Topic: Can the V6 headgasket problem be solved?

[rmoore]

If I were to buy a 4runner with a blown hg, is it worth fixing or will it just blow again? I have never heard much about the problem itself. Gasket material, engineering issue, or what? I don't want to waste time and money...... but they are the only cheap yota buys at this point and I have the time to fix and plenty of odds and end parts. Any info will be useful. Thanks.

[OOPS]

If you do it right it will last. Mine was done by Toyota in 97 and has been running strong every since. You do not only replace the HG's but make sure the heads and decks are flat. Also replace the head bolts as they are torque-to-yield. They can be good engines but they are slow, had to work on and are gas guzzlers. Consider a 3.4 swap.

[Sas954unner]

After you do the headgasket ,What about changing the header design?
When I did my 3.4 swap I noticed the headers on the 3.0
Have a horrible design, one header flows into the other head and then the exhaust is pushed out the bottom of the "collector header" thus creating a hot cylinder where the exhaust gases are flowing against themselves
Try getting an after aftermarket set of headers or build your own collector pipe out of some mandrel bends

My 3.4 swap thread
http://m.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=268301

[DA86]

Third time was the charm.  Toyota OEM gaskets are worth the money.  I would only replace the 3VZE gaskets after the block has been surfaced.  Might as well hone and rearing at the same time. I would be very skeptical of any mechanic who put a straight edge on the block deck to determine flatness or square to bore.  Head bolts can be re-used even though they are supposed be stretch torque type. Local Toyota gurus have done a couple of hundred times without a problem, 2 different Toyota dealerships have done a customer accommodation head gasket replacement and they used the "old head bolts". OEM Toyota oil pump has 4.3psi at idle to 45psi at 3500rpm, after market 25psi at idle and 65psi at 3500rpm, this is one of the only times OEM parts are not better.  0W-40 Mobil 1 is the best I have found for the 3VZE 3.0.

[Snowtoy]

Yes when done correctly they should last, but given the cost it may not be worth it when you have the 3.4 swap available abd relatively cheap compared to what it was in '04 when I rebuilt mine.  As mentioned you need to have the the heads and block checked for straightness, if the block is warped it would likely be cheaper to do the 3.4 swap due to the cost of the complete rebuild of the 3.0.

While Toyota did state in a service memo the HB's are re-usable, my local dealership tech said not to, as well as my friends who ran/owned their own shops.  If you are not familiar with a TTY bolt, you torque them to a certain number, then turn them 90* 2-3 times to set their final torque value.  Unlike standard bolts, TTY's are designed to stretch, this stretching process is what makes it all but impossible for you to set the the original torque value before the 2-3 90* torque settings.  If the dealership want to risk the TTY bolts and warranty their work for a couple of years, that is fine, but for the DIY mech, it simply isn't worth it, and you should factor in the cost of new TTY's or standard head bolts/studs into the cost of rebuild.

Sas954unner is right about the design of the exhaust manifolds, if the budget allows for it, I would install aftermarket headers along with the rebuild.  In '04 I went with Downey(no longer in business) headers and have been pleased with their performance.

You are looking at about $1500(DIY) to redo the heads and if you go with headers, more if the block needs to be rebuilt, and that is if the bad HG was do to the HG itself/poor fix and not from an overheating issue.  With ORS back in business and building the 3.0 to 3.4 wiring harness($600), I would consider going that route, the swap could be done for about the same as rebuilding the the 3.0.

[emsvitil]

Just put in a 22R.......


They last forever.



 

[Rocksurfer]

I've never liked the 3.0's power, in fact I gave a guy a ride from an event after his 3.0 broke down to the parts store in my 22RET and he said I had double the power up hill. We were in Gorman and went to Bakersfield, he was amazed that I could do 75 up the Grapevine. When doing the hg on a 3.0 be very mindful of the deck and head, Toyota had to replace the complete engine on a 91 we had. There was a minor hg leak and it put a notch on the block and head that could not be fixed.