1st Gen Blown Head Gasket...

Daaaaaaang! That's good info, but I really wish someone had told me that before! Ha. Never in 16 years through many mechanics did anyone say I needed different coolant. Mine was the green. It got me!

 

Good to know. Not trying to find a "dumb" buyer. I don't want to give anyone a bad deal. Just thought someone with some knowledge would pick it up and fix it and drive it for another bunch of years.

 

Yeah. Might be about the ballpark I'm in. The green!! If only...

 

Yeah, if I had the facilities I might fix it. I work on motorcycles but never had much patience for cars/trucks. I hear you on the damage. The old man who bought it kept immaculate care of it but he didn't drive that well. Ha.

 

FWIW I paid for mine to get done and a new head. Worth it for me imo but im in a diff position with mileage and condition

 

my truck never overheated, suspect the PO put head sealant in it and dumped at the dealer for me to buy. It just started to lose power, missfire got worse. then nothing i changed fixed the miss until i checked the compression

 

My Mazda was the same way. I kept that thing running like a top, but I accidentally swiped the utility pole at the end of my driveway (let's not go there....), and when I was rear ended I knew I was close enough to trading it in....and the hitch took most of the impact (yes I put a receiver on a mazda 3, what of it?), so the bumper was scuffed at most, not even scratched!

....When I traded it in, I knew I was at 3K trade in, and didn't fight for a penny more. Parallel is your truck. You know it's mechanically bitchin', other than a head gasket. That thing is a ~22, 23 year old truck, 250k miles, on a chassis known for frame rust issues., outside of the frame warranty/recall, with massive body damage. Now: with a blown head gasket, from the outside looking in, that is a hell of a NO for most people.

If you have any inkling of wrenching from bikes, you can do a head gasket in 2021 (I assume you won't get it done in 2020 ) with youtube and the internet at this point, guarantee someone has done a step by step for doing that on your exact engine. Gaskets are like 100 bucks, all the cost of it goes into labor.

Grab a six pack and a night off, and have at 'er

 

Mine was losing power too. I just thought it was getting tired. Learned a couple lessons I guess. Glad you had success with the head gasket work. I hope someone keeps mine running.

 

Somebody (else) should definitely do that!!!! Ha. The ole diamond in the rough argument. For a couple grand and a little labor this truck will serve someone well.

 

I'm trying to get that person to be you!

If you were closer to RI I would consider it!

 

The problem with a blow head gasket is you DON'T know until you open it up if thats the only problem,

I had a blown head gasket and decided to just replace the motor because the motor had 490,000 miles, come to find out the heads both were cracked and thats why the HG blew.

One just never knows whats needed until its opened up

 

I agree, guys on here saying a HG job is easy, just labor, etc. cracking me up! I believe to do both sides it's 17 hours in the book. That's a pro mechanic at a fully equipped shop, not you or me in our driveway. That doesn't cover checking head for cracks, and the cost per side will be $600++ if you need a new head. Plus while you are in there, you need to do timing belt, water pump, hoses, valve cover gaskets, etc so another $400 in parts plus the time to get in the front of the engine. You may snap exhaust studs, how many of those will you have to extract? Best case, paying somebody to do the work- coworker of mine just had a shop do JUST the HG's (no cracks in the heads) on his 2001 4Runner. I believe it was just over $2000 out the door. They did it in 2 days, but replaced nothing besides the bare minimum parts.

The point is it adds up to a big job, and if there is a truck down the street selling for 2-4000 more than yours without the mechanical problems, even with a big gouge down the side, a smart buyer knows the initial cost savings is not worth the amount of money/time a head gasket job will cost. Yes these trucks have legendary longevity, especially for the purchase price, but they also cost a lot to fix when you get into engine/drivetrain issues.

 

Electrolysis can happen to almost any type of coolant. Nobody ever follows them but every manufacturer has a maintenance interval when it needs to be replaced.

 

Been awhile since I looked it up...the Toyota coolant has a 50k mile interval I think?

On that note, I'm a little overdue

 

That's good to know, I was just thinking about when mine was due for a change. I'll have to check but I'm sure I have a few more miles to go.

 

@Moto2ndGen

Skipped every damn post only to say; why would you sell it over something as minor as a blown head gasket?

Fix it and keep on driving it!

 

Exactly this. I know I took good care of my truck but I'm not a mechanic and I don't know what I'm going to find. A mechanic or skilled hobbyist can take care of it and enjoy the process.

 

I will be much more diligent with the new truck! I loved my mechanic but he seemed a little laissez faire for me. Turned out I was right. I should've been more proactive. Love the new truck though.

 

I forgot to add, I only use distilled water for the 50-50 mix.