*** V6 Head Gasket Action Request ***

Complete rubbish. How does coolant leak past the intake manifold when there are no coolant jackets in the intake manifold?

"It's 100% definitely not a head gasket". Well then, how does coolant get into cylinder? Either a blown head gasket, cracked head or block.
Could also be coming from the throttle body. Though I'd imagine it'd end up in multiple cylinders if that happened.
 
Update:

I burped my system pretty well, there was so much air that it caused a lot of coolant to come out of my radiator cap when I first started my car. Ran the heater, revved up to 2.5-3k a few times and then let the car run to operating temp. I let it sit overnight and no more water sound or leaking coolant
 
Complete rubbish. How does coolant leak past the intake manifold when there are no coolant jackets in the intake manifold?

"It's 100% definitely not a head gasket". Well then, how does coolant get into cylinder? Either a blown head gasket, cracked head or block.

He posted a follow up video, after being challenged.
 
He posted a follow up video, after being challenged.

Yes he did!

Basically admitting he was wrong, that's what happens when you try to diagnose an engine you're not familiar with and also dead set on proving the first diagnosis was wrong because they sold the lady a set of new spark plugs that may not have been needed so they just have to be wrong about it being a head gasket.

Here's a link to the video if anyone cares to watch it, I stopped watching around the halfway point of a 35 minute video because of him as in the first video being so very redundant that it drove me up the wall waiting on him to get to the point, either video could of been 10 minutes long or less and said the same thing.....but to no avail he just keeps repeating himself, and trying to explain why he was so right but also so wrong in his diagnosis! :noidea:

YouTube
 
Last edited:
Year: 2006
Production Date: Oct 2005
4x4
Mileage of failure: 185164
Cylinder # that leaked: 4

CEL came on, PO304. Swapped coils, no change in codes. Rough on start and sweet smell from exhaust. Had the dealer confirm leaking head gasket. Pulled both heads and had them re-built and machined. 0.002-0.003" warp on the driver side head.

Truck has been up and running for a couple weeks. No CEL or leaking coolant so appears to be fixed.
 
Year: 2006
Production Date: Oct 2005
4x4
Mileage of failure: 185164
Cylinder # that leaked: 4

CEL came on, PO304. Swapped coils, no change in codes. Rough on start and sweet smell from exhaust. Had the dealer confirm leaking head gasket. Pulled both heads and had them re-built and machined. 0.002-0.003" warp on the driver side head.

Truck has been up and running for a couple weeks. No CEL or leaking coolant so appears to be fixed.


The dealer huh? Just out of curiosity how much did that run you? I'm debating whether it's worth taking to the dealer since I haven't been able to find a reliable toyota mechanic near me.
 
weekendwrencher,

Sorry to hear about your failed headgasket on your 06.

Mind if I ask how often the coolant changed prior to the failure?

I’ve changed my coolant in my 06 4 times now since I purchased it at 126k (built date of nov 2005) and have 196k with no issues at all.

Just got a second blackstone labs report back and everything is perfect with my engine.

Glad you got it fixed. How much did it run you?
 
Recently Acquired

Hello All. Merry Christmas. It hasn't been the best for me because I just bought my runner two days ago. This bums me out because I paid full book value. Safe to say I got swindled.

Symptoms I'm experiencing are the gurgling sound behind dash at startup and losing coolant. I went out to see some lights tonight and the coolant reservoir was halfway. Got home three hours later and now its right below the low line.

2004 Limited 4WD.
163k Miles.
No CEL only symptoms mentioned above.

Now I've been combing the forums and found a lot of good info but I wanted to ask for more specifics.

I'm leaning towards rebuilding. I wanted to see if anyone can link a parts list? I'm trying to keep costs low since all my money went towards buying the truck but I also know this is a big job.

What do you guys think the average cost would be to rebuild?

I have some wrenching experience and I'm hoping if I can take most of it apart then leave the hard parts to a tech I can save a bit.

Thanks in advance for the input.
 
Hello All. Merry Christmas. It hasn't been the best for me because I just bought my runner two days ago. This bums me out because I paid full book value. Safe to say I got swindled.

Symptoms I'm experiencing are the gurgling sound behind dash at startup and losing coolant. I went out to see some lights tonight and the coolant reservoir was halfway. Got home three hours later and now its right below the low line.

2004 Limited 4WD.
163k Miles.
No CEL only symptoms mentioned above.

Now I've been combing the forums and found a lot of good info but I wanted to ask for more specifics.

I'm leaning towards rebuilding. I wanted to see if anyone can link a parts list? I'm trying to keep costs low since all my money went towards buying the truck but I also know this is a big job.

What do you guys think the average cost would be to rebuild?

I have some wrenching experience and I'm hoping if I can take most of it apart then leave the hard parts to a tech I can save a bit.

Thanks in advance for the input.

Hey, Merry Christmas! To me, it doesn't really sound like headgasket issues. If you were burning that much coolant, your dash would be more colorful than any light show. I think it's more likely you have a leak somewhere. Which isn't always reassuring, but is better than a headgasket!

I'd take a look under the vehicle (corners of the radiator, under the water pump, around various hoses) for dried coolant residue.

The gurgling behind the dash is caused by an air bubble in the heater core (the highest point in the cooling system, so where air will settle). While the bubble *can* be caused by a blown headgasket, they can also be caused by air getting introduced to the system via a leak. Which I think is what's happening here.

For now, I'd just make sure you keep it topped off with coolant and don't let it run dry. That'll be the biggest risk at this point, cuz then you *will* blow a HG/cause bigger damage if you overheat. Also, be sure to use Toyota's coolant specified for your year 4Runner. It should be either Toyota red or pink (which are, naturally, different and more expensive than other red/pink coolants out there).
 
