- Thread starter
- #101
^^^^Thanks, and that is also one of the reasons I moved on this with my '99 LX...while the LX was awesome, this was just a little bit better. Hopefully someone that knows what they are getting picks up the LX.
1999 LX470 Disaster-Advice Needed (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter WaHoo
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
^^^^Thanks, and that is also one of the reasons I moved on this with my '99 LX...while the LX was awesome, this was just a little bit better. Hopefully someone that knows what they are getting picks up the LX.
aging fleet
SILVER Star
The ‘06 looks great, good luck with it.
I've kind of skip thought this thread fast, so pardon me if I'm redundant.
Was that the starter picture before or after rod broke?
Scope may or may not be revealing even if something had entered cylinder(s). I say this because hydrolocking doesn't necessarily leave marks in pistons, but metal object will.
On my first 4.7L starter job some years ago, I learned a lesson. I was taking my time and sent the starter and other stuff out to be rebuilt, so intake was off for weeks. I had each cylinder intake port covered or rather stuffed with paper towels to keep out foreign object. It was later winter going into spring and OAT was rising. As temperature climbed the coolant expanded. It began dripping onto head at #1 intake port from throttle body coolant hose, and ran along the length of the head from front to back ports. I didn't see (not in shop) for hours. When I did find the mess, I pulled out the wet paper towels. The ports, that had valves closed, where full of coolant. The ones with open valves filled cylinders. OH shHHHHIIIT! Well I was able to vacuum out the coolant. Added some Sea foam and vacuum it out, then oil vacuumed and more oil. Then once stater back in and all button up, I cranked engine with all plugs out, just to blow out oil or whatever was left.
So I can see how someone doing this a first time. May have easily gotten some coolant in cylinder #1, maybe even #3, then not even noticed. Fire it up and hydrolocked, bending the rod. This wouldn't leave any evidence of marks in cylinder. Then after running for a while, very rough probably, as crank now turning out of balance from unusual force of bent rod and finally rod just lets go as throttle opened to raise rpm clear up rough idle.
Very good chance you'll never know. So you've not much choice but move forward. But, to have a leg to stand on legal, you must give this shop chance to make right. If later evidence points to shop fault, well do what you feel is right. Accident happen!
Now issue at hand is get back on the road, with a reliable rig.
Engine or rebuild:
It may be just a few parts if cylinder walls & heads ok. A local shop I talked to, has replaced just a rod. They actually reused the rings and bearings. This was a 4.7 Tundra. 100K mile later still runs strong and doesn't use oil. This can be a lot of labor as engine must be pulled and pan. I didn't ask if he pulled head or crank but I'd assume just crank. This was done at request of client. Otherwise mechanic would have honed, replaced rings and bearing.
Engine Replacement:
You have a 2UZ-fe non VVTi made in japan. If you find a 100 series engine you can do a direct swap. If you go with a non 100 series engine the parts swapping is extensive, as you'll only use long block, front of engine and intake. But intake must be removed again to get off battery/starter wire harness. Which means a lot more labor. Note depending on year of 4.7L (98 - may 05) of 100 series engine used, none or some of your parts like throttle body will need swapping.
I just did a VVti , non 100 series engine replacement. VVT are hard to find and more expensive. My goal was to find an engine under 150K closer 100K the better. My first engine I got burned on. CL seller sold me one that had water entry into cylinders. The VVt is more inclined to get water entry, but all engine will if left in the weather or overly washed. So I got very particularly in my hunt. I also learned USA made 4.7L VVT have high incident of busted rods and heavy piston slap. So I stuck with engine made in Japan. I found so many scams & scume trying to sell me USA engine as JDMs, high mileage as low, engine that had been weathered or ones intake was remove and dirt fell in ports/cylinders. I found that; no JMS VVt have ever made it to the USA and only a very small handful of non VVT have every. One JDM seller assured me they had what I needed, but would not give picture I asked or VIN. After checking them out, I found, to be very shady. I ran carfax on every good prospect, most where BS.
