Looking for opinions on PO maintenance list (1 Viewer)

[Vagabond Nate]

Hello all. I’m pretty new here but have been digging through the FAQs and threads for awhile now. I’m interested in a 93 fjz80 with about 220k on it. It’s far from me so I haven’t seen it in person yet but I have a list of past work done.
I know it’s impossible to tell the quality of repairs etc but I feel like it checks a lot of the problem boxes I’ve been reading about. Conspicuously missing is the head gasket but my hope is the original owner changed it while doing some of the other repairs. I'm curious what your opinions are on this list of maintenance and if you would feel it likely (obviously not sure) the head gasket would have been done “while we’re in there”

Current owner - all done in about the last 5k—-
Front Knuckle rebuild
Front crank seal and oil pump o-ring
Power steering pump

Previous owner - don’t have the timeline on these yet—-
Valve cover gasket/tubes
New rebuilt injectors
New starter
Intake gaskets
Iridium plugs cap
Rotor
Fan blade
Tranny solenoids/filter
Radiator
Filters/fluids/grease and such

I really like the way it’s setup and the current owner seems knowledgeable and honest. I’m just worried about the head gasket and if I’m missing something else that really should have been handled at the mileage in PM.

 

[Cruzerman]

I think it unlikely someone would just do it for the heck of it. At least I wouldn't. I'm sure some on this list would tell you that you need to replace it right away. I think the head gasket issues, while real, are somewhat overstated. If it ain't broken...

 

[BILT4ME]

Why is he selling?

Has he started to notice a drop in the coolant levels that he's not sharing with you? You don;t see it because he doesn't record every time he adds coolant?

He wants to dump it before the HG actually blows?

Maybe it WAS done, but he doesn't know either?

Sometimes omission is as bad as inclusion.

 

[Vagabond Nate]

I think it unlikely someone would just do it for the heck of it. At least I wouldn't. I'm sure some on this list would tell you that you need to replace it right away. I think the head gasket issues, while real, are somewhat overstated. If it ain't broken...

Thanks. I thought maybe when they did the injectors it might have been replaced. Of course I'm likely showing my mechanical ignorance here... as usual

 

[Vagabond Nate]

Why is he selling?

Has he started to notice a drop in the coolant levels that he's not sharing with you? You don;t see it because he doesn't record every time he adds coolant?

He wants to dump it before the HG actually blows?

Maybe it WAS done, but he doesn't know either?

Sometimes omission is as bad as inclusion.

I have kind of stopped asking the "why are you selling question" I think people will make up something either way if that's their intent. The coolant is great question to ask. Thanks for that.

 

[maxamillion2345]

Injectors only require removal of upper plenum. Couple hour job. Id say no chance they did the HG. Itd be hard to say for sure, you could ask if you could pull an oil sample but even that isnt fool proof.

Or maybe run it with the cap off until it gets warmish and watch for bubbles. It may overflow the rad a bit though.

could also do the combustion gas tester

Id also say you’re wrong about doing HG as PM at some perceived mileage. While maybe somewhat common here, its abnormal. Not that its a bad thing but I would not expect it to have been done.

 

[GSTMike]

I'd say doing a head gasket on just about any vehicle for PM is the exception not the rule, 95%+ are more than likely done because it's failed not because someone is bored one weekend and decides to pull the head!

 

[tacocat]

I stopped asking why people sell these things. They have become emotional objects, rather than utilitarian ones. Sounds like a solid list of completed maintenance. Make sure all of the smog equipment, like the EGR is still installed. I wouldn't worry about the mileage number than the type of miles. A highway commuter with 220K on it is not the same as a logging truck with 220K on it.

Most 4th gen 4runners have easily eclipsed that number. Find out how it was used.

 

[Vagabond Nate]

Thanks all. I'm probably being a bit paranoid because I don't have to skills, tools or proper space to fix it if it blows so I'd be out quite a lot of money at a shop. I think the combustion gas seems like a solid test from what I've read so far.

 

[Vagabond Nate]

I stopped asking why people sell these things. They have become emotional objects, rather than utilitarian ones. Sounds like a solid list of completed maintenance. Make sure all of the smog equipment, like the EGR is still installed. I wouldn't worry about the mileage number than the type of miles. A highway commuter with 220K on it is not the same as a logging truck with 220K on it.

Most 4th gen 4runners have easily eclipsed that number. Find out how it was used.

