[odonekanobe]

Hey all, I was looking for some advice. A few months ago I put a 2003 taco 3.4 with the trd charger on it into my 93 4runner. I bought the motor with 13,000 miles on it. I noticed a slight antifreeze smell at my exhaust. I couldnt check the radiator because it was hot, but my overflow was where it should be.

In the past, when I have seen a blown headgasket it would take coolant from the overflow. So what does everyone think.....? I really hope its not a head gasket, because I just got this thing done, and I really want to enjoy it for a while.

Thanks,

Eric

 

[odonekanobe]

Anyone?

Would the performance engine forum be a better place to post this?

 

[wisctaco04]

Hey all, I was looking for some advice. A few months ago I put a 2003 taco 3.4 with the trd charger on it into my 93 4runner. I bought the motor with 13,000 miles on it. I noticed a slight antifreeze smell at my exhaust. I couldnt check the radiator because it was hot, but my overflow was where it should be.

In the past, when I have seen a blown headgasket it would take coolant from the overflow. So what does everyone think.....? I really hope its not a head gasket, because I just got this thing done, and I really want to enjoy it for a while.

Thanks,

Eric

What does your oil look like? Milky foamy froth? If so ,yes, it probably blew. If your oil is good keep an eye on the anti freeze levels. It wont pull from the resvoir untill it cools down sice the system is under pressure when hot.

 

[odonekanobe]

The oil looks ok so far, but if the head is cracked, or the antifreeze is just getting into the cylinder, than it wouldnt get in the oil, right? I looked at the coolant level, and it is full, but now that I look at the overflow, it wasnt at the full mark. It wasnt empt either, but I dont know where it was before. I guess i will have to keep an eye on it.

I hope that it is not a headgasket after 20k miles. I have not driven it hard, but I dont know about the first 13k. Also, if I dont have the fuel mods, could I have cracked a head this soon? Would this be the symptoms? Im about to go ahead and buy the urd kit, but if its my head gasket I dont know if I want to stick with the trd unit.

I know its not possible to diagnose over the computer, but any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[odonekanobe]

I guess my big question is, is it too late for my motor?

 

[wslytoy]

exhaust is stinky!

Hey all, I was looking for some advice. A few months ago I put a 2003 taco 3.4 with the trd charger on it into my 93 4runner. I bought the motor with 13,000 miles on it. I noticed a slight antifreeze smell at my exhaust. I couldnt check the radiator because it was hot, but my overflow was where it should be.

In the past, when I have seen a blown headgasket it would take coolant from the overflow. So what does everyone think.....? I really hope its not a head gasket, because I just got this thing done, and I really want to enjoy it for a while.

Thanks,

Eric

Drain your oil a few times, and keep tabs on how it looks, if it stays normal, then it's fine. There's some kinda dye you can use in your engine, I don't know if they make 1 specifically for coolant, but you might wanna look at that. Then you'll know if your head is cracked. More than likely, you're just being paranoid. BTW, wtf are you doin huffin' on your exhaust? LOL!!

 

[odonekanobe]

Well, I used to huff on paint, buut I found that 92 octane is much better than that! Just kiddin'. I really hope that I am just being paranoid. I am really proud of the setup (93 rnner, 03 s/c motor) and I have been saving my duckets to get the urd kit to keep my motor healthy. Hopefully Ill be spending that money on the kit, and not a h/g job.

Thanks.

 

[wisctaco04]

Well, I used to huff on paint, buut I found that 92 octane is much better than that! Just kiddin'. I really hope that I am just being paranoid. I am really proud of the setup (93 rnner, 03 s/c motor) and I have been saving my duckets to get the urd kit to keep my motor healthy. Hopefully Ill be spending that money on the kit, and not a h/g job.

Thanks.

I think you may just be a bit paranoid. You are on the right track with the URD kit. Not to mention the fun factor. Just watch the fluid levels on the res tank and your oil quality. Just a thought to remember- the pumps on the 3.4 are notorious for leaking at the bearing. Toyota put a seep hole on the pump and this is where it leaks out. You will see pink chalky deposits on the wore loom just below. If your levels are slowly dropping don't jump the gun and scream gasket yet. Make sure it's not the pump first.

 

[John Luttrell]

After the engine has set over night, pull the spark plugs and look for ANY signs of rust on the plug electrodes. I'm not talking about the brown colored powder that is from normal combustion, it will be rust from moisture on untreated metal. I have seen head gaskits go bad and never allow coolant into the oil. If you find rust on the electrode of any plug, that is the cylinder that is getting coolant in it. If you smeel that sweet smell in the exhaust, I'm pertty sure one of the gaskits is bad. They are not hard to change, but this time of year I hope you have a garage.

 

[odonekanobe]

Thats not good news. If there is coolant, wouldnt it be more likely that I have a cracked head, vs a blown head gasket? THe reason I ask this is because it is a low mileage motor, and it has the s/c on it.

But basically, if I am loosing coolant than something major is wrong, right?

 

[John Luttrell]

I wouldn't toss the head yet..............I have seen a lot of the old 3,0's with bad gaskits that only leaked into a cylinder. They had a problem with some bad head gaskits on the 3.4 v-6 as well. Here is Toyotas discription of it;Its called the X01 update. Most 3.4 will be affected but not all will need repair. If you are notified it will require an inspection to see if yours have the updated gaskets. If you do need new gaskets then Toyota will provide you with alternate transportation for the repair time. It should take about 1 day overnight at the most. Unlike the original headgasket repair this one is an external leak and no internal damage can be done. If you have 60,000 miles or more and the timing belt has not been changed this is a good time since the dealer will do it for say 1.5 hours of time or less versus the 4+ hours if the engine is together. This update involves some 96 to 97 4Runners, 95-97 T-100s and 95-97 Tacomas. Consult your local dealer for details regarding your particular vehicle. I doubt yours would be covered since it's not in the original truck. If coolant is getting in a cylinder, I would pull the heads and have them checked at a GOOD shop for cracks. If the heads are good toss in new Toyota head gaskits and drive it for another 200k miles.