Is the threat of a head gasket issue reason enough to sell?

[GTOchris]

My 4Runner has low miles- (86K) and I take care of it and do most service myself, synthetic oil every 5K. I had NO idea about the head gasket issue prevalent to these engines when I bought it. I asked my mechanic about it and he suggested it's cheaper to swap engines than do the headgasket job. Granted no guarantee that the new engine won't have the same issue...

I bought the 4Runner for towing my old 19' boat which it did really well! We upgraded to a 20' and now that is knocking on the 5K tow rating. I thought about taking it slow- upgrading the trans cooler exc for longer trips however I'm wondering if I'm just going to blow things quicker due to strain/ added heat. I'm not prepared to put 3K into a 10yo vehicle.

Does anyone have a high mileage 4Runner that does NOT have the head gasket issue? Is gentle driving/ good oil and quality coolent enough to sustain the life?

 

[iBison]

My 4Runner has low miles- (86K) and I take care of it and do most service myself, synthetic oil every 5K. I had NO idea about the head gasket issue prevalent to these engines when I bought it. I asked my mechanic about it and he suggested it's cheaper to swap engines than do the headgasket job. Granted no guarantee that the new engine won't have the same issue...

I bought the 4Runner for towing my old 19' boat which it did really well! We upgraded to a 20' and now that is knocking on the 5K tow rating. I thought about taking it slow- upgrading the trans cooler exc for longer trips however I'm wondering if I'm just going to blow things quicker due to strain/ added heat. I'm not prepared to put 3K into a 10yo vehicle.

Does anyone have a high mileage 4Runner that does NOT have the head gasket issue? Is gentle driving/ good oil and quality coolent enough to sustain the life?

I wondered about that also after reading about quite a few people on here with the gasket problem. Yeah, it happened to me. We started tearing it apart yesterday.

 

[cmoua]

I have an 05 V6 Sports Edition with 150K miles and DO NOT have a head gasket issue.

 

[gm350reratliff]

I wouldn't sell it based on fear alone. There's no reason to believe that the next vehicle will be any more reliable down the road. Plenty of examples of high mileage v6 4runners without head gasket issues on this site alone.

 

[wadle5]

I don't know about high mileage, but I am coming up on 115k in my 06. And I can honestly tell you that some of those miles from when I first bought I was a little rough on it. I just think basic maintenance and staying on top of it helps. To completely get rid of the vehicle for it possibly happening I don't know if that justifies a whole new car. .aka. . .a whole new vehicle of problems and maintenance? You also have to take into account with how many 4runners are out there and how many on the forum ,statistically it is a small amount with the problem. Just my 2 cents. I mean if you are getting nervous about towing and possibly getting an even bigger boat in the future I could see that justifiable.

Good luck!

 

[bpowa]

I would look into a new mechanic. Sounds he is incompetint or lazy to do a head gasket.

Engine swap, with another v6 that may have a headgasket issue down the road.

All depends on how and what you were doing when the head gasket leaked.

is it seeping or do you have coolant in the block.

Get it repairs if there is no coolant in the block, have a good mechanic send the head out to a machine shop.

 

[CO_SR5]

My 2003 SR5 with 206XXX miles still running strong with regular maintenance.

 

[Sporin]

I wouldn't sell it based on fear alone. There's no reason to believe that the next vehicle will be any more reliable down the road. Plenty of examples of high mileage v6 4runners without head gasket issues on this site alone.

When it happens to you, it sucks badly, but it really is a statistically small problem overall.

Towing a bigger load regularly is a/the reason to upgrade; we do know that overheating might be an instigating cause with HG failures. So if we want to be pessimistic, you can hypothesize that the towing could make it more likely you will have a HG problem down the road.

The good news is that your truck will fetch a very nice price on the used market and you can go buy the cleanest, nicest, 2008 V8 4Runner available to replace it.

I bought my 2005 V6 Sport a year ago with 145k on it. No signs of any issues with the HG, but I have little idea how it was driven before I owned it. Records going back all the way for regular service at the dealership so I was reasonably confident that it was in good shape. So far so good—I'm at 159k now and very pleased with it. I hope to have it be my son's first car in a few years.

 

[wadle5]

I have an 05 V6 Sports Edition with 150K miles and DO NOT have a head gasket issue.

I read this like an episode of Maury..."You are NOT the father"

haha

 

[97hb]

At 340,000 miles not 1 problem with engine or transmission. I do a radiator dump and refill every 20k with zerex Asian. OEM stock timing chain also going strong. I've done so many timing belts and chains/headgaskets I'm waiting for the runner to start drinking coolant but it just keeps going and going and ........ And yes I do tow a 2500lb car with a 16ft car hauler that is about 1850lbs no problems.

