Looking for another 4th Gen ... how concerned should I be about V6 HG failure?

[MrEMan]

So I'm in the market for another 4th Gen ... currently have a 3rd Gen (that my daughter drives) and a 4th Gen (that I drive). Looking for a 4th Gen for my son to take to college. Needless to say, I have a lot of faith in Toyota's in general and 4Runners specifically. But I had to replace the head gaskets on my '06 recently and that has me concerned. It's tough to find a 4Runner with full service records and truthfully, no one ever wants to admit that their car overheated ... but it happens. Something fails, you're sitting in traffic and look down at your gauges and BAM!, your engine is overheating.

Anyway ... after it happened to me I started reading the threads on the forum. Looks like it's predominantly a '04-'05 problem. Maybe it's actually a gasket design issue, or maybe the redesigned gasket just makes it less likely that the gasket will fail if the engine is overheated. I don't know. What I'm trying to figure out is whether or not I should be avoiding '04s and '05s in my search? Do the numbers seen on this forum indicate a statistically significant problem?

 

[wnelax04sr5]

id say if you can avoid 04 05 then you should, but realistically theres far more 04/05's that haven't had hg issues than there are that have. that doesnt mean it isn't an issue, because it is, but theres many members on here and many more 04 and 05 4runners on the road that have never had an issue, even approaching the 200k+ mark. if you can avoid it, then id say do it, but if not, try to find a vehicle with a service record or the fewest owners possible and go from there

 

[Morphyne]

Isn't the hg issue a v6 thing only? If so, problem w9lved get a V8 or even better, get a gx.

 

[JimInTN]

Buy a v8?

 

[ben550]

I would not worry about it. I bought an 04 in Florida used with 134k miles on the clock. I changed out the coolant on it and it ran just fine with no issues. I sold it to my father in law and he is still driving it with no issues at 190k miles...

I own a V8 now but would not hesitate to buy a v6 again... i would actually prefer the v6. Watch out for the v8s they are not immune from problems. The cracking exhaust manifolds can be an $$$ fix too...

 

[rooost]

Would you rather have the fear of a HG failure or the annoying tick of a busted exhaust manifold?

 

[amalik]

Sounds like you can get a 06+and you'll be set.

Or, get the kid a 3rd gen! Hell, I'm almost 30 and still loving mine, including in my college years.

yes, finding a lower mileage one is getting harder to find, but there really is no HG or exhaust manifold issue.

The 5VZ-FE is a legend. Someone on TacomaWorld just hit 490k miles on his and finally had a head gasket fail. The story isn't uncommon, I've now seen multiple members cross the 400k mark on the 5VZ.

At the end of the day, every machine has a vice though. the 3rd gen's need a new radiator on the autos (or an aux cooler), and new LBJ's as well if not already done. Other than that though, they are very solid.

 

[ben550]

Would you rather have the fear of a HG failure or the annoying tick of a busted exhaust manifold?

I don't have a fear of either. My wallet does. If the manifold cracks and begins to throw a code it will not pass inspection and will need to be fixed.

Either issue will require a repair in the thousands of dollars range. If you don't like the manifold issue how about the emissions air pump issue on the v8? If that goes its another couple thousand dollars to "fix"...

I have owned both and have not had a problem with either issue. Just pointing out that they both have some potential flaws.

If I was to buy another used 4th gen with 100k miles on it, I would look for an 06+ V6. I'd Service the oil, spark plugs, diffs and transfer case fluid, transmission fluid and coolant... and it should be good to drive for another 100k...

 

[MrEMan]

Agreed that a 3rd Gen should also be an option, but there are relatively few low-mileage, quality 3rd Gens in my area ... and there are a lot of 4th Gens. I like aspects of each, but am leaning toward a 4th Gen. Same applies to a V8 ... maybe it's a function of price and mileage range I'd like to stay within, but there just aren't that many V8's currently available. So the question for me still comes down to this ... are the number of blown '04/'05 headgaskets statistically significant enough to avoid them? I don't have a feel for how many members have 4th Gens to be able to figure it out ....

