Check Engine Light intermittent 2004, V6 1GR-FE Engine

[4runnerV6]

Hello folks,

I have a 2004 4runner V6 1GR-FE with 219K miles on it. It still runs good, in
fact I took it cross country about a year ago covered 24 states in 30 days logged about 10K miles.

Here are my issues:

1. Check Engine Light would come on, would stay on for a few days then go away, it would do that every so often for about a year now, but lately it has
been 3 weeks and no check engine light. (which is good) when I had it diagnosed initially it was cylinder 6 misfire, I had my major maint done at the dealership, so it took care of it for about a few months then the light comes back on and off again. The other thing that came up when I did another diagnostic was possibly O2 sensor going bad and the last thing what my dealer was saying is my head gasket needs to be replaced (I was quoted $3500 to $4000, OUCH!) Once in a while I would hear as if there is waterfalls inside the car, but when I checked my exhaust it is not blowing white smoke or even a funky smell. And I never had any engine overheating problem.

Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated.

 

[hearno]

Another head gasket most likely. Very common symptom is a rough idle for 30 secs or so in the morning and then it smooths out. It's a cyl 6 misfire from coolant in the cylinder and that's where these seem to fail most commonly. Do a search and you'll find several examples of this exact issue. I'm sorry to say it but the dealer is probably correct. A few guys have tried new plugs, swapping coils, etc hoping it's a misfire from an ignition problem but as I recall, they all end up being a bad head gasket. Get it diagnosed correctly the first time instead of throwing money at a problem that doesn't exist hoping it's not a bigger issue. Then you can figure out if putting several thousand dollars into the truck is worth it or not. The gasket was redesigned somewhere in the 05-06 model year as the old part number supersedes so if you do fix it, it should be a one and done deal. You can put a new water pump and timing chain in while you're in there and literally drive the truck until the frame rots.

 

[4runnerV6]

Thanks, Hearno, I guess better to be out $4K, than a $40K car note.

 

[hearno]

It's funny you say that. I just traded in my 2005 because I was tired of worrying about that exact issue and have a huge car note.

 

[JEL]

219k is pretty impressive for an 03-05 with the troubled head gasket, see lots on here going south sub-150k.

 

[drewm]

Thanks, Hearno, I guess better to be out $4K, than a $40K car note.

Find a good independent mechanic, he will charge half that and have many tens of years more experience than the mechanics at the dealers.

 

[4runnerV6]

Thanks for all of your inputs.

Even though I do not have over heating issues, oil looks normal, no rough idling and no
white smoke from my exhaust or smell and top it off only toyota maint rep touch my 4runner .......does it still boil down to Head Gasket replacement?

What is the worst case scenario if I just kept driving it since the only symptom I get
is the check engine light on/off and the water falls sound inside the car at start up.
Cause I don't want to drop $4K then just end up buying a new 4runner after a year if dies on me.
Thank you all again.

 

[drewm]

Thanks for all of your inputs.

Even though I do not have over heating issues, oil looks normal, no rough idling and no
white smoke from my exhaust or smell and top it off only toyota maint rep touch my 4runner .......does it still boil down to Head Gasket replacement?

What is the worst case scenario if I just kept driving it since the only symptom I get
is the check engine light on/off and the water falls sound inside the car at start up.
Cause I don't want to drop $4K then just end up buying a new 4runner after a year if dies on me.
Thank you all again.

You can run it, just check the coolant and oil weekly for levels and signs of contamination and watch for it overheating while driving. If you overheat it, it can warp the head and possibly cause more damage.

Generally head gasket failures start small and build into a bigger one as more of the gasket corrodes away, so eventually you'll get to a point where it just won't run without overheating. That's when it's required that you fix the head gasket.

 

[4runnerV6]

Thanks Drewm, I guess from how I am describing my engine trouble (Head Gasket), if I attend to it before it gets worst I should get a lot more years and thousands more miles on my 4runner.

 

[radlynx]

do you get any trouble code? you might want to start replacing the cheap parts first like, ignition coil for all 6 cylinders.

the issue could be the following: ignition coil, spark plug, fuel injector. if you can do the basic troubleshooting like swapping the ignition coils or fuel injectors, you might be able to find if the trouble code follows. last resort is head gasket. by the way, you definitely can drive it another 100000 miles or more after a head gasket replacement. also a here and there maintenance. worth it than having a monthly car payment and having a higher insurance.

Thanks Drewm, I guess from how I am describing my engine trouble (Head Gasket), if I attend to it before it gets worst I should get a lot more years and thousands more miles on my 4runner.