New to me 94 mazda b3000

[RunninOnEmpty]

1994 Mazda B3000 auto, 2wd, 210k miles

Hey guys, couple of questions

1. I bought this without reading much of the history of the 3.0 V6. This one runs well except for an odd fluctuating idle (bad iac I think.) I heard head gaskets are a common issue on these..is that true? With the miles I'd think they'd either already have been done or I'm set

2. The dipstick tube is broken. I haven't even looked into it but how hard is this to fix? I'm pretty mechanically inclined but I'm not at all familar with the truck.

Truck runs/shifts/stops great besides this. My only concern-in the long run- is a head gasket failure. Should I be worried?

 

[Fordisthebest30]

i haven't heard much of head gaskets being a problem in the ranger 3.0L v6, but i have heard that common problem in the toyota v6s. maybe a mixup? everyone i have talked to has said their 3.0L is great, but not much power. For the dipstick problem, maybe drop the oil pan and pull the dip stick out? that's what i would do.

 

[infantry grunt]

my mazda 3.0 does the same thing at i revs(intrstate)then let of the gas,ive learned to accept it.high miles but very dependable and no smoke