Blown Head Gasket on a 97 with 77K ????

[cruiserdan]

[quote author=The Beast II link=board=2;threadid=16663;start=msg162031#msg162031 date=1085268824]
Toyota won't stand behind an engine with less than 100K ? That is craziness.
[/quote]

They are not at all obligated to after the 5 yr/60k mile mark.

 

[Altaf]

Are the '96 models also prone to the HG failure, or just the '97?

 

[SteveLCetc]

If there are "issues" with the '97 head gasket, how does one (or several) make them acknowledge that?

 

[FJ809496TLC]

Is cooling problem, blown HG more common on 97s? ??? I am looking for another 80 for my son and eyeing a locked 97. I have noticed that cooling system on my 94 runs a little cooler than my 96. Better radiator or cooling system on 94s? ??? Thanks..

 

[Beast II]

What can be done to decrease the probability of this happening again ? - minus the obvious replacement

 

[bjowett]

Just make sure your system is up to snuff... Good fresh coolant/water mix, maybe try a 40/60 coolant to water mix for a bit better system performance. Clean the radiator and AC condensor, back flush through the fins to blow out all the old bugs/grime/road debris. Tune up that engine! A good running properly maintained engine will run better and cooler.

If the gasket does blow, maybe you could get a high performance head gasket.

 

[jjbodean1970]

i would go to the toyota dealer where you had the majority of your maintenance work done and request an appointment with the district service rep - ask him/her to "goodwill" the repair, especially since you have spent (and will continue to spend) a bunch of $$$ with the dealer already. toyota will normally bend over backwards to help a loyal customer, especially at the factory level, not as much at the dealer level

 

[Beast II]

I maintain this vehicle religiously and I did mention this to my dealership and reminded the service manager about the $2,000 + 60,000 mile service they just did. This is something they should have caught - right ??

Thank you,

Matt

 

[landtank]

Matt, you might find this exercise will be fruitless and only serve to aggravate yourself. Personally I think eventually most will be in your situation as there is a problem inherent in the gasket. Toyota has changed the gasket design a few times so they are aware of it but haven't stepped up to help people who haven't been clearly under warrentee. This is not unheard of in the industry. They have their guidelines, you were made aware of them if you purchased it new and agreed to them and bought the vehicle.

If your parents told you life was fair, they lied.

 

[Asiarider]

If your parents told you life was fair, they lied.

Unfortunately, Rick is right here. There will be most likely nothing that Toyota will do for you.

Just swallow it and repair the LC because it is otherwise a Masterpiece of engineering.

Mike

 

[cruiserdan]

Are you the original owner?

If so I recommend you follow my recommendation mentioned earlier in this thread.

 

[Beowulf]

>> If your parents told you life was fair, they lied. <<

That is the one thing people really need to learn, that they don't teach us in kindergarten.

-B-

 

[Beast II]

I appreciate the advise and SARCASM. Perhaps I'll just hit someone instead

 

[robbie]

I have not seen and cracked heads. I have seen some really warped head do to overheating but not any cracked heads. normally what happens is that you get compression leaks between the headgasket and the block or head.
How long ago did you get the service done? Is it recent if so did they not fully burp the cooling system and not fill it full leaving you low on coolant. It sounds like that from the posts, maybe I am not reading this right. As for the cracked head it might be good if they can show you the crack in the head. I have seen alot of these engines in many different shapes coming in and again I have not seen a cracked head. This is not a common occurance.
I would doubt that a dealership would use any used part in the repair, they would not be able to warranty their workmanship on it.
Good luck with Toyota, christo has talked with them in the past on a national level and got no where. The lowest milage vechicle that I have done was the 59000 mile one on a 97 lexus and the owner did not want to have the dealer do it, Fear of being riped off, I do think this may be going on with your cracked head. later robbie

 

[SteveLCetc]

Is there a range of serial numbers for this problem?

 

[robbie]

No range of serial numbers. All 93-97 have the potiential for this problem. There is loads of infromation that has been discussed in the past on this subject. I personally have done more head gasket replacements on 95-97. So do I see 97 as a more prone year, no more than the other years of 95 and 96. The problem more than likely is set up by the cooling system maintance. I usually see more compression leaks leading to overheating then I see total failures. I see the 93-94 leaking externally more than the 95-97 model years. usually the 93-94 have more miles. For more information use the search function to find the mother load of infromation. later robbie

 

[semlin]

hmmm, while it is true that the length of a warranty is arguably a representation by the manufacturer of how long they expect their product to last, a warranty does not negate other representations and there are other express and implied representations out there that tend to negate the idea that the motor in a 97 landcruiser, properly maintained, can only be relied upon to have no major problems for 60,000 miles. This is true of all vehicles, but especially true when you are talking about a top of the range vehicle with a particular reputation for reliability and durability cultivated by Toyota. Ask yourself, if you had asked a Toyota salesman on the lot whether their LC motors will be prone to blowing head gaskets shortly after 60k, what would he have said?

An argumentative person might also say that although this particular cruiser is out of warranty, the problem was known by Toyota before it was out of warranty and ought to have been the subject of a recall.

A really argumentative person might go hire a lawyer and bring a class action suit against Toyota. Toyota might then have to produce its statistics on HG failures.

Me, I found a teaspoon of grey sludge in my overflow when flushing yesterday, but I'm at 137k so I'm just venting and wishful thinking is all. I quite like Mr. T. He makes good trucks.

 

[landtank]

While on site today I met a guy with a white 93 and lockers w/125k on it. We talked a while and he asked me my thoughts on our vehicles. My reply was they are great but watch the coolant closely as any overheating can mean big problems.

He responded that the truck has ran in the red zone twice and he has to continuously as coolant but can't find any leaks :.

At the end of the service call we went out and did the bubble test. Every 2 seconds a bubble appeared.

When he started the truck the Fan coupling made a racket, the idler pulley has a bearing noise, the front axle has never been rebuilt, the valve cover is leaking and the PS side mirror is busted. And that was at a glance.

The truck's damn near worthless. What a shame :'(

 

[SteveLCetc]

[quote author=semlin link=board=2;threadid=16663;start=msg164012#msg164012 date=1085536672]

An argumentative person might also say that although this particular cruiser is out of warranty, the problem was known by Toyota before it was out of warranty and ought to have been the subject of a recall.

A really argumentative person might go hire a lawyer and bring a class action suit against Toyota. Toyota might then have to produce its statistics on HG failures.

[/quote]

That's exactly what I was thinking...

 

[GXO]

Man, 3FEs keep looking better