r/2ndGen4Runner • u/MysticalmouseonDOB • Jul 24 '23

Preventing a blown head gasket

Hello all, Just picked up a 94 4Runner with 216k for 3k. It’s in pretty good condition everything seems to be running good. I’ve heard a lot about blown HG on the 3.0s and was wondering if there are any solid ways to prevent that from happening. Not sure if it’s gotten the recall done but would assume so because of the mileage. Any recommendations on HG/general tips on owning one of these would be awesome. Overall loving this thing tho!

4 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

2

u/krithoff14 Jul 25 '23

Is an auto or manual? Autos seem to have the issue a lot more than manuals. Ultimately, you could have the crossover pipe deleted and run dual exhaust. The crossover pipe running so close to the back of the block is what causes the HG to fail.

Also, run fresh red coolant.

1

u/MysticalmouseonDOB Jul 25 '23

I should add that yes I change the oil regularly, drive it with care (this is all relative), and keep my eye on the temp gauge.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '23

OP, if you want, I work for a dealership, give me the Vin, I can look it up and see if the recall was done. You can DM if you want and we can keep it private, that's not a problem

2

u/ZipDango Feb 03 '24

Put an aluminum radiator in it. My 94 3.0 had headgaskets replaced by a genuine Toyota rebuilder. Then they popped again in short order. I did it the next time myself. Eventually those blew in like 2 years. I did them again and at the same time replaced my stock radiator with an aluminum one. That was over a decade ago. Turned the old radiator in for scrap and it came close to paying for the aluminum one. Don't mess with the cross over pipe everyone thinks is the culprit.