Head Gasket debacle

As i have been searching for a 4Runner I have found countless articles and testimonials that basically state a 4.0 is a head gasket waiting to happen. Looking at reported cases vs models sold for that year the number is actually very small. Obviously the numbers reported are calculated from documented head gasket maintenance logged on the VIN history and will not reflect those who have the know how and the tools to save a butt ton of money and do it on their own. To me, speaking from research only, it seems that it has been blown way out proportion and if the problem were that likely a recall would have been issued. Everyone i talk to makes it seem like the 4.0 is a ticking nuclear bomb that will leave you stranded. I would really like to hear from the masses or maybe even some Yota techs who are on here just how many they seen come through the shops. And before its stated i know the V8 you wont have to to worry about that with but i dont have the need for the V8 and i wont be towing anything. Family vehicle which a 15 year old is going to learn how to drive on is what im looking for. I found a very clean 1 owner, dealer maintained its whole life 05 SR5 with 155K on the clock. Ive read that post a certain production date that head gasket was changed on the assembly line but cannot seem to find an offical date on that. Ive seen ranges from after 10/05 youre good and others that say post 06 production. I really appreciate the read and any recent info that anyone may have.

 

Good Morning and Welcome!
Never owned one of the 4th gen V6s, but I believe you are correct in the pre 06' model years being more susceptible to the HG failures.

There are still a lot of these trucks on the road, so I agree the percentages are probably low. Car forums tend to have a chicken little effect on the public with one or two documented failures per 100 vehicles, ballooning into a 25% ratio. I would say a small portion of failures were from neglect over the years, that most people fail to factor into their percentages.
I've read where people with an early model 4th gen V6 go 200k miles plus, with no issues at all.

Captain obvious statement here, but the fact that you know what or what not to look for puts you way ahead of the curve.

Hopefully someone with real experience will chime in shortly.

Good Luck and going by your user name, I will say Thank You!

 

Thank you. I am currently car shopping via the internet on deployment and let me tell you how frustrating that is. I have some family going to check one out today that i am already skeptical about bc it looks like they painted over frame rust. Aside from the obvious popping the radiator cap and checking for sludge or bubbles and the overfill bottle for debris, what else could i have them look for? According to the history report this thing was meticulously maintained at a toyota dealership up until it was sold this year.

 

Oh man, I know you're having a tough time with that situation.
Where did it spend most of it's life? Getting a car fax subscription may be worth the money so that you can get reports on several vehicles. I once looked at an FJ with 38k miles that was in great shape until I rolled underneath it. I ran outta there quick. Even the axle tube was flaking with rust.
I would rather see moderate rust with no paint than what you're describing. Taking a small hammer and taping around under there to see what sounds like solid steel or a hollow section of rust is a good idea.

Getting a decent code reader is also important in these situations, because the one thing that people tend to over look is that diagnostic trouble codes can be cleared and sometimes will not return until the vehicle has been driven a certain amount of miles (called a drive cycle). Tell your family to drive it 10 to 15 miles or more to see if something pops up. Offer to put a couple bucks worth of gas in it and if the owner has an issue with any of these procedures, do not even entertain them.
Used car hunting is never an easy process unless you have a knack for it and are patient.

 

+1 to the above. Someone of your family going to look at it needs to crawl underneath. Look for rust at the frame rails, any coolant or oil leak spots at the bottom of the engine block/transfer case/trans, and at all of the pinch welds of the doors/hatch/body seam along the frame, and then honestly have them shake a few things around the suspension. Literally. Nothing should move, but if it does, you'll know its failed, walk away. When they test drive it turn up the AC and heat full blast and make sure it actually changes temp. And test it hard - accelerate very quickly and stop quickly, make sure there are not sounds or vibrations that aren't supposed to be there. Its an 05 with 155k... ask when (if) the transmission and diff oils have been changed and with what, and the same for the water pump and thermostat. V6s having timing chains not belts, but when was the serpentine changed?

To your actual question, head gaskets are absolutely a risk, but when and severity vary greatly. It may well never happen, and if it does it wont just grenade your engine, but it definitely is a bummer to fix. Most people subscribe to either letting it go and risking it or prematurely replacing with an aftermarket - Doug Thorley or JBA or something.
Your 05 find could absolutely be a gem... or a piece of coal. Get some info and let us know what you find out

 

already passed off a checklist that had each of those items in it and then some. Thanks for the input. All fluids flushed/filled at 110k miles at the dealership.

 

Head gasket usually shows up as a cylinder 5 or 6 misfire to start, a good code reader should be able to read any stored codes, or at the very minimum see how many miles it's been driven since codes have been cleared which can be a huge red flag.

 

Do you mean that cylinder 6 is generally the first one to go or that 0306 is the first code to pop up regardless of which cylinder is leaking?

 

Go 2007+ and you'll be safe on V6 head gaskets issues.