Flushing or Gurgling Sound when accelerating.

[strife7]

Hi, I'm new to these forums but have been a long time toyota owner. Actually, this is my first car and I've had it for 9 years now. I plan a buying a new car sometime soon but would like this one to last a little longer. It's a 1989 Toyota 4 runner. It has been a great car to me even though I had treated it poorly. It seems to be running somewhat decently considering I haven't really maintained it too well. It's starting to show its wear however. Recently, I've noticed a flushing sound or a gurgling sound when I accelerate. Do any of you guys have an idea of what it is and how much the going price to fix it is?

I've done several searches and think it may be a head gasket problem. (Oh, its a 3.0 V6 BTW) I know there's been a recall on this but I think I'm ineligable because from what I understand, I had to be under 100,000 miles or within 8 years of the recall. Car has about 180,000 miles on it and I believe its past the 8 years.

This car has been great. It has never left me stranded and since its my first car, I find that I am still quite attached to it. (I think I'll keep it even when I buy a new car.) This forum seems quite knowledgable. Any help is appreciated. Thanks for looking at this!

 

[Jim_Chow]

I have a '86 4-cyl, and the only time I've ever heard a gurgling sound is when the radiator was 60% clogged. Actually, what speeded up it's demise is when I flushed the coolant and switched from green to red, I forgot to blast the heater to flush the heater core. A few months later, the radiator fluid looked like mud. Apparently, I learned that some kind of chemical reaction occurs between green and red coolant, causing a radiator to clog/rust quickly. I only mention this to offer a second opinion. I'm quite aware that 2nd gen V6's are prone to head gasket failure, but I believe the '88 V6 is robust (I know a guy who has a 88 v6 w/ 270K mi). It was only when toyota eliminated asbestos from their HG's did the failures occur.