 

[daka320]

GTOchris, quit reading all of the horror stories on the head gaskets. Just do regular and progressive maintenance and drive the hell out of it. If it happens, spend the $2500 on it and continue on. That is equivalent to about 5 payments for a nice used 4runner.
Also, I have 190k miles on mine. Have towed a 2500 lb popup for 15k miles or so. I installed a transmission cooler and a frame hitch for weight distribution to tow a 5500 lb travel trailer. Does light offroading in desert and it is my wife's daily driver. Enough said!

 

[iBison]

Mine just recently went at 170k miles. I've had it since 130k and it has never overheated in that time. The PO was anal about maintenance and would even take it to the dealer for light bulb changes. The coolant passages and water pump are spotless inside. The top side of the heads look like a well maintained engine for that many miles, no sludge or anything. Will no more about the cylinders tomorrow. The water pump showed early signs of beginning to seep.

My dealer told me $2850 to change the head gaskets. That included labor and an engine gasket kit, no antifreeze, no oil, not filter, no machine shop work, no water pump, no thermostat. I'd expect it to go $3500 easy.

If my junkyard had an 06 with a reasonable mileage motor I would have considered swapping it since they only charge a few hundred for motors unless its a 6 liter ls. It's less work than replacing the gaskets but if you have to pay 2-3k for one it would be cost prohibitive.

 

[GTOchris]

At 340,000 miles not 1 problem with engine or transmission. I do a radiator dump and refill every 20k with zerex Asian.

Could this be the preventative maintenance measure that extends the life? :noidea: I'm a GM guy and know Dexcool was to blame for a lot of head gaskets on GM's.

Is it hard to drain/ refil the radiator? Is burping the system necessary/ hard?

I'm re-shuffling some of the cars in our driveway and I'd like to keep the 4Runner going forward. Everything I like is 35K+:dizzy:

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Keep in mind that on a forum like this you're going to see a very concentrated amount of issues. Typically what happens is someone gets a quote from a mechanic and/or dealer and they try and google if the guys are full of crap, then end up on the forum. Or people only typically post when they have issues, so the cross section of vehicles that have serious issues seems much larger than it is, because most 4Runner owners are not even members of the forum nor do they care to be.

I wouldn't worry about it at this point, "what ifs" will drive you nuts. I mean did you get your BST and 90L recalls done? There is the (small, if not statistically improbable) chance your vehicle may start accelerating all by itself!

 

[hearno]

To answer OP's thread title question, it was for me. I traded my 05 in on a 14 because of that issue and a few others that plague the 4th gens I didn't want to deal with.

 

[fdbyrne]

If you want a different truck and want to use the head gasket issue as an excuse to get the wife on board, then I can see the logic. If you honestly think your V6 is underpowered for your needs, then fine.

If you spend $5k, $10k, or $20k on a new truck for the sole reason that you may have to spend $2500 to fix yours in the statistically unlikely event that your head gasket will fail then I have to question your intelligence.

I'm not trying to be a forum troll here, but the math really doesn't make sense unless there are other factors in play in addition to the price and probability of a head gasket failure.

 

[ebg18t]

Could this be the preventative maintenance measure that extends the life? :noidea: I'm a GM guy and know Dexcool was to blame for a lot of head gaskets on GM's.

Is it hard to drain/ refil the radiator? Is burping the system necessary/ hard?

I'm re-shuffling some of the cars in our driveway and I'd like to keep the 4Runner going forward. Everything I like is 35K+:dizzy:

Coolant changes aren't too bad. Just use the Proper Toyota coolant.

In reality it really depends on your budget and real needs. We decided off-road exploration was no longer going to happen so we sold the 4Runner.

 

[GTOchris]

Keep in mind that on a forum like this you're going to see a very concentrated amount of issues. Typically what happens is someone gets a quote from a mechanic and/or dealer and they try and google if the guys are full of crap, then end up on the forum. Or people only typically post when they have issues, so the cross section of vehicles that have serious issues seems much larger than it is, because most 4Runner owners are not even members of the forum nor do they care to be.

I wouldn't worry about it at this point, "what ifs" will drive you nuts. I mean did you get your BST and 90L recalls done? There is the (small, if not statistically improbable) chance your vehicle may start accelerating all by itself!

I can agree- If I go on a GTO forum I'll believe my rear differential is going to fall off- on a boat forum I'm liable to sink....
I actually disregarded the one recall, something about the brake overriding the accelerator- IMO sometimes pulling up a steep boat ramp I prefer to be able to operate both pedals at the same time so I never responded.

Where I am in the North East- rust/ corrosion and suspension parts are what kill vehicles- not miles, we have the worst roads/ conditions known to man. I'm a relatively gentle driver and a maintenance/ detailing fanatic so I try and keep up with everything.

I've driven the 5th gen numerous times and I can't see selling for one of them, if anything- I'll need more power and want an Pickup next. I'd like to keep this 4Runner if it can continue to do the job.

I think I'm going to read up on how to drain/ refill and put that into my routine maintenance going forward.