4th generation HG failure: VERY common

N

nissanh

Senior Member
I am in search of another toyota 4x4. After considering many aspects I planned to acquire a 4th gen V6 4x4. Found a 4th gen today with a blown head gasket. Then started digging into more information about 4th gen HG problems. Guess what.... there are tons of them, which I never seen on a 3rd gen. Many 4th gen owners comment about the quality of 3rd gen 5vzfe over the 1GRFE engines found in 4th gen.

I am not an engineer, but if you look at the cylinder block of 5vzfe (2nd picture: thanks to T4R.org) and 1GRFE (1st picture: thanks to toyota120.com), you can see 1GRFE got water all around the cylinder bore at the head gasket, and with a slight misalignment a disaster!

Time to look for a 3rd gen! I love my 5VZFE!

4th gen link: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/188699-***-v6-head-gasket-action-request-***-20.html
 

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Unner said:
Pretty sure the 96 5vzfe had HG issues...
Click to expand...

Only a few were affected. This wasn't a major recall and they all got fixed. I don't see 96 5VZ's with head gasket issues any more than the other model years at this point.
 
Head gaskets have definitely not been a non issue for either generation. I have seen a fair amount of people on this forum alone have problems with their head gasket on the 5vzfe.

It seems like every engine comes with its qualms. You would really hope that your engine's qualm is something that doesn't render it useless until repaired. I sure wish they would have used the 1UZ when they were making our 3rd gens. Anyway.



Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
 
FWIW my mom has a 2004 V6. Tows a decent size camper with it frequently. It just hit 300k miles, no problems whatsoever.
 
nissanh said:
I am in search of another toyota 4x4. After considering many aspects I planned to acquire a 4th gen V6 4x4. Found a 4th gen today with a blown head gasket. Then started digging into more information about 4th gen HG problems. Guess what.... there are tons of them, which I never seen on a 3rd gen. Many 4th gen owners comment about the quality of 3rd gen 5vzfe over the 1GRFE engines found in 4th gen.

I am not an engineer, but if you look at the cylinder block of 5vzfe (2nd picture: thanks to T4R.org) and 1GRFE (1st picture: thanks to toyota120.com), you can see 1GRFE got water all around the cylinder bore at the head gasket, and with a slight misalignment a disaster!

Time to look for a 3rd gen! I love my 5VZFE!

4th gen link: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/188699-***-v6-head-gasket-action-request-***-20.html
Click to expand...

avoid all of those problems and get one with the 4.7.
 
just so you know [MENTION=85046]nissanh[/MENTION], that issue was corrected for the 2006+ model for the 4th gen.
 
nissanh said:
I am in search of another toyota 4x4. After considering many aspects I planned to acquire a 4th gen V6 4x4. Found a 4th gen today with a blown head gasket. Then started digging into more information about 4th gen HG problems. Guess what.... there are tons of them, which I never seen on a 3rd gen. Many 4th gen owners comment about the quality of 3rd gen 5vzfe over the 1GRFE engines found in 4th gen.

I am not an engineer, but if you look at the cylinder block of 5vzfe (2nd picture: thanks to T4R.org) and 1GRFE (1st picture: thanks to toyota120.com), you can see 1GRFE got water all around the cylinder bore at the head gasket, and with a slight misalignment a disaster!

Time to look for a 3rd gen! I love my 5VZFE!

4th gen link: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/188699-***-v6-head-gasket-action-request-***-20.html
Click to expand...

You realize that many of the problems you are finding are on a forum, which a majority of those people join to receive help for said problems. These people only represent a small percentage of 4th gens on the road, most of which see no problems. With that said, in 06 they redesigned the head gasket.
 
Good news

amalik said:
just so you know [MENTION=85046]nissanh[/MENTION], that issue was corrected for the 2006+ model for the 4th gen.
Click to expand...

I want a newer model and not another 3rd gen. Seriously thought of finding a 3rd gen and now, you changed my mind! Thank you. Will start looking for 06+ models. time to gather more $$$. Is this applies to tacomas too?
 
I'm pretty sure the more prone ones were the 03-05's. I was looking at a 4th Gen, and remember only wanting ones that were an 06 or newer. The 06 and up aren't supposed to be nearly as bad, and they have better headlights.

A little more on the head gaskets. I did some research, and it seemed to me that the issues came from people who didn't take care of them. They didn't do any PM's on the 4runner.
 
nissanh said:
I want a newer model and not another 3rd gen. Seriously thought of finding a 3rd gen and now, you changed my mind! Thank you. Will start looking for 06+ models. time to gather more $$$. Is this applies to tacomas too?
Click to expand...

not sure, check out tacomaworld.

but yeah, a pre 2006-4th gen is asking for a lot of headache.

as another member here said though, i believe the v8 is exempt from these issues; but i think the v8 had another issue that the v6's didn't.

it sounds like you need to go check out the buyers guide equivalent in the 4th gen section.
 
My brother was going to get a 3rd gen but he wanted something a little newer and more grunt. He researched 4th gens a lot and from his findings he went with a 2007+ Limited v8. They seem to have the least issues. Things I think to look for was transfer case issues and manifold issues on the v8s but most where fixed already.
 
Porqupine82 said:
You realize that many of the problems you are finding are on a forum, which a majority of those people join to receive help for said problems. These people only represent a small percentage of 4th gens on the road, most of which see no problems. With that said, in 06 they redesigned the head gasket.
Click to expand...


This is my first post and a shot in the dark with regard to the best place to post this. I have a 2005 Limited v6 that needs the head gasket done. Has all the symptoms and I don't see many posts that say it was a bad injector, which is basically what I'm down to. At any rate, I'm reaching out to see if I can find a local person out there for a trustworthy shop in Harrisburg Pennsylvania area. Down to Toy Tech or Don's performance corner. Don's does own machining so it wouldn't have to be sent out. Again this probably isn't the best way for me to get an answer but I usually just read the site. Not great with searches an navigating it. Any help would be much appreciated.
 
Mabeldog said:
This is my first post and a shot in the dark with regard to the best place to post this. I have a 2005 Limited v6 that needs the head gasket done. Has all the symptoms and I don't see many posts that say it was a bad injector, which is basically what I'm down to. At any rate, I'm reaching out to see if I can find a local person out there for a trustworthy shop in Harrisburg Pennsylvania area. Down to Toy Tech or Don's performance corner. Don's does own machining so it wouldn't have to be sent out. Again this probably isn't the best way for me to get an answer but I usually just read the site. Not great with searches an navigating it. Any help would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...



I've heard nothing bad about Toy Tech. Both motorcycle and vehicle.

If I don't do my work it's John at Steve's Transmission in Myerstown or Len at Lefflers Service in Lebanon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
One thing about these 4th gen is that its more of a slow fail.

My 1991 T4R HG just puked its guts out in one big blow out 45 miles from home.
Lucky I was next to a river...


I have never driven the 3rd gen but I would not trade this 2004 V6, I will keep it till its dead.
 
The design difference the OP points out is because the 5VZ is a cast iron block while the 1GR is an aluminum block. The pistons still need a cast iron sleeve to run in -- that's what you're seeing completely surrounded by the water jacket.
 
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