What can I expect out of my 05 off-road?

I’ve had my truck for 5 1/2 years now (just turned 167k miles), and have 6 months till it’s paid off. Recently noticed I’m losing coolant very slowly but never found the leak, which led me to find out about the head gasket issues with my year. I also found out the hard way last summer about the 4x4 actuator problem and spent my left arm fixing that, hoping that I can get a few more years out of it once I graduate school. My question is: what can I expect out of this thing? I’m keeping an eye on the coolant levels, it’s running fine. Just frustrated I’ve been meticulous with maintenance and I just expected it to at least get me to the end of my 6 year loan. Are the any other known problems with the first year of the 2nd gens?

 

Known problems to my knowledge is the head gasket problem that it sounds like you are experiencing I am no mechanic but you might want to wait for someone smarter than I am
If it is a HG, if you have been very good to you truck you can fig HG or find a newer used engine . Gl

 

OP, if you are concerned about a possible head gasket failure you may want to give yourself some peace of mind. I did mine the other day and it is real easy using this tester:

$38 Block Tester BT-500 Head Gasket Combustion Leak Test Kit - Made in USA

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06VVBSFTF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

1. Get a new radiator cap. You may need one anyway and it may even be the issue, I'll explain later in the comments at the bottom.
2. Make sure there is coolant to the fill line in the overflow tank.
3. With engine cold, remove the old radiator cap. You will see that it has two soft rubber 'O' rings. Remove the smaller O ring but leave the larger in the cap. I used a small screwdriver to get the smaller 'O' ring off.
4. Replace the old modified cap back on the radiator. What will be happening is the modified cap will allow you to then sample at the overflow tank instead of the radiator.
5. Start engine and idle up to operating temp. You want to make sure the large diameter hose entering the top of the radiator on the passenger side is getting hot. Also make sure the large diameter hose on the drivers side at the bottom of the radiator is also hot.
I did this the other day in my garage (unheated at the time), and it took about an hour to come up to temp. Be ultra careful! Be safe.

Here is why you are checking the hoses. We want to have the engine thermostat open up so coolant circulates throughout the entire system. If there is an internal head gasket leak, the combustion pressures frequently force exhaust gas into the coolant jacket where they then circulate and can be sampled.

6. Open the sampling kit and carefully follow instructions. It is real easy.
7. Open the cap on the overflow tank and sample there. This kit is real sensitive.

Comments: I too was worried about a head gasket failure as I was continuously loosing pink stuff with no obvious outlet. Fortunately the test kit showed negative for exhaust in the coolant so I put the new radiator cap from Step 1 above on the radiator. It turns out that there is a slight raised portion along a small molding seam in the radiator fill that the 'O' ring of the old cap would no longer seal but was bridging instead. Problem solved.

 

I recommend investing in an ultragauge. I have one, and set it so it triggers an alarm if my temp rises above 220°, because something is obviously wrong at that point. Well sure enough, I got to 220° (should be at 185°-190°) so I kept a close eye on it. Kept climbing and as soon as it it 240° I shit it off to keep the head from warping. At this point the temp needle had finally started to move up towards red. Which is why it’s not a great representation of how hot your truck is.

Did a coolant drain and fill and a new thermostat and no issues since.

Anyways what I’m getting at is I’d top it off, and just keep a watchful eye on it to keep it from overheating.

 

The other issues with 05-06 models are cracked motor mounts on the driver side.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/05-motor-mounts-failed-failing.21849/

 

Forgot about the timing cover oil leak.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/timing-cover-leaking.54776/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/updated-t-sb-0326-08-oil-leak.17846/

 

A little late but thanks for all of the input. I ended up renting the block tester kit and squeezed the bulb for 10 minutes without a positive result. I still was skeptical and changed my plugs (I was due, probably 80k on them) and they all looked fine, nothing abnormal or any coolant. I've maybe lost an inch of coolant in the reservoir since my OP. So, I am extremely relieved because I was really expecting the worst. However, now that I know about the HG issue, I feel like I have a ticking time bomb. Am I wrong? If I had one of the bad eggs would I have known by now? Can the 05 4.0 be as bulletproof as the most recent 4.0s?

 

Your truck is technically 14 years old. Shit is going to start breaking down and failing unfortunately.

 

I own a 05 myself. Head gasket failed at 166-167k. According to my research, Toyota updated the head gasket November of 2005. I lifted my truck as soon as I got it so i didn’t have to go through the rear leaf spring recall. There’s also the floor mat, steering cable, and frame rust recalls as well. There’s a lot of TSBs for the early production Tacomas such as AC blower switch, AC o-ring failure, timing chain cover leak, wheel bearing failure, list goes on. So far, the head gasket is the only major issue for my truck. I’d say fix it and it’ll possibly last another 150k or more. Besides all the issues, TacomaMike37 is correct. It’s a 14 year old car and parts are going to wear and fail. Good Luck!

 

This is another HG symptom. Do you notice any gurgling sound from the air in the heater core when the engine is cold? A sure way to check for coolant leaking into the cylinders would be to use a borescope / endoscope. If a cylinder had any coolant passing into it, the piston would look like it was steam cleaned. This is my #5 piston. I'm planning on replacing the HG's. Still driving, but really warm it up before moving.

 

Not your fault its leaking,that's Toyota's crappy design failure.Drive it till it wont run anymore,hopefully you will be out of school by that time.

 

If it’s the head gasket, put it out of commission ASAP and come up with the money to fix it. Look for a good independent mechanic around your area to perform the repair. About $2500 will get you back on the road for the next couple of years. Unless you can afford to buy a new car and make payments for the next five to six years, it’s your choice.

 

Another way to tell if you have a Head Gasket issue. Make sure your radiator is full. Take the cap off. Start the truck. Look down in the radiator and watch for bubbles. Give it a few minutes, but it wont take long. My 2005 had a Head Gasket issue around 137,000 miles. I had bubbles. I had mine fixed. I now have 201,373 miles and it runs like new. I caught mine early and didn't cause any other damage.

 

My 05 at 136,000 has had no issues, god forbid