2008 Tacoma Head Replacement

[Coach]

Hey guys, I know this is not a common subject, but I know a lot of us drive the 05+ 4.0L Tacos and sometimes, due to bad luck or whatever they can fail, and when they do it's costly.

 

I just wanted to share my recent experience in hopes someone can benefit from it.

 

On a recent hunting trip with my boys, a random limb poked my radiator causing a massive loss of coolant. By the time my check engine light came on I already had a warped head. The temp gauge relies on the temp of coolant, and when there is none, it sticks - meaning it will show regular temps even though it is overheating to the point of warping a head or worse.

 

In my case, I pulled over and called a tow but only after one of the heads had warped. After getting it to the dealership I had 2 options from them - one was $4700 to get the head machined, the other was almost $7k for an engine swap - all because I lost my coolant and had no indication of overheating.

 

If you ever find yourself in this situation, you can save a LOT of money by doing it yourself.

 

I bought a matched set of re-manufactured heads online including cams and lifters - pre-assembled and a gasket set for $824 minus core charge. I spent 30+ hours doing the labor myself but found that $105+ labor charge you pay a dealer or your mechanic is money you don't have to spend. It's not trivial or easy but it is very doable.

 

I wouldn't have been able to do it without some outside help from my brother-in-law, but I want to pass on what I learned from him to anyone in this situation.Shoot me a PM or whatever, I have all the pictures I took of the disassembly to the reassembly. It's all about getting the 3 timing chains back *exactly* how they came out and the cams in proper alignment. One tooth off can cause big problems.

 

 

 

 

[dmoto]

Great info. Thanks for this. I drive an '08 FJ Cruiser and so far...(knock on wood) it's been good to me. Only issues were when I first bought the truck in late '07, I had to have the throwout bearing replaced twice. There was a recall on it.

 

Curious, did you receive any other quotes besides from the dealership?

[nighthawk]

Great info and know I know who to call if I need to do the same 😬

[HuntHarder]

When I was younger and had a Toyota Tacoma, I blew my head gasket twice. Just as you described, the thermostat stuck on the first time and never showed overheating until it was too late. I had a local shop mill the head, and replace all the gaskets, I think it set me back $1900.00. On the second one, I decided to put in a new/used motor, and it was about the same price, maybe slightly more. There were recalls on the early Tacoma's regarding their head gaskets being defective, but mine was not one of them.

[Coach]

Great info. Thanks for this. I drive an '08 FJ Cruiser and so far...(knock on wood) it's been good to me. Only issues were when I first bought the truck in late '07, I had to have the throwout bearing replaced twice. There was a recall on it.

 

Curious, did you receive any other quotes besides from the dealership?

No, I pretty much knew most good shops charge around the same per hour so there may have been some variance in price, but not enough to justify at least trying to do it myself.

[DesertBull]

I have a 2012 Tundra. On a late elk hunt a few years ago on the last morning of the hunt I poked a hole in the oil pan on a rock while making a u turn on a back road. I heard the rock scraping the skid plate but when I got out to check it I saw no leak. It only leaked while the engine was running. I drove it all the way from north of Snowbowl to Mesa and neither the check engine light or low oil pressure warning came on. When I stopped in Mesa for gas and restarted the engine it made a horrible sound. Got out and noticed oil dripping. Mechanic said there was not a drop of oil in the pan. Still ran like a champ and have had no issues in the 3 years since.

 

The skid plate was worthless but the Toyota engine is pretty much bullet proof.