1990 4x4 3.0 V6

[eStine]

First time here. My grandson is having trouble with his pickup(which i may buy). The #1 cylinder has lower compression than the rest. It don't smoke, he was told that its not the rings. As you can tell by my question I'm not a mechanic,so any help would be great. Is this year model any good and what about the 3.0 V6?

Thanks.

[34YRSOFTOYOTAS]

Check with a toyota dealership to see if the headgasket recall for the 3.0 Liter V6 engine applys to this vehicle. If it is not the headgasket it is probably a damaged valve or valve seat. I would not buy it until this is resolved or you know what it will cost. Also if the compression is within 10-20% of the other cylinders it may not be a big deal.

[eStine]

34YRSOFTOYOTAS, Thanks for the info. I will check it out. The pickup is in real good shape and I can get for $1500. He seems to think it is a bent valve.

[MrSkott]

Mileage may play a large factor, if it is high (mine being 220.000) then a simple valve adjustment may fix your problem. The 3.0 uses shims which are pretty difficult to try on your own, so would recommend taking that job to the shop. Discovery of a bent valve would show during the valve adjustment and could be replaced.

Scott

[eStine]

Scott
Thanks for the reply. I will do some checking around on repair cost. Not sure of the mileage, will check on that too.