eliump Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I have been trying to find a V-6 Toyota motorhome to buy for quite a while now. With the possibility of making an offer on a 1990 Toyota Odyssey tonight, I looked more closely at the headgasket issues with the V-6's (3VZE6 3.0 litre V6) from 1988-1995. What I'd like to know, given the very serious and rampant issues with the V-6 and the recall no longer being performed by Toyota, should I steer clear of the V-6 all together??? Help. I need feedback please. Thanks, Eli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bufbooth Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Hello, Here is my two cents on the whole head gasket issue with the V6 engine, if the head gasket held for 50,000+ miles and 15+ years pulling near max load, ther head gasket is probably going to hold, at least to the life that Toyota designed it for. Also, not all Toyota V6 engines were involved in the head gasket recall, I believe there was a serial number range. At least according to Toyota my 1990 was not involved in the head gasket recall and I have 97,000 miles on it and the head gasket is still holding. The first pickup truck I owned was a 1986 Toyota with the R22 engine, it was a great engine and I put on 206,000 and the guy I sold it to put in another 75,000 miles before it got totalled in an accident. A great engine that made it to 281,000 miles, however, at 70,000 miles it blew a head gasket, and at 80,000 miles the metal timing chain needed to be replaced, and as far as I know the 1988 R22 engine never had a head gasket or timing chain recall. If you need a few more cents on this, call up your local Toyota dealer and ask him for a price estimate to replace a head gasket on a 1990 Toyota truck with the V6 engine. Toyota charge me $400 in 1995 to replace my head gasket on my 1986 R22. I the motorhome has over 50,000 miles on it and the head gasket is currently fine, I would not give it a second thought. Dennis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bufbooth Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 I forgot to ask, do you know what model the Odyssey that you are looking at is? I have a 1990 Toyota Odyssey Durango, which is the only Odyssey model that has the coach door behind the rear axle. I have owned the Odyssey for two years now and really like it, it is really well made and I believe it has the highest ceiling of all the other Toyota models (6'3) and the roof is super solid, I can walk anywhere on the roof and there is no give. I even put in a roof mounted canoe rank last summer. I paid $5,200 for my Odyssey with 86,000 miles on it, it needed new tires, and it just had its timing chain replaced. I probably should of paid about $7,500 for it. Some things you want to consider with your offer, if you are past 80,000 it is time to replace the timing chain ($200 to $300), if the tires have any dry rot (cracks in the sides or between the tread pattern) it is time to get new tires (about $100 each x 6). Dennis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eliump Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 Hi Dennis. Thanks a lot for the feedback. I do feel reassured about purchasing a V-6 now. The Odyssey I was considering is not the Durango version you have. This one has the rear living/dining room area with the large back window. The entry door to the coach is immediately behind the passenger seat. I really like the rear living area, as it creates some separation between those sleeping in the camper. Oh, it has 83,000 miles on it and the asking price was $9,750. All this being said, I did one last search last night and discovered a 1991 Toy Winnebago Warrior that I thought I missed out on. It turns out the supposed sale to the previous buyer fell through and I don't plan on missing out this time. I spoke with the seller and we have a deal! This rig also has similar milage to the Odyssey, but it has all new tires, new exhaust, new shocks, new fridge, new battery, complete tune-up with new spark plugs, new awning and a new memory foam mattress in the over-the-cab sleeping area etc. The seller is of retirement age and totally refurbished the rig at a price tag in excess of $2,500 with the plans to hit the road with his wife and see the country. His plans changed dramatically after suffering two medical setbacks that no longer allow him to comfortably travel as anticipated. I'm very excited to get this camper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bufbooth Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Great news on you finding one, the excitement will continue for years. Where abouts are you located, I am near Indianapolis, Indiana. Here is a few pictures of Mrs. Clark (nickname of our Toyota) www.tipton-in.com/canoe We took the canoe with us to Yellowstone and back, did not even notice it was on, even while in a in 6 hour wind storm in South Dakota. Later, Dennis.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.