New member- apparently not so new taco

howdy all

been lurking on this forum for a while now, learned a lot of useful information, thanks

anyways, i bought my 09 TRD OR 6MT used with 83xxx miles on it back in april of 16 in STL, mo.
from there i drove it straight to california, and did a month long trip up the coast to washington, and then back to colorado where i currently live.
i did an oil change with aprrox 88xxx miles on it. noticed the coolant was a little low in the radiator. weird, it was full when i checked it at the dealer before i signed the paperwork, something ill have to keep an eye on. neighbor is a mechanic, told me to get a new radiator cap. i did, and after a couple short rides, all seemed to be ok. didn't drive the truck much this summer (i can walk to pretty much anywhere i need to go).
fast forward to september- i go for a trip down to southern utah, arizona, new mexico, and then back home to new york for a little. truck is now at 94xxx miles, so i do another oil change, and low and behold the coolant is low in the radiator again. now I'm starting to get nervous, but i have not seen a check engine light pop up since I've owned the truck.
i do the water pump, thermostat, idler pulleys, tensioner assembly, belt, and radiator support bushings while I'm home because that was my plan. no oil in the coolant, weird. coolant looks healthy, nice pink color, no burnt smell. put the oil that i just took out of the truck in clear containers looking for some separation, there is none. get it all back together and drive it approximately 50 miles to my uncles and back. let it cool, check the radiator, all good, full. ok, no problems i think, time to head back to colorado.
decided i would keep an eye on things as I'm driving across the country. so i pop the hood every time i stop for gas or to get a couple hours sleep. i watch the coolant push into the radiator overflow, but not go back into the radiator. everytime i stopped, the truck would continue to push coolant into the overflow, eventually overflowing the overflow to the point that it would come out the cap. oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.
started the truck the other day to bring my dog to the vet, and boom! check engine light. half expecting it sooner or later, i went inside and grabbed my roommate's keys, brought the dog to the vet, came back and plugged it in with my neighbors obd2 scanner tool. 4 different p0306 codes pop up, 1 says current, 1 says pending, 2 say canceled. wtf??? never saw a CEL before this morning.
called the dealership to have them diagnose p0306/ possible head gasket failure. bring the truck in, drop it off, head home. they call me back the next day, i was at work so they leave a voicemail "engine has overheated, gonna need a new motor, we can get you out the door for 6800."
still waiting on a call back from the "service advisor" at the dealership.
off to the races with this one.

 

Welcome to TW!