3.4L V6 Engine Flaw

[GrassFed]

I would have to vote for used low mileage. Try to get as much info before buying. Top end is playable, but with 240 I'd have to know how the bottom end is doing to confidently spend that much money on it. Just another opinion, remember how much you're paying for the advice [emoji6]

I can't tell what I'm missing. It seems like it's all the time we have head gasket threads and such popping up. And to think that these people are just the ones apart of this community. Who knows how many more are failing out there.

What's the deal?

 

[TXLX1]

I would have to vote for used low mileage. Try to get as much info before buying. Top end is playable, but with 240 I'd have to know how the bottom end is doing to confidently spend that much money on it. Just another opinion, remember how much you're paying for the advice [emoji6]

I can't tell what I'm missing. It seems like it's all the time we have head gasket threads and such popping up. And to think that these people are just the ones apart of this community. Who knows how many more are failing out there.

What's the deal?

Looking around at all kinds of cheap 4runners when I was shopping for mine, I don't recall seeing many (maybe 1-2 in Texas over period of 4 months) for sale with blown head gasket or bad engine. Second gens, about 1/3 of them for sale had engine issues.

I think it's a known issue, just not all that common. I bet it affects less than 10% of 3rd gen 4runners under 250k miles, that have been well cared for.

Mine has 340k miles and had a hard life and still going strong.

 

[jeremyc74]

It's possible that the head gasket failure and cracked head could be related to a casting issue, but I don't see any way that could be related to the injector failure. The injector is just plugged into the intake plenum and spraying whenever it's told to.

I worked on a project in a Honda engine casting plant a while ago, and casting irregularities are a real thing, and hard to detect. They go to great pains to minimize them.

 

[T4R2014]

Or maybe because a head gasket failure is possible on a vehicle that is almost 20 years old?

 

[Chuckles89]

My plan is to buy a $250 junkyard engine with 280-220k miles when mine blows.

 

[Bstrom]

Just passed the 190k mark with no oil burning and running like a top. I treat it like my grandmother too. Could get better fuel mileage, but, well, you know...

 

[Makitso]

top end failures on a 3.4 can usually be traced to an overheated engine at some point in the past. aluminum heads don't tolerate overheating well.

 

[Guyver192]

I must agree that these engines don't like excess heat. Coolant leak is what started on my engine. Found the water pump gasket leaking on mine engine I just pulled out. In my ownership it never overheated but I've only had it since February and purchased it with a wrist pin noise. No engine is immune to problems. I think we see more samples of problems due to the fact we are on a forum sometimes looking for help or advise.