*** V6 Head Gasket Action Request ***

[easyc]

I maybe a victim as well. 2005 V6 with 70,0000 miles. Problem just started last week with dash warning lights coming on and staying. Engine missing on cold start up and runs smooth when reaches operating temperature. Checked my codes and they say engine misfire cylinder #2.

 

[armabill]

Sounds familiar.

 

[Nostromo]

Replaced mine at 175k. I have the v6. Wish I had done it myself. My engine will never run the same after the machine shop did a valve job and "adjusted" the valves by grinding the valve stems because the shims were too expensive. He's a moron.

 

[morphious]

Updated:

 

[armabill]

Amazing how it's all on the even numbered cylinders of the engine.

 

[easyc]

Fortunately I am not a victim yet. After being diagnosed with misfire in cylinder 2 it turns out that it was indeed a defective coil pack. All plugs were burning the same but cylinder 2 coil pack had a cracked boot causing the misfire.

 

[armabill]

The dealer checked mine for a bad or problem coil but it turned out to be the head gasket.

Now this took place over a 2 week period until it was finally determined what the cause actually was. It wasn't just a hit and miss guess work diagnosis.

 

[10ga]

I wanted to update my last post. It seemed the head gasket was bad on my other son's 2004 but it wasn't. It had the same symptoms and was throwing the same code as the other one. I have a good friend that's the service manager at my local Toyota dealer who thinks the work of my son because he was in the Air Force also, so he wanted to try and see if Toyota would pay for it. Long story short, it was a bad O ring on the injector and it was letting gas leak into the cylinder which caused it to throw the code and miss and cut out on a cold start. Total cost was less than $200 so I think we dodged a bullet.

 

[10ga]

Well I jinxed myself by posting the above post today. Guess what? After 3 weeks of running perfect, he went out this evening and it did the same damn thing :mad2:

I called my buddy at Toyota and he said it's probably the head gasket. He even said he's had 5 other 2003 - 2004 4Runners come in since my son picked his up with bad head gaskets. He said he would get it done at a discounted rate so we're looking at somewhere around $1400 to replace both head gaskets. It has 182,000 miles on it but I told my son I would rather have it fixed than go trade it and take a chance on getting something else with problems. He has to move out of town this weekend to start his last 2 years of college, couldn't have happened at a worse time but $hit happens. I'm almost done with my FZJ80 Land Cruiser so I guess I'll get it finished up this weekend so he can drive my 98 T4R to school.

I'll post the VIN later so you'll have it for the list.

 

[morphious]

[MENTION=67713]10ga[/MENTION] It sucks, PERIOD!!!!! I am hoping I get lucky, but am doubtful and know probably one of these days I will need to add myself to the list, but at your cost, replacing the head gasket only cost you .007692308 dollars per mile. I know if mine goes I will be pissed as all get out but, I would rather have a fixed truck I know, than 1 I don't. Though I feel if Toyota is paying for Dashboards, they should pay for this too.

 

[10ga]

I don't know if Toyota will ever have a recall on the head gaskets but they really need to. We're getting dash replacements on the 2004 4runner and my wife's 2007 Lexus IS350 and as bad as the dashes are, the head gasket seems to my a lot more important.

 

[Geri O]

I guess we'll add ours to the list, even though we've resolved the issue...

2004 4Runner V6 mis-fire and eventually water in #6. Bad head gaskets. 200,600 miles. Truck belongs to girlfriend. And I was just about to inquire to Toyota about the cracked dash...

It's hard to fault the truck in the particular case. It started running low on coolant from the head gasket leak, but she let it run pretty hot before she stopped. So heads are warped. Between the expense (and grief) of getting it repaired, and having the rest of the truck with the original transmission, rear end, and other parts, we decided to not repair it and she found a wonderful 2011 4Runner today.

We'll try to get a few bucks out of the old one. The old one was a fantastic vehicle for 11 years, absolutely no problems, just standard maintenance until we replaced the water pump last winter. She let it run hot then, too. So we really have no beef with Toyota over this one. And she, of course, LOVES the 2011 truck. Texting me all day about it...

FWIW....

 

[jscarrozzo]

I dont think I replied to this yet.
05 Sport 2WD
170k
Misfire on 6 cyl. No overheating, but when we tore everything down the inside of my engine was darn clean. Stinks that the truck was perfect up until then.

 

[jscarrozzo]

Wow - yours sounds almost exact to mine, except mine is an 05 and it happened at 170k.

I had added myself to the thread Head Gasket -Survey- Specifically V6 previously. I don't know if everyone in that thread is accounted for here or not.

My vehicle and problem
2004 V6 SR5 4x4
approximately 171k miles
coolant in #6
11th digit on VIN is 8
Don't have the other information handy now.

Rough idle at startup, at first occasionally, then after a few times, it would happen every time the vehicle sat for a while. Noticed coolant disappearing from overflow tank. Radiator test did not indicate exhaust in coolant. Leak verified with borescope. Well maintained and never overheated. I also called and reported this to Toyota.

 

[Geerlijd]

Add another to the list:
2005 SR5 4WD 113,000 miles
Issue started on cylinder 4 based on service logs from before I bought the truck which show swapping coils and P0304 error code.

I bought it in non-running condition after the previous owner completely over-heated it and got it to the point of no compression at all. I am swapping the motor to repair with a used motor, but am calling Toyota to add this to their list.

 

[morphious]

Update:

 

[bpowa]

I wonder if there would be a Poll on a V8 HG issue...

I wonder about waterpump failures also.

 

[07V8]

I wonder if there would be a Poll on a V8 HG issue...

I wonder about waterpump failures also.

There isn't one because there are none.

 

[TrdLtly]

Just to put this into perspective for the people reading this and thinking how unreliable the V6 Toyota 4Runner is:

Based on the amount of 4.0L's (1GR-FE) sold in 4Runner's in the USA alone: over 430k (using the years above of 2003-2006) with the majority of those being sold with the V6, the 1GR-FE does NOT have a problem statistically either. If you include the Tacoma's, the FJ's, the Hilux Surf's, the Land Cruiser's of the same years then we are really talking small numbers. I do hope that Toyota makes it right with the owners that have had issues, but if we look at the big picture, it is really a small number.​

That is why I now own one. If it fails then I will get it fixed and put my name on the list.

 

[morphious]

Just to put this into perspective for the people reading this and thinking how unreliable the V6 Toyota 4Runner is:

Based on the amount of 4.0L's (1GR-FE) sold in 4Runner's in the USA alone: over 430k (using the years above of 2003-2006) with the majority of those being sold with the V6, the 1GR-FE does NOT have a problem statistically either. If you include the Tacoma's, the FJ's, the Hilux Surf's, the Land Cruiser's of the same years then we are really talking small numbers. I do hope that Toyota makes it right with the owners that have had issues, but if we look at the big picture, it is really a small number.​

That is why I now own one. If it fails then I will get it fixed and put my name on the list.

I agree with [MENTION=128313]TrdLtly[/MENTION], a lot out there, (though I want a new HG vs a New Dash, though more vehicles affected) but if yours does go @ about 150 - 160k miles, your cost is .007692308 dollars per mile. I know this does nothing to justify newer owners of older vehicles, but for people like me, owning mine since 12/5/03, what are you going to do? Buy somebody else's problems or fix your own.