BlackWorksInc
New member
Never heard of DNJ, so I can't comment one way or the other.
Blown HG, or am I paranoid?
- Thread starter wnelax04sr5
- Start date
Troymclure
New member
Doing it at home. I am my trusted shop haha
Last edited:
wnelax04sr5
New member
update:
4runner is at the dealer for diagnostic today, compression, leak down, and combustion chamber leak tests. so far it has passed the combustion chamber leak test and the compression tests. the service writer and the tech i spoke to on the phone says they don't think i have a HG issue. I'm not really sure what else it could be with the symptoms I'm having, but they're keeping it overnight to continue testing
4runner is at the dealer for diagnostic today, compression, leak down, and combustion chamber leak tests. so far it has passed the combustion chamber leak test and the compression tests. the service writer and the tech i spoke to on the phone says they don't think i have a HG issue. I'm not really sure what else it could be with the symptoms I'm having, but they're keeping it overnight to continue testing
I fear that you are going to spend hundreds of dollars trying to find out what's wrong with it only to find out that it really was the head gasket. Your symptoms are too specific for it to be many other things.
They'll do the leak down test, compression test, etc and tell you that you're fine. Then they'll try swapping out the plugs and playing musical ignition coils.
After hundreds of dollars of diagnostic work and not finding anything wrong with it, they'll put a scope into the various cylinders after it sat overnight and they'll see coolant in one of the cylinders.
I'm not saying that they are for sure trying to screw you but I've seen this same scenario play out to dozens of other people in the forum already. You'd be better off by telling them to let it sit overnight and then checking the cylinders for fluid with a scope the following morning before it's started up for the first time.
They'll do the leak down test, compression test, etc and tell you that you're fine. Then they'll try swapping out the plugs and playing musical ignition coils.
After hundreds of dollars of diagnostic work and not finding anything wrong with it, they'll put a scope into the various cylinders after it sat overnight and they'll see coolant in one of the cylinders.
I'm not saying that they are for sure trying to screw you but I've seen this same scenario play out to dozens of other people in the forum already. You'd be better off by telling them to let it sit overnight and then checking the cylinders for fluid with a scope the following morning before it's started up for the first time.
wnelax04sr5
New member
they won't be charging me hundreds in diagnostic work because they've already given me a diagnostic charge that is set in stone. I am well aware that my symptoms point exactly to a HG failure, i told the service writer and the tech that every sign points to a HG problem regardless of the fact that they aren't finding coolant in the oil, oil in the coolant, and that its been fine for compression and combustion chamber leak tests.
I did tell them to let it sit overnight and do exactly that, and they'll get back to me on it in the morning. I'm not optimistic I don't have a HG issue, but I'm not going to let the dealer gouge me without 100% proving that I definitively do or don't have an issue.
wnelax04sr5
New member
yet another update:
dealer called again this morning. no residue in the cylinders or coolant. compression test passed to OEM spec. minimum allowed is 145 on all cylinders, factory spec is 190, my lowest cylinder was 189. it has passed every HG failure test there is
dealer called again this morning. no residue in the cylinders or coolant. compression test passed to OEM spec. minimum allowed is 145 on all cylinders, factory spec is 190, my lowest cylinder was 189. it has passed every HG failure test there is
wnelax04sr5
New member
well this will be my final update.
today i replaced my radiator, thermostat, and did a coolant flush and added new toyota oem coolant. after bleeding out all the air and running it up to temperature, putting it under load, and idling it, I'm happy to report all my symptoms have disappeared. on top of that, its running an average of 10* cooler than it was before. I'm happy and now confirm that a HG was not my issue
today i replaced my radiator, thermostat, and did a coolant flush and added new toyota oem coolant. after bleeding out all the air and running it up to temperature, putting it under load, and idling it, I'm happy to report all my symptoms have disappeared. on top of that, its running an average of 10* cooler than it was before. I'm happy and now confirm that a HG was not my issue
Troymclure
New member
I think this is the first headgasket concern thread I've seen that didn't turn out to be a headgasket, awesome
wnelax04sr5
New member
I'm honestly blown away by how this has all turned out, even the dealer is dumbfounded by it. I'm shocked that replacing two simple parts has completely changed it
thanks!
Am not surprised
They probably only give a shit if you're paying them for a job. Diagnosis is usually free.
Even when you pay them, it's always more halfass than you doing it yourself, because they'll never care about your rig like you do.
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wnelax04sr5
New member
diagnosis wasnt free, and I'm not sure what your experience has been, but in my dealings with my dealer of choice, ive had excellent service and they genuinely care about my vehicle, and thats reflected in the work they've done for me
CookieRoe
Senior Member
That's great to hear, I'm sure that's a load off of ya.
wnelax04sr5
New member
i was living in fear and eating rice and drinking nothing but water for about 2 months lol..
if anyone is curious, this is what the state of my radiator was when i pulled it.
Qlaloo
New member
That's great to hear! I will definitely try to replace my thermostat and radiator and do a coolant flush before I decide to drop thousands of dollars on a head gasket repair.
wnelax04sr5
New member
i had minor coolant loss that i suspect was happening through the radiator cap. i was running slightly hot and had coolant residue near the cap making me think that it was evaporating out. i replaced the cap as well when i did everything else
CookieRoe
Senior Member
Just throwing it out there: there was mention of someone's hypothesis on the degradation of the coolant contributing to the failure of the headgasket. No one has disputed it and no evidence exists that this is true, but I can see that it may be plausible. Many people (unlike the people in this forum) neglect the radiator and coolant in their cars.
Qlaloo
New member
Okay so I changed my radiator and thermostat out as well and just refilled the coolant. I still need to do a full coolant flush but I ran out of time for the moment. Anyways I'm not sure if it 100% fixed my what I think is a HG issue for sure yet but, I'm definitely not losing any coolant like I was with my old thermostat and radiator, so that's a positive.
Not saying there might be something to this, but, I had the HG problem and the PO I bought the vehicle from was anal about service. He did everything Toyota said including changing coolant, trans fluid, steering fluid, brake fluid. He even took it to the dealer to have them replace brake light bulbs.
