Blown HG, options

J

jpshoe

New member
Looking for some advice on here. Took my truck in today to confirm what I feared I had, a blown head gasket. They are working on an estimate right now but looking in the range of 2k as many of you know. I am moving to Chicago and have decided I will sell the vehicle before I move in May. My options are to sell it as is, no clue what it would sell for, or fix it and sell it. It's a 2000 SR5 4x4 with 127k on it, well maintained since I have owned it the past year and have done a lot of work to it. New suspension, new rad, timing belt and water bump, all fluids done, rear axle seals, brakes all around among other stuff. I feel if I fix it and sell it I could probably get 5k for it if I'm lucky (in central FL). Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

P.S. Even though I plan on selling it, don't worry I will eventually buy another 4Runner after I am done with grad school lol.
 
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Idk much about the florida market, but I don't see a truck with a head gasket failure going for $5000. With that low of mileage, plus low rust (i'm assuming here, because its a southern truck), I can't think of a reason why you wouldn't fix it, either DIY or with the help of a shop (127k is low mileage to blow a head gasket also, so I'm not sure how that happened?) But if the truck is how you described it (good maintenance, lots of new parts, etc), repair it and drive it for another 150k miles.

Somebody else will have to chime in to tell you how much a head gasket repair might be, but $2000 sounds high?
 
LookAtThatDog said:
Idk much about the florida market, but I don't see a truck with a head gasket failure going for $5000. With that low of mileage, plus low rust (i'm assuming here, because its a southern truck), I can't think of a reason why you wouldn't fix it, either DIY or with the help of a shop (127k is low mileage to blow a head gasket also, so I'm not sure how that happened?) But if the truck is how you described it (good maintenance, lots of new parts, etc), repair it and drive it for another 150k miles.

Somebody else will have to chime in to tell you how much a head gasket repair might be, but $2000 sounds high?
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I know 5k is optimistic after the repair but I at least want to get 2k for it. Whether that's sell it as is for 2k or fix and sell for 4ish thousand after it's fixed. Not sure I have the ability to fix it myself, seems like a tough job.
 
Y'know man, It's honestly something you could probably do yourself. I don't know what shape your truck is in, but repaired surely it would get you back more than 5k if you tried to sell it?
When I bought my Runner in September I honestly didn't know the first thing about engines, and this week I'm about to pull my heads off and do a top end rebuild.
There's threads on here that are step by step, there are complete parts lists, and a gentleman on YouTube named worsethanchiggers has a complete, detailed, DIY video serious that shows you everything you need to know to get to your headgaskets. Its a lot of time, but I'm in a place in life where my time isn't worth more than the $2000 estimate.
 
Just got the estimate back, $3,079 dollars. I laughed and am on my way to pick it up now. Right now looking at motor swaps before I look into the complexity of the project. I have time to do the job, so that's an option, just worried I'll be in over my head with it.
 
Only 127K miles? I'd do the head gasket job in a heartbeat. And yeah. $2K seems crazy. I haven't done one on my 4runner, but I have done them on other vehicles.
 
jpshoe said:
Just got the estimate back, $3,079 dollars. I laughed and am on my way to pick it up now. Right now looking at motor swaps before I look into the complexity of the project. I have time to do the job, so that's an option, just worried I'll be in over my head with it.
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seriously.....3k for head gaskets
really ?
 
Labor is ****ing expensive. Good golly. I'm still voting for the HG job. When it comes to engines the devil you know is often better than the one you don't, and there's no reliable way to tell what a replacement engine has been through, IMHO.
 
You can do it! Take it slow (hoping this isn't your only vehicle!) and give yourself time. Parts are plentiful and easy to get.

This is one of the easiest modern engines you will ever find to work on. Maybe a 4-cylinder Corolla would come close. My first engine work was a 3-day project to replace a bunch of stuff and do a valve adjustment on my pain in the neck 3.0L engine on my old Toyota. Now THAT was a chore. But these 4Runner engines are much, much easier.

