Bilzo
New member
I have a 1995 4Runner, V6, Manual transmission, 4WD, 165K. Recently (about a month ago) my mileage dropped from 18mpg to 15mpg. Then a few days later the engine started to chug after startup for about 5 minutes or so, and the exhaust was extremely smokey during that 5 minutes (one time the tailpipe was actually blowing rings, which was really cool considering). Then my environmental system stopped blowing warm air when the engine is below about 2500rpm. So it only warms up inside when the 4Runner is moving. It overheated one day and I took it to the shop. The mechanic said it was the thermostat and replaced it. It doesn't overheat now, but everything else is pretty much the same. The smoke is considerably less than before but still there, and it kind of chugs all the time now. I suspect a headgasket is blown. Any thoughts?