Hey, Merry Christmas! To me, it doesn't really sound like headgasket issues. If you were burning that much coolant, your dash would be more colorful than any light show. I think it's more likely you have a leak somewhere. Which isn't always reassuring, but is better than a headgasket!

I'd take a look under the vehicle (corners of the radiator, under the water pump, around various hoses) for dried coolant residue.

The gurgling behind the dash is caused by an air bubble in the heater core (the highest point in the cooling system, so where air will settle). While the bubble *can* be caused by a blown headgasket, they can also be caused by air getting introduced to the system via a leak. Which I think is what's happening here.

For now, I'd just make sure you keep it topped off with coolant and don't let it run dry. That'll be the biggest risk at this point, cuz then you *will* blow a HG/cause bigger damage if you overheat. Also, be sure to use Toyota's coolant specified for your year 4Runner. It should be either Toyota red or pink (which are, naturally, different and more expensive than other red/pink coolants out there).

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to check the radiator and monitor everything. I sure hope you're right lol. I'm still interested in finding a rebuild kit. I have plans for this 4runner and I really want to keep it forever.. If that mean prepping for a full rebuild in the future I'd like to be prepared.

I was wondering if anyone has found a 2004 service manual. I found the 2003 but I want to make sure they are the same before starting repairs.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to check the radiator and monitor everything. I sure hope you're right lol. I'm still interested in finding a rebuild kit. I have plans for this 4runner and I really want to keep it forever.. If that mean prepping for a full rebuild in the future I'd like to be prepared.

I was wondering if anyone has found a 2004 service manual. I found the 2003 but I want to make sure they are the same before starting repairs.

I was looking on eBay a few days ago and saw 2 different auctions for 2004 T4R FSM, they're not cheap but they can be had if you have the money.
 
I'm a new owner of a pristine 1-owner '04 V6 4x4. This thread is making me shit bricks.

I promise you'll be fine. Just change your coolant out every couple years. How many miles does yours have? At this point these trucks are aging to the point where any kind of gasket is bound to fail eventually.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to check the radiator and monitor everything. I sure hope you're right lol. I'm still interested in finding a rebuild kit. I have plans for this 4runner and I really want to keep it forever.. If that mean prepping for a full rebuild in the future I'd like to be prepared.

I was wondering if anyone has found a 2004 service manual. I found the 2003 but I want to make sure they are the same before starting repairs.

This thread, page 3, has a run down of parts for the head gasket job. The kit referenced here is for the head gasket job, not a full rebuild, but it's most of what you would need to take the engine apart and replace all the gaskets/seals.

New member - need help!!!! - p304 misfire - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

As for the service manual, I have been using the 2003 PDF version from this website for my 2004 and haven't found any noticeable differences yet.
 
Year: 2005 SR5 2wd
Production Date: late 2004
Mileage of failure: 249,000
Cylinder # that leaked: 6

As maintained as well as possible. For example done 73 oil changes. First noticed misfire at highway speed. Threw the P0306; P0300 codes. White ash on # six plug. Combustion gas pressurizing the cooling system.

Did a driver's side head gasket replacement. Found the "classic" gasket defect between the 4 and 6 cylinders, through a coolant passage hole.

This has been the only big defect repair other than a radiator replacement and some frozen front calipers. Repair shop said the upper engine looked great.

Oh well...
 
Year: 2005 SR5 2wd
Production Date: late 2004
Mileage of failure: 249,000
Cylinder # that leaked: 6

As maintained as well as possible. For example done 73 oil changes. First noticed misfire at highway speed. Threw the P0306; P0300 codes. White ash on # six plug. Combustion gas pressurizing the cooling system.

Did a driver's side head gasket replacement. Found the "classic" gasket defect between the 4 and 6 cylinders, through a coolant passage hole.

This has been the only big defect repair other than a radiator replacement and some frozen front calipers. Repair shop said the upper engine looked great.

Oh well...

How much did it cost?

2005 SR5 145,000 miles V6 - no HG needed at this point.:bash:
 
Hey all, I picked up my 04 V6 in October 19 . No issues when I bought it. However, in the last couple weeks I started to notice the waterfall behind the dash and I finally decided to look it up and to my surprise this thread is spelling out a grim future. I checked the coolant reservoir and it is on low and has an umistakable smell of gas. However, I have never needed to top off on coolant so I'm not sure if it has been leaking slowly or if it has maintained at this level. no engine codes, signs of coolant from the exhaust, and it fires up smooth otherwise.

I seem to remember someone earlier in this thread mention one of those liquid head gasket sealant additives for the coolant. has anyone actually had any luck using these, and if so which one?

thanks!
 
Last edited:
Hey all, I picked up my 04 V6 in October 19 . No issues when I bought it. However, in the last couple weeks I started to notice the waterfall behind the dash and I finally decided to look it up and to my surprise this thread is spelling out a grim future. I checked the coolant reservoir and it is on low and has an umistakable smell of gas. However, I have never needed to top off on coolant so I'm not sure if it has been leaking slowly or if it has maintained at this level. no engine codes, signs of coolant from the exhaust, and it fires up smooth otherwise.

I seem to remember someone earlier in this thread mention one of those liquid head gasket sealant additives for the coolant. has anyone actually had any luck using these, and if so which one?

thanks!

I have an 08 V6 so no problems/issues or experience with these products, but here's a thread that discusses it:

Blue Devil Head Gasket Sealer

Good luck
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
278,310
Messages
3,554,080
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Trending content

Back
Top