2002 Toyota Pickup 3.4 liter head gasket problems

Hi there,

Under normal conditions there is no reason to suspect any gasket problems, head gasket problems often are the end result of other neglected problems, wrong or insufficient coolant causing corrosion, problems with radiators, fan systems, thermostats and pressure caps, if any small problem with the cooling system is let go, then you can expect gasket problems, when modern engines over heat they suffer from expansion rate problems, that is heads being alloy expand at a greater rate than cast blocks, do this to many times or get it really hot the head moves and the pressure is lost from the gasket fire ring and hay presto... blown head gasket....... look after the cooling system as a first priority.

mark (mhpautos)

Could it be Toyota v-6's have an on-going head gasket problem.
The previous v-6's, the 3.0l had many head gaskets problems including an 'unpublished recall'?

Hi there,

I have found no TSB's or re call notices for any V6 head problem, the main problem i come across often is wrong coolant or no coolant and this will lead to corrosion problems and this will cause gasket problem .

Mark

Thanks Mark for your search and help.
I'm being advised that doing the head gasket only on my v-6 (4.3l) 2002 model.
If i've treated my engine well such as always coolant, frequent oil changes, all major services, is the bottom end expected to go out soon after the head gasket is replaced.
What should be the average cost for a head gasket replacement service. Should water pump, timing belts and tensioners be replaced also.
Anything else I'm missing.
Thanks again.

Hi there,

Timing belt and water pump can be done now as you have it stripped down, if the pump looks sound you don't have to do it, bottom ends are a different question, if you fully over haul the heads and the bottom end is at all suspect, the increased comps may, and only may increase the chance of oil consumption, this is not a Toyota's problem, its a fact with all internal combustion engines, often a leak down test can give a good indication as to lower end condition, the older the engine the probability will rise, as for costing, this is a bit hard to tell, as we don't know what we will find when the heads are off and as i live in Australia my pricing will not be relevant, i can get average labour times and parts at a dealer level from Mitchell 1 i can look into this if you like.

Mark (mhpautos)

Thank you for input.
I'm going to speak with shops I would trust doing the whole engine replacement, if that is what ultimately turn out to be needed.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure anymore if I want to keep the toyota, with all their problems recently.
What's your opinion of Ford F-250 & 350's 4x4's with diesel 6.0's or the new 6.4L coming out in a couple of months.
Diesel vs gas. The diesel's the powerhouse engine for towing, right?

I have not had a lot to do with the Fords, but by all accounts they are a fairly good truck, i do remember them having a few front suspension problems, but nothing serious, Toyota are still a good thing, current problems with them do not relate to older cars, i would not be writing them off just yet, a bit of bias maybe as i was a Toyota service manager for many years, Diesel is the way to go for economy power & torque, i have a diesel Land Rover Discovery 2.turbo it's not the fastest thing on the road but it's got plenty of guts when you want it.Look into the diesels, if you want to tow that is what you should be looking at.

mark (mhpautos)