Head gasket failure on 4.0 Toyota engines

I like that style of handling.

 

Mine just started doing this, it's an 05. How would that be linked to head gasket failure?

 

You lucked out, thats awesome. Im keeping an eye on my 05 but if it ends up needing to be replaced, ill be the one doing the work.

 

I swap head gaskets in my sleep.

 

The head gasket having a hairline crack around cylinder 5/6 will be enough to push air into the cooling system upon combustion. So what you are hearing is bubbles in the coolant circulating through the heater core when you first start the truck. Also some coolant can start to seep into the cylinder, hence the extra ordinary amount of water vapor in the exhaust. A hairline crack is just enough to push a tiny amount of air into the cooling system, and leak a tiny amount of coolant into the cylinder to be pushed out of the exhaust, but not quite enough of a crack to be detected on a pressure test or trigger a missfire which would throw a code. Trust me I fought with diagnosing the problem for a long time! And the dealership swore nothing was wrong because no codes were thrown and pressure test results were fine. When I brought it in to have the head gasket changed, the dealership told me I did not need it done, I insisted (since I was paying for it) they did it. Next day I got a call from the service rep, he said "you were right, when the pulled it apart the head gasket was in fact pretty much destroyed!"

When the crack in the head gasket gets bad enough the truck will start overheating when you drive at slow speeds. This happens because when the crack gets bad enough to where so much pressure from combustion in the cylinder is being pushed into the cooling system that the coolant will actually start be pushed out into the over flow jug, then out of the jug all together! The jug will look like a pot on the stove that is boiling over.

 

Thanks for the reply and info, it makes more sense now. I have noticed a sweet smell a few times which is concerning. I was hoping that the gurgling behind the dash after hard turns and during hard acceleration was simply a blockage in the heater core or condensate from the A/C getting backed up.

So far, I've only tried putting the truck up on ramps and running it without the radiator cap on. It pushed coolant back out the top of the radiator, and didn't seem like it was cycling through, so I put the cap back on to save our new driveway. I also tried running a coathanger thru the A/C drain tube, but I couldn't get it far enough up to where it felt like it did any good.

I just changed the oil, and it looked just like it should. There is some water coming from the tailpipe, but not an excessive amount, and never any white smoke. I'll keep an eye on the coolant level, and tinker with it some more when I get time.

 

I'll tell you from experience if coolant is being forced through the filler neck ( not just bubbling up but coming out under some pressure) then your head gasket is blown.

 

My second Tacoma was a 2005 V6 4.0.
I had it for just over 4 years and put 102,000 miles on it.
I had 0 engine problems.

In Dec. 2009, I got my third Tacoma (2010 V6 4.0).
I have had it for almost 7 years and have put 92,000 miles on it.
I had (so far) 0 engine problems.

[Of interest, my first Tacoma was a 2001 V6 3.4.
I had it for almost 5 years and put 136,000 miles on it.
I had 0 engine problems.

Because a water drop was seen on the water pump during maintenance servicing, it was replaced on the '01 and '10 Tacomas.]

 

Just had the check engine light come on ....
Replaced egnition coil in cylinder #4
2 days later the check engine light came back on then I was giving the bad news....
My 4x4 2005 sport TRD DC with 131000 miles all recommended maintenance done .
This is some real BS

 

what check engine codes are you getting?

 

Cough...self inflicted...cough

 

If I wanted to replace a head gasket I would have purchased a Chevrolet instead of a Tacoma

 

Happy for ya
I'm not so lucky

 

Misfire cylinder #4

 

Well, the engine was 0 problems but there were other issues with my '05 (brakes, clockspring cable, rear suspension,...) so I traded it after 4 years for the 2010 and what a great choice that was... the best Tacoma for me!

 

I've put about $10k in my 05 looks like I'm going to drop a few more in it

 

At least on a Chevrolet it wouldn't cost so much. Damn overhead cams makes labour go up.

My 2005 I just bought has 212,000 km, so 120-130k and I hope it goes a long time. I regilarly see tacomas for sale with 400-500k km and they never mention head gaskets being replaced. I hope it's not widespread

 

A dealer that initially doesn't want to take your money ?? Now that's rare.