 

[Counterpoint08]

I've been reading these forums most days for about the past 3-4 years since I bought my 08 V6, despite having only joined recently. With that said, you didn't mention what your budget is, how far away your son will be at college (in case you need to help him with car trouble), or some idea of how many miles he's likely to drive over the course of a year. If your budget is tight, and he won't be driving more than a few thousand miles a year, go for a well-cared-for 04 or 05. If however, you can afford it, I would personally choose an 06 and up to avoid the headgasket problem. Statistically, the headgasket is still not significant. If you buy a pre-06 Runner your risk is maybe a couple percent at the worst. If he's commuting to school everyday (driving a lot) I would choose the newest safest vehicle I could afford. If he's living on campus and mostly doing short local driving trips, I wouldn't hesitate to save money and consider a 3rd gen -get it inspected professionally and spend a little money for preventative maintenance and repairs before he starts driving it. It all depends on your budget, the situation and what kind of deals are in your area. They will all be worthwhile choices.

 

[2003-4x4runner]

Try looking for a 2003 4th gen. They maybe cheaper then an 04-05. I'm going on 160k miles with mine with no issues. (knock on wood).

 

[MrEMan]

Thanks to all for the thoughtful replies. In truth, it's not really a budget issue (in terms of the purchase), and he's at an in-state school so he won't put that many miles on it while in school ... but I expect my 4Runners to get at least 300K, so this is a vehicle that I imagine/hope he will be driving long after college is finished. Anyway, lots of good food for thought here ...

 

[heiser]

I may be one of the lucky ones, but I didn't know the extent of the HG problem when I bought my 04 at 164k. I'm almost to 174k now and there are no signs of problems.

Had I known, I might have put more effort into getting an 06+, but I wouldn't totally rule out 04 05's either.

 

[AZ06SR5]

But I had to replace the head gaskets on my '06 recently and that has me concerned.

Just curious, what was the production month of your 06? I'm wondering if this theory is correct that they changed the design of the gasket around November 2005. Or did your 06 overheat?

 

[progress4m]

IMHO: as the time goes on and mileage increases, I believe the amount of HG failures on V6 will go increase as well… as I think we can all agree that it was (is) a design\production related issue and will show its ugly face at some point…

I also think that amount of reported cases of HG failures will decline because people who would have purchased preowned 4runner with high mileage (around 200 K) will assume that previous owner did not take care of or just agree with the idea that it is ok for HG to fail on high mileage vehicle…

To OP, again IMHO: I would not consider or recommend to anyone 4Runner with V6 (especially made in 2003-2006 ) for purchase and expecting keeping until 300K…. unless you are understand the potential HG issue and absolutely fine with replacing it at some point.

My $.02

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I would say that if the HG gives out under 150k that's pretty abnormal (which is what we've seen/heard on the forum pop up on the forum every now and then). At about 150~200k I'd say that's a bit odd and you're not very lucky, but not entirely unheard of if the vehicle was not taken care of well and incorrect fluids were used. 200k+ I'd say that it's not something to be surprised by, unfortunate yes; but that's what can happen at high mileage.

I wouldn't be afraid to buy an older 1GR-FE equipped 4th gen, there's some members who are tipping into the 400~500k on these engines. But I would be cautious and really look over the service records, vehicle history, and so on if you're looking at a pre-'05 unit; not because they are ticking time bombs. But because there is a somewhat higher chance that you may have one with a possibly defective headgasket and you should take the time to see if any possible signs exist to point if it is in the process of failure.

 

[MrEMan]

But I would be cautious and really look over the service records, vehicle history, and so on if you're looking at a pre-'05 unit; not because they are ticking time bombs. But because there is a somewhat higher chance that you may have one with a possibly defective headgasket and you should take the time to see if any possible signs exist to point if it is in the process of failure.

Good idea, but I'm not really sure I know what to be looking for in the service records as a red flag ... any suggestions?