Blown Head Gasket

A friend has a 2006 Taco 6 cyl and just noticed it running hot. On a recent long trip towing a boat (all highway), his temp gauge hit "H" once or twice when he stopped. He ended up having to put about a quart or two of water in the radiator overflow by the time they returned from their trip. "Check Engine" light would come on when the engine was hot. Took the truck to the dealership and they said it was a blown head gasket. I don't have the particulars of the diagnostics but he only has about 120k miles and has had the dealership do all the recommended maintenance since he has owned it. So it was "over-serviced". They said, about $1k to dig into it and find out what is all wrong, probably a minimum $3-4k to fix if nothing bad, or $7-9k for a slightly used (9k miles) engine. He is in contact with Toyota USA with a claim to see if they might do something about it. Cost/Benefit of repairs is real borderline on this. Any advice?

 

probably warped the aluminum heads getting that hot. They will likely need to be machined.

 

Anytime an aluminum engine gets that hot, there's a huge risk of damage. Did he have a trans cooler and upgraded fan clutch?
Dealerships are very expensive when it comes to engine work. You can do the diagnostics youself. Google how to do a Leakdown Test.

 

WOW 7-9k for a new motor I would look into finding a junkyard motor or online and doing the work myself. That seems high.

 

Thanks for the advice. He wouldn't be interested in doing any work himself (hence using the dealership for all scheduled service). I didn't mention he has the 6-speed standard tranny. My gut says the engine will probably need machined at a minimum. But I don't have a feel for what could have all gone wrong. In other words, start taking it apart and finding all sorts of things wrong due to the heat or blown gasket. One of things where you get a couple grand into it only to find out you should have not got started It still runs fine and some stumbling when first started and cold. He's wondering if he should fix it or get another vehicle now.

 

Check under the oil cap...if the color of the oil is like chocolate milk, he blew a gasket. If not, the heads warped and leaked the coolant. If that's the case, just pull the heads off the block, have them machined so they're flat again, check valvetrain for damage, install new gaskets, and put the top end of the motor back together. Do an oil change and radiator flush, replace fluids and it's ready to go. As long as it's not making any weird noises, like rod knock or anything low end related, you don't need to swap the engine.

Experience: Replaced the heads on my V8 Mustang at age 16 with nothing other than a Haynes repair manual. You can do it yourself.

 

This, then sell immediately.

 

If he has a dealer service history I would fight that cost to the death.

 

This seems like a viable option. I religiously go to the dealer for service and am going to be p*$$ed if my head gasket goes/warp heads at 120,000 miles.

 

Why would you fight it? There is no battle to win, they are over the power train warranty by a multiple of two. Did you miss the point where he said:
" has about 120k miles ". That is a no win situation and Toyota should not pay it.

 

Actually it isn't a viable option. Way out of warranty. Most would justifiably reject this a a free repair. I know I would.

If you do not run it into the Big Giant Red Hot Zone you should be just fine.

The two main contributors to a blown head gasket are:

1.) Over Heated Engine.
2.) Neglecting the coolant until it turns acidic and eats the head gasket.

Both are considered owner neglect.

 

i had an overheating problem that turned out to be a blown headgasket , got to h once or twice .had 15% leakdown into cooling system. i just picked up a used motor at a dismantler with 37k for 1000$. was easy and cheaper , the dealer wanted 1800 to just do one headgasket. after i tore the engine down i found the problem and the heads/ block checked out fine . sold the motor and actually made some money off the whole deal in the end. when it happens again im gonna do the same process untill i can find a reputible toyota engine builder that has experence with the 4.0

 

You sure your water pump didn't also go out or is going out? I replaced mine before 90k for an 05.

 

Question number one why did it over heat? Chicken or the egg. The Toyota V6 is a whole bunch more complex then an old Mustang engine you had better know what you are doing before attempting a head gasket job.

 

Moisture in the crankcase condenses, along with oil vapor, on the oil fill plug. It's a high point on the engine. The proper term for the deposit is emulsion.

Get a factory repair manual, when attempting a head gasket repair. It's the best bet for inexperienced mechanics, or those who have only worked on late model vehicles. I would have an experienced mechanic helping, but it could still be done by a patient noob.