I hear you on that. I've had some smog issues in the past and will definitely check it closely. I always dreaded when two years passed and I knew I'd have some new fun issue.

 

[Rifleman]

I think the head gasket issues, while real, are somewhat overstated. If it ain't broken...

I agree with the above statement. This may help to set your mind at ease, there are more then a few owners of 93 to 97 trucks posting here on mud that have over 300,000 miles on their original head gasket. But if your really concerned about the condition of the cooling system/head gasket. Pay out of pocket to have the system pressure tested before you make an offer to buy the truck.

 

[-Spike-]

Thanks all. I'm probably being a bit paranoid because I don't have to skills, tools or proper space to fix it if it blows so I'd be out quite a lot of money at a shop.

Do NOT buy an old vehicle. You should expect and plan for things to go wrong, not hope they don't. The head gasket is only one of a long list of things that might cost you significant coin to fix.

 

[Vagabond Nate]

Do NOT buy an old vehicle. You should expect and plan for things to go wrong, not hope they don't. The head gasket is only one of a long list of things that might cost you significant coin to fix.

Sure. I understand things will go wrong no matter what and will cost me some money on a vehicle with this many miles. I'm on here in an effort to plan and try to minimize what is likely to fail relatively soon. I just bring up the head gasket because most of what I've been reading on this forum as common failure points have been addressed already. I know that they might fail again but I hope that it's bought me a little extra time.

 

[LandLocked93]

my 0.02 as you're not close to the truck...
Tell him to send you a pic of the underside of the oil cap and the engine bay.
If the cap is dirty and black, you should should be good.
If it's clean, but other more accessible things in the engine bay are not, just plan for the HG if the truck is otherwise what you're looking for.

 

[Vagabond Nate]

my 0.02 as you're not close to the truck...
Tell him to send you a pic of the underside of the oil cap and the engine bay.
If the cap is dirty and black, you should should be good.
If it's clean, but other more accessible things in the engine bay are not, just plan for the HG if the truck is otherwise what you're looking for.

Perfect. That's clever. I can do that to possibly eliminate it as an option. If it looks good, I'll do the pressure test when I check it out in person.

One question though is that I've read several threads with pics of oil caps that may have a head gasket issue. A lot of people were responding that it was just condensation and not necessarily a problem when it's milky or gray. Any thoughts on this? Sorry there are so many head gasket threads that it's hard to tell.

 

[LandLocked93]

To your last I would just say that a partial or full HG failure will appear like full-flow snot in the cap, without question.
I'd hazard to guess that "condensation" will just look like a strange whitish haze on otherwise black, carbon looking filth in the cap.

 

[BILT4ME]

To your last I would just say that a partial or full HG failure will appear like full-flow snot in the cap, without question.
I'd hazard to guess that "condensation" will just look like a strange whitish haze on otherwise black, carbon looking filth in the cap.

No. That is just condensation under the cap. It has more to do with how often it is driven and brought up to full temp.

It has ZERO to do with a head gasket failure.

 

[Vagabond Nate]

I get there's always a little back and forth on these type things. Is the pressure test pretty proven one way or the other? Meaning basically is it definitely bad or definitely good or is it ambiguous either way? Again I tried searching but can't get a good read on the consensus.

 

[maxamillion2345]

I would say that a combustion gas test is pretty solid, there are other ways in which a hg could fail that would not connect cylinder to water jacket but those would have other obvious problems — ie cyl to cyl or external leaks. But most of the hg failures here are the same #6 to water jacket...
There is a chance that if the HG is just barely leaking, which does happen, that it could only leak at higher loads and cylinder pressures which are hard to replicate while idling. Either way to do this test takes a few minutes and you have to be there. If it is only minimal it wont be for long, but it could be long enough for a guy to sell it to you.
Also depending on how the HG blows it may not link water jacket to oil or push coolant into combustion chamber but push combustion into water jacket - so none of its an absolute.

clear as mud?

 

[davidp14]

No. That is just condensation under the cap. It has more to do with how often it is driven and brought up to full temp.

It has ZERO to do with a head gasket failure.

Agreed. Mine does this on regular occasion. It made me so convinced I had a HG failure I did every test in the book and it passed them all. After some research here, I believe @BILT4ME is correct in these engines just allow some condensation and a small amount of "snot" on the cap in the absence of other symptoms does not constitute a HG failure.

As far as the PO maintenance list I'd be interested in knowing why the radiator was replaced and the solenoid in the tranny. Other wise it seems like a fine PM list to me.