Hi There Folks -

I have a 2000 Landcruiser, lived it's whole life in San Jose California, it has 135,000 miles. Runs like a charm. No major engine work except water pump / serpentine belt. I love this truck. It's the best vehicle I have ever bought and when it passes on I will buy another.

So... a few months back I noticed a little coolant drip in the garage. Doens't hapen all the time, just every once in a while. I have topped off the coolant overflow tank maybe twice in the four months since I noticed this, probably less than a half gallon of coolant. I've assumed I had a leak at a hose connection point, or something like that.

So on routine service I have the local dealer take a look. I'm shocked to hear him ask for $3,700 for a head gasket and valve job. Says the cylinder head gasket has a leak and I need to get it fixed fast. Hmm.

So my friend and neighbor - who isn't an auto mechanic but rather a jet engine mechanic for American Airlines - helps me get it up on blocks so we can check it out. Leak is on the left (driver) side at back of head. Interestingly the leak is right at where the exhaust manifold connects to the cylinder head right where the head gasket is. AND an exhaust manifold nut is missing from the first (farthest back) bolt. In fact, some of the seeping coolant is making its way under the ehxaust manifold and out around the bolt!

So on a long shot I get the $3 not and clean up the seeping (not leaking) coolant. I'm thinking that just maybe the missing nut will solve the problem (yeah, I know, a really loooooong shot here). So we put on the nut. We notice that the bolt is very uniformly rusted. Almost like a nut was never put on at the factory. To our surprise we find that we can't just put on the nut. One must remove the heat shield first - there isn't enough clearance between the shield and the bolt to pot on - or remove - the nut. So the only conclusion is that the engine left the factory without the nut. incredible. Our operating theory is that the escaping exhaust gas from around this part of the manifold has contributed to the deterioration of the cylinder head gasket in this area. There can't be a coincidence here between the missing nut and the gasket leak.

Has anyone seen anything like this before? Any experience with head gasket leaks on this engine with such low mileage (the 4.7 L V-8).

Thanks everyone!

Jim