As a matter of fact, I've got one in the driveway that needs new cylinder heads, maybe worse. I'm more intimidated by the body work than the engine LOL.
 
I'd get quotes form at least 3---if not 5---well-recommended places before going with that $3K quote. Don't take the word of one place.
 
3k sounds retarded. There are businesses that advertise fresh rebuilt 3.4 longblocks around here for $2800 I believe it is.

Labor is expensive, but labor should be based on flat rate time lines. Head gaskets can't be more then 10-12 hours on this engine? Even at $100 an hour, that's less then half the quotes estimate. Gaskets are a few hundred, I could MAAAYBE see 2k if they got OEM parts at high prices, coolant, oil, ect.

If it's really that bad, find a reputable shop selling a longblock that runs well for $900-$1100 range and drop that in. Sell your low mile engine to a backyard mechanic for a few hundred or whatever and call it a day.

A clean 4runner with 12xk miles on it is worth way more then 5k as well. Just saying.
 
I would put another used engine in it if I were you. These engines rarely fail at 125k and most go well over 200k. I find it amusing that people are not afraid to buy a 200k truck but are deathly afraid of a used motor. I would be completely scared of the motor that failed at 125k. You can probably find a low milage engine with good compression and put it in for a 1000$
 
My first vote is to call around and get more quotes.

I'm guessing you can get closer to 2k of which they you need to decide DIY or pay the money.

Either way I'd fix the truck...
 
Just an FYI, a nice rust free 3rd gen 4Runner would sell for a fortune in Chicago. Mine had people offering more than my asking price on CL when I sold it over a year ago. There's a pretty good demand for rust free southern trucks up here.
 
Thanks for all the advice everyone. Thinking of getting another estimate or two but will likely do it myself. I have the time, I'm just relaxing for the next few months until school starts. I need a car my second year up there to get around so no sense in getting rid of it now after I've though about it. Found a few good links to do the job but if anyone has anything a hit more detailed and could post it let me know!
 
That estimate is stupid. Book time is 7 hours, an OE headgasket is $50, and to resurface the head shouldn't be more than $50...they'll probably mark up the sublet machine work a bit, but that's about it.

Were they quoting both sides? Were they adding a T-belt/water pump/seals to the job? The intake gaskets and plenum gaskets are reusable, so is the valve cover if it's not leaking.
 
lbhsbz said:
That estimate is stupid. Book time is 7 hours, an OE headgasket is $50, and to resurface the head shouldn't be more than $50...they'll probably mark up the sublet machine work a bit, but that's about it.

Were they quoting both sides? Were they adding a T-belt/water pump/seals to the job? The intake gaskets and plenum gaskets are reusable, so is the valve cover if it's not leaking.
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The quote was for both sides with t belt water pump all gaskets valve stems and machine shop cost factored in. That was 1300 in parts then 1700 in labor. I'm going to do it myself I decided but will definitely be needing some guidance from the experts on here. Wouldn't have been able to do any of the work I've done without this forum lol.
 
Get a manual, take your time, take pictures for reference, and label nuts, bolts, and any thing else. I used to put like bolts in styrofoam/ solo cups and write on them in marker to keep track with what is what. You'll do fine.
 
michaelj said:
Get a manual, take your time, take pictures for reference, and label nuts, bolts, and any thing else.
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I am taking tons of pics and labeling everything. I'm fortunate that I don't have much work right now and can really take my time on it. Recommendations for a good manual? Would prefer a hard copy of something. Haynes? Thanks.
 
jpshoe said:
I am taking tons of pics and labeling everything. I'm fortunate that I don't have much work right now and can really take my time on it. Recommendations for a good manual? Would prefer a hard copy of something. Haynes? Thanks.
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I have always used Haynes manuals and had fine luck. Others might say only go with the FSM. Just found this on amazon. Pretty spendy. Somewhere in the maintenance sticky, there is a link to the FSM in PDF format I think. I saved it to my google drive to have for reference when out and about.

edit:
Here is the thread with a lot of reference material in the first section. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/167629-3rd-gen-faq-tutorials-documentation-reference-v2.html
 
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