Head Gasket repair

I have a 2006 4Runner SR5 with approx. 192,500 miles. In March I experienced misfiring and had a coil and all spark plugs replaced. Now there is also evidence of an external leak on passenger side, hard pink material. Never seen any puddling, but coolant needed to be topped off. I got an estimate for $6000 which seems really steep. I am waiting on a second estimate. What should this job cost? Is it worth doing if everything else has been taking care of well?

 

I'm assuming you have the V6 engine since the V8 is not known to have head gasket issues?

What tests were done to know for sure you have a bad head gasket??

 

I should have included V6 in original post. I am not mechanically inclined, but replacing head gasket was strongly suggested by my shop. I don't believe any actual tests were done besides noting usual symptoms of the issue. The labor rate they were asking seemed out of line. Assuming it takes 8 hours (I have no idea, but that sounds like worse case) it was close to $470/hr for labor alone. Also if this is a realistic cost to do the job, not sure of its worth it given current value of vehicle. Could I expect years of vehicle life after the repair?

 

I wouldn't let anyone do head gaskets without doing tests to confirm that's the issue!!!

They can do a compression test, and or a leak down test, also they can use a bore scope to look into the cylinders to see if there's any coolant on top of the piston/s after the engine has cooled down and coolant has time to leak into a cylinder/s.

It's not possible for us here looking at your one photo to guess if the coolant is coming out from the head gasket or leaking from somewhere else close by and pooling there.

I do think $6000 is very high for head gaskets, but I have not had to have this done, hopefully someone else has will chime in, I wouldn't doubt if it would cost $3000 to possibly $4000 but I'm just making a semi-educated guess having done mechanical work for over 50 years.

 

Plus two on compression and leak down test before agreeing to anything from these cats. Need to see test results before committing to such a dedicated repair. If a quote is given that freely, I personally would seek out a second opinion simply based off of that.

 

Maybe you are losing coolant not from head gasket but from the radiator.I was losing coolant when the engine was hot and running in form of steam,(fan blowing the steam away) and when engine stopped and pressure dropped I could not see the steam, it took awhile to figure this out.

 

You do not say if your misfiring continued after the coil & plugs so I assume not. I would remove that pink crud, watch the coolant level and see if leaking gets worse or if you have additional misfire issues. This is what I would use to test for leaking head gasket. Note that you need to use fresh test fluid.

$32 Lisle 75500 Combustion Leak Detector

https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-75500-...64770091029590578-B0007ZDRUI-&hvexpln=73&th=1

Or this....

$38 Block Tester BT-500 Head Gasket Combustion Leak Test Kit - Made in USA

https://www.amazon.com/Block-Tester-BT-500-Combustion-Leak/dp/B06VVBSFTF?crid=2PZDVQTVB7PJ8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.eMcq7vTfnpjzqahn9WaaDW0OwGCozzuBsGPPgVhJB1XUCQkIFV8aohVltOieKi_T_n-Zv5BEyBmgNdXJG-VOm2r1m8K1XI_7RWnaDg2SXyFBEBJe8605cAw30-NFyBXIm3QXij6NmN9QfSbkeqQf61w35CkoN_0jaTfvBMqCN4eImU6nx6umZuWVc-20X82PW5txL1KRoztw77kdrgmQjz-NdW7WWN4NIT89tl46dNx6mVy4s9t8WCuSluKss_2Tf_c4uppPFFlu2nN-DcoNtIUHHiJco4sD0K_bICD-S00.6zkA6ITiZLW1CuIZAd0eHGnUJk4mxqh08tcG_sZq-Mg&dib_tag=se&keywords=combustion+leak+tester&qid=1729768792&sprefix=combustion+%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY#customerReviews

 

I haven't had any issues since replacing the coil and spark plugs, besides low coolant and the pink residue. No loss of power, overheating etc. I agree a test to verify makes sense. I did not get charged for any tests, so I would assume none were done at the shop. I have been going to this shop for over 20 years, they have been honest and straight forward. But I have seen changes in how they operate since they were recently bought out by another company and re-branded. I am seeking out a second opinion, but haven't made it in for an appointment yet.

 

Head gasket repair is expensive so would not rush into it if the only symptom you have is coolant loss although it looks like the pink residue is on the outside of the gasket, right?. How much did you put in when you topped it off? Lots of ways to lose coolant. My first step would be to replace the radiator cap if you have not done so in the last few years.

 

Pink residue is on outside of gasket it appears. I did not top off coolant myself, it was done at the shop during an oil change last week, so I don't know exactly how low it was. There is a rust spot on my garage floor below where the pink residue is, but I have never seen any liquid on floor. I have never replaced the radiator cap.