much it was burning. The whole reserve tank was completely empty after driving to and from school today and going to work and back of stop in go traffic at 90 degrees outside so i think something is either getting burned up or blown head gasket. Also the reserve when i opened it smelt like engine and exhaust so that may be another sign that it is
I filled the reserve up with water today seeing that it was empty and i wanted to know how much it was burning. The whole reserve tank was completely empty after driving to and from school today and going to work and back of stop in go traffic at 90 degrees outside so i think something is either getting burned up or blown head gasket. Also the reserve when i opened it smelt like engine and exhaust so that may be another sign that it is
Bad_Vision
Moderator
is it smokeing????????is is white, grey or black smoke????
if its eating coolant then you have a problem that should be fixed right away in order for us to help you.
you have a coolant leak at the thermostat housing thats obvious so fix that first and if the coolant level stays up then you found the problem. if its still eating the coolant then keep looking.
if you are sick of guessing then find a shop that offers a leak down test then youll know for sure what the problem is and you can just fix it then.
looking at your pictures i say do the thermostat gasket if its leaking on the ground after that i would do water pump then all the external coolant areas are covered and it would point to the head gasket or cracked block near a coolant passage
if its eating coolant then you have a problem that should be fixed right away in order for us to help you.
you have a coolant leak at the thermostat housing thats obvious so fix that first and if the coolant level stays up then you found the problem. if its still eating the coolant then keep looking.
if you are sick of guessing then find a shop that offers a leak down test then youll know for sure what the problem is and you can just fix it then.
looking at your pictures i say do the thermostat gasket if its leaking on the ground after that i would do water pump then all the external coolant areas are covered and it would point to the head gasket or cracked block near a coolant passage
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fourwd1
Moderator
If the coolant starts mixing with the oil, it can trash the crank bearings.
If it starts overheating, it could lead to a cracked head.
Keep a close eye on it.
Okay so i took a closer look and it appeared that it had been dried out coolant so maybe it had been leaking before and now it was fixed i found receipt for work done to replace the thermostat awhile back. But i'm going to look at the water pump and see. I took a closer look and it didn't look like there were any more external leaks where i posted the earlier pictures. There has been no more white smoke other than when i started it earlier so i don't see that anymore.
But to answer an earlier post i did a test and revved it hard while driving and it did sound like its missing a little bit could that indicate that it does have coolant in the cylinder head?
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS POSTED SO FAR MUCH APPRECIATED!
Bad_Vision
Moderator
yup. a miss can be from a head gasket leak if coolant gets in the cylinder its like putting water on a fire it will put out of some of the combustion.
Going to see if i can go an order a dye test tomorrow i mean its all speculation until you go look at it. But as far as it goes would it be easier to just go to shop pay for it to be done? I mean that's going to cost upward of 1-2.5 grand i'm assuming? or could you do this on your own with a bottle of advil in hand and some common knowledge of engines? or is this way to intensive mechanically speaking?
tor-redneck
New member
i just tore into my first engine today (22re). turns out if your not an idiot they are pretty simple to figure out. if you have the 3.0 and have a head gasket issue i would guess your biggest worry would be having the head machined. then again im a noob and asking for pointers in my own topic lol. good luck.
Well today was certainly intresting seeing that i started up and drove to school just fine. I left class though and it started billowing white smoke off and on as i drove down the road. So does this mean its leaking rather than blown or cracked if its not blowing white smoke all the time?
the great him
Elite Member
i think you have a blown head gasket my friend. as bad vision said, take it to a shop somewhere and have them to a leak down test on it. what ever you do, be easy on it and keep the coolant level up. the sooner you fix the issue the less chance of major damage and high repair costs. what ever you do, do not "band aid" fix this, do it right(have it done right if you dont do it yourself) the first time.
First off should i even run the car if its in the conidition? Or will it just make it worse? I've been checking on the coolant levels every day and i haven't been adding coolant just water because of how much its leaking and how fast its going through it. And it hasn't overheated at all which is strange for something like this.
But i've called a few shops and i'm getting a quote for it and its around like 2000-3000 are these numbers right for something like this? And i'm thinking that maybe i should just get both heads fixed while i'm at it because if they are taking the time to go down and fix one might as well do the other. But then again maybe i'm wrong. Also, is this somethinhg that i need to make sure that i have a reputable shop to do or can just say one of my buddies that works on cars who knows about toyotas do? Again thanks for all the help on this!
But i've called a few shops and i'm getting a quote for it and its around like 2000-3000 are these numbers right for something like this? And i'm thinking that maybe i should just get both heads fixed while i'm at it because if they are taking the time to go down and fix one might as well do the other. But then again maybe i'm wrong. Also, is this somethinhg that i need to make sure that i have a reputable shop to do or can just say one of my buddies that works on cars who knows about toyotas do? Again thanks for all the help on this!
4runner4dan
New member
Yea dude, sounds like a head gasket. These 3.0's are suseptable because exhaust runs right next to cyl. 5&6. I just drove my 92 home from the shop today. Blown gasket up top and spun thrust bearing down below. chewed up the crank, block and journal. I bowed my head in thanks for only paying $1700for the short block and rebuild and got a 12/12 warranty to boot. IMHO if you have tools and time go for it--soon. otherwise contract out the job.
Good Luck and God Bless
Good Luck and God Bless
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