Coolant reservoir looks odd please help!!

I got a 2005 taco with the 4.0, doesn’t overheat, coolant looks like pink coolant and clean but right above where the coolant is a ton of stuff on the reservoir wall, sediment and like maybe a drop or two in the top of the coolant just floating around, does this right away mean it has a bad head gasket anyone please help! No wet spots around the engine as far as I can tell what can this be!! Coolant looks like hasent been filled up in quite a while, no leaks

 

Did you just purchase the truck?

 

It has been almost two months.

 

Is that a pink fingernail in there?

 

What does oil look like and also look at oil fill cap...

 

Oil is very clean on the dip stick, no bubbles or anything just looks like oil, it’s freezing cold out so the oil fill cap has some condensation on it which is normal for the Tacoma’s.

 

Ok .
Then I'd clean out the overflow tank and put some new coolant in it and monitor the situation daily or every other day for a week.

 

Since you bought it?

 

This.

You’re probably fine. Possibly the previous owner used a dirty funnel to add coolant.

 

Okay I will clean it out, add fresh coolant and get back to you guys in a week or so. Thank you! And yes since I bought it two months ago.

 

Change ALL the fluids. Some may have never been changed. cough...brake fluid.

 

Is that the coolant reservoir?
Either way, why aren’t we see seeing coolant?

The lack of coolant makes me wonder?

 

Keep us posted. Are you aware of the '05 headgaskets?

 

My bet is you have a failing head gasket. Prepare to spend some money. In fact, I would almost bet money you have a bad head gasket. Your missing coolant is going out the tail pipe and the other stuff in the coolant reservoir is combustion products and oil.

Just before my engine self destructed I noted a high oil level and missing coolant. I was in the Florida Keys and the truck was running normally. I hardly ever check the oil so I thought the mechanic over serviced the oil before my trip and since it never burned oil, it was just high. I did not see water or froth in the oil. The coolant level had dropped in the reservoir so I topped it off with the intention of checking everything again at my next fuel stop. It did not make it. The engine and right side pre-cat was ruined. The engine over heated and destroyed itself before I could find a safe place or exit to pull over. So much for Toyota Tacoma reliability.

 

Easy now, don't make him hit the panic button just yet. Like Jerry mentioned, he should clean it out and monitor it for a while. He can see if more oil shows up and/or coolant level drops over time.

If worried, do a chemical block test

 

It's very possible, if bought used, that it HAD a bad head gasket and it was replaced or the engine was before you bought it. Explore the less ''oh s--t'' options before you go to the big expensive one. As others have suggested, do a combustion test on the antifreeze, check the oil, and monitor the coolant level for a month or two and carefully track it and ANY loss.

 

I am still wondering if OP emptied the tank or it went low on it’s own?

 

Agreed, time will tell

 

Yeah, just flush out the whole system with distilled water. Refill it with:


Good luck in your task

 

I thought the black stuff in the res was from hoses deterioration?