Valve Job After 22k Miles?????

[MickeyMosh]

My 97’ Toyota 4Runner Limited SR5 V6 3.4L non 4 wheel drive was having trouble starting a few weeks ago and it seemed like it could be the starter. At that time I was also having issues with my coolant level. One day my temperature gauge rose all the way to Hot. I looked under the hood and all of my coolant fluid was totally empty. I had my oil changed a couple of weeks before and all of my fluids were topped off so I thought it was strange that there was no coolant there. I filled it all the way to the top. A couple of weeks later, the same thing happened and the coolant was almost gone again. I also started to notice that when I start the car, lots of smoke starts coming out of the tail pipe. Once the car is warmed up, the smoke is gone. As far as the starting issue goes right now, it seems the car is starting with no problem.

I brought my car to my mechanic today and told him what was going on in the last few weeks. He took a quick look and said the starter and battery were fine. He said I could possibly need a valve job when he heard about the coolant issues. He said it would cost at least $1500 - $1600 and to come back next week. I went home and looked at all the work on the invoice from last year to see what exactly was done as I didn’t remember all he had done.. Last year he did an overhaul on my 4 Runner. I had new head gasket replaced on my engine, valve job as well as many other things. It seems odd that I would need another one so soon. Does this seem normal? My car has 235k miles on it. I have only traveled 22K miles since the overhaul last year and I need another valve job? Other than that, it seems to be in great shape. I change my oil every 3k miles and replace filters when needed. I look after my car for anything out of the ordinary.

Today, I also noticed my brake pads are shot. Not sure if this problem is related to the other problems I have been having.....

As you can see, I am no expert on cars


Do you think it is correct to say that I may need another valve job or is there another solution to this?

How many miles should I have gotten out of a new valve job?

Thank You in advance for any advice given....

 

[kball]

You have the classic symptoms of a blown head gasket.

 

[TheDurk]

You have the classic symptoms of a blown head gasket.

This is for sure. What is not clear is why. The HG may have caused the coolant loss which caused the overheating. Or something else may have caused the coolant loss which caused overheating which caused HG to go.

-bad water pump
-leaky hose or radiator
-head(s) needed machining the first time and didn't get it
-head(s) not torqued properly the first time
-others I haven't thought of yet.

I'd say if everything had been done right 22K ago this would not have happened, but it is hard to say or prove what went wrong.

Do you remember if there was white smoke the first time you saw it get hot? The coolant was empty right after the oil change and top off of coolant and all anybody did was fill it up? Red flags should have been waving here to discover WHY and to be checking frequently to see if level was dropping. Might have saved an HG or two and who knows what else.

To answer your question, a valve job if done correctly should last a long time. So should an HG. But when the motor overheats, valves and HG and heads all die, regardless of age.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I am sorry to hear about your head issues. I recently redid my heads. I went with two new aftermarket heads because I was afraid of the long term viability of a rebuild.

If you get told you need to do another rebuild I would:

1) go to a different mechanic

2) consider getting new aftermarket heads. Mine were from a Japanese company called JE. I never heard of them but they are who my mech recommended. They are slightly more expensive than a rebuild but all parts are new; each head is $650.
.

 

[MickeyMosh]

I just want to thank you guys so much for answering.


kball... Read your post early next morning and drove it straight back to the mechanic to see exactly what the problem was. Yep, you were right. After he fully inspected it he said it was definitely the HG and the brakes were totally shot.

TheDurk.... Yes, this time I did have white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. I first noticed the gauge going to hot and the coolant drop 4 weeks ago for the first time. I did not even think I had a HG or valve problem as I had just done it last year. I guess not knowing much about cars didn't help the situation. Last year the mechanic said it was the radiator that caused the problem and I had leaking hoses as well. The car would overheat and the engine smoked and I lost coolant. I had all new HG, valve job, radiator, timing belt, rollers, and water pump replaced costing $3300 for parts/labor. He did have the heads machined from what I remember because he had to send them out. You are right though...it is hard to say or prove what went wrong.

brianemc2_42....I did think about going to another mechanic for this job. Sure, I was frustrated but this guy has always been very good and he is known for doing great work and being an honest guy. I shopped around for mechanics when I first moved here and he was by far the best. It's hard even to get into his garage because he is always so busy all the time. I've been going to him for years and been real happy with his work, so I was really torn. He said he didn't know why this had happened so quickly and that it was an older 4Runner that had many miles on it. He saw I was having a hard time deciding what to do and he said he could just fix the front brakes with aftermarket parts for me and I could trade it in if I did it ASAP, if that was an option I was thinking about. I told him I was not in a position to do that right now so figured I had no choice but to have the work done. Hopefully I can trade it in next year or so. I was told it would be $2200 for all new HG/brake parts/labor. He did not mention the valve job again. I'll have to ask him about the make of the heads. Thanks for the info. I just pray I get another couple of years out of it this time.


Thanks again guys for taking the time out to answering my post.