1995 Toyota Previa problem?

Hello guys! I'm hoping to get some insight into a problem I've been having with my LE (non-supercharged). When I bought it there was an idle surging problem and a small whistle, which I attributed to a bad spark plug and maybe a vacuum leak, after changing all four plugs, one of which was corroded, it was not fixed and I couldn't find a vacuum leak. I noticed a small leak coming from the side of the engine block which I thought was AC condensation and later realized that it was coolant, it was small and didn't impact the over all levels of coolant in the car so I didn't bother with it. One day after driving about an hour, it started to struggle and I noticed steam coming from the tailpipe. I looked at the heat gauge and it was still cool, so it wasn't over heated but it died soon there after and turned and turned but wouldn't start. After pushing it home and letting it rest, it still wouldn't start and I noticed that it had been shooting water out of the muffler :(. I then asked a few mechanics what they thought it might be. I have been told it could be a bad head gasket, a cracked head or possibly a cracked block, without ever actually looking into the engine. This car has been sitting for a year and a half in an impound lot before being auctioned so I am hoping it's a rusty head gasket that blew. What do you guys think? I love this van and I am hoping that it is just the gasket because the other two are quite a bit more expensive to replace. Thank you in advance!
PS. There is no water in the engine oil, luckily!:greenvan:

Was it the first plug that was corroded?

Seems like you need to remove the head in any case, expecting a bad head gasket. Once it's off, you'll have your answer for certain.

Good luck.

I think it was the second or third plug. That's what I was dreading, thank you for the input!

I have a 91 Previa, one of the first ones, and it now has 300,000 trouble free miles on it. i have often wondered why there are not many warped heads and blocks on Previa's since the motor can run "under water" At 187,000 thousand I was in a cloud burst and was forced to drive in 12 inch deep water for over 3 miles on a flooding street. The temp gauge dropped from normal to almost cold. I finally got to dry ground and pulled over and it was running rough and steam was coming from everywhere. After about 5 minutes it started running ok but hesitated some. A day later all was normal again. It is just amazing I didn't crack something in that stunt.

Could you imagine anything other than a Toyota running in conditions like that?

Personally I wouldn't jump right in assuming it's a head gasket. Does it consume engine coolant? What is the coolant level after the incident? Even if there's a problem with the head gasket, that shouldn't prevent it from starting. In some cases I've heard of engines becoming hydro-locked due to an excessive amount of coolant in a cylinder, but since yours turns over, that's not the case.

In your gauge cluster you should see a little picture of an engine with the word "check" beside it. That's your "Check Engine Light" (or CEL). Turn the ignition switch to the "Run" position and make sure the CEL is illuminated. I don't have time this morning to go over all the possibilities, but check that and report back. We'll go from there. Tim

PS: I'm headed out of town and my access to computer will be very limited, but if I get a chance I'll check in and help some more. I'll be back home by Monday night.

The coolant is gone and when more is put in it runs straight out from the left side of the block ( looking through the access hole). The car tries to start but doesn't fully turn over, it just shakes and kicks coolant from the tailpipe. The battery is currently dead so I will have to put a new one in to see. Thank you for the input Tim and I will keep you updated with any new info!

PS. On checking the spark plugs, the #2 and #3 are soaked, and the cams are rusty.

Yeah, it's done. I'd start looking for a JDM engine.