I narrowed my search to Japanese made engine which is 100 series, GX470, 4runners. I also didn't want any bad frontal impact at high speed. Also engine must be protected from rain and snow. Which means front end intact, so side or rear impact was preferred.
I found one out of WI (rust belt not first choice) with 98K in a GX470, with perfect Lexus service history, new timing belt (old pulley & tensioner, WHY DO THEY DO THAT) no issue and a fresh total with hood & fenders intact. First thing I did this time was run my new borescope (plumber snake hooked to iphone via wifi for $30) down each cylinder. They looked great. Second was get oil pans off to look at and smell lower end, fan-freakin tastic! I had a good one.
If you look through my first link in my signture you'll find threads on engines.
Look through the Unicorns thread and you see overview disassembly, assemble swapping parts and install. With bunch of "while in there, let do it! Scored a 2007 Unicorn. The holy grail of 100 series.
It's one sweet ride now.
Good luck and ask whatever you like.
I've replaced more engines in 100 series than most shops... it is a simple job and NO YOU DO NOT NEED A 100 series engine... ANY 4.7 out of any will do you must use your 100 engine mounts, exhaust manifolds, oil filter housing and oil pan... that is pretty much it... i'm old and slow so it's a 2 day job for me and while engine is out I do the full timing belt water pump and replace the steering rack bushings...
Take it as you may - My experience with a 2UZ is the recent purchase of my 01 LX and maybe some reading online.
However, I used to heavily modify, and auto-x, first generation MR2's. Had 13 of them and just about all types of engine swaps and failures. A few as example: Early bigport 4age, Late bigport 4age, smallport 4age, Smallport 4agze W/ E51, Smallport 4agze W/E51, Bigport 4age with 4agze externals, 11.3:1 smallport 7age hybrid, C50/52 MR2 trans, AE92 C52 trans swap, even did a 1991 5sfe/S54 swap into a 1986.
Some of the failures:
Spun bearings, thrown rods, rebuilt motors that spin bearings quickly (ALWAYS turn a crank on a Toyota if you spin a bearing, learned that the hard way), bigport block with smallport head, window'd blocks, oil pump failures, sludged engines (JDM), and more.
I have never spun a bearing at idle. I have never thrown a rod at idle. Toyota's requirement for "acceptable" oil pressure at idle is amazingly low - usually in the 4-7psi range. A good/healthy engine will generally have much more than that - and will have a 10psi gain/1000 rpm.
Normal spun bearings in Toyota's usually happen from overheating or no oil (for instance - a JDM smallport 4age that burns a quart every 50 miles runs low, as capacity is only ~3.5 quarts, and spins a bearing). The only times I've thrown a rod was KNOWING it was going to happen - meaning I could hear the spun bearing and just wanted to get it/drive home.
I've never experienced, nor heard of, a good Toyota engine throwing a rod after spinning a bearing in a short period of time without a load.
Completely, the original issue is from a foreign object, unless part of the story is not told...
However, I used to heavily modify, and auto-x, first generation MR2's. Had 13 of them and just about all types of engine swaps and failures. A few as example: Early bigport 4age, Late bigport 4age, smallport 4age, Smallport 4agze W/ E51, Smallport 4agze W/E51, Bigport 4age with 4agze externals, 11.3:1 smallport 7age hybrid, C50/52 MR2 trans, AE92 C52 trans swap, even did a 1991 5sfe/S54 swap into a 1986.
Some of the failures:
Spun bearings, thrown rods, rebuilt motors that spin bearings quickly (ALWAYS turn a crank on a Toyota if you spin a bearing, learned that the hard way), bigport block with smallport head, window'd blocks, oil pump failures, sludged engines (JDM), and more.
I have never spun a bearing at idle. I have never thrown a rod at idle. Toyota's requirement for "acceptable" oil pressure at idle is amazingly low - usually in the 4-7psi range. A good/healthy engine will generally have much more than that - and will have a 10psi gain/1000 rpm.
Normal spun bearings in Toyota's usually happen from overheating or no oil (for instance - a JDM smallport 4age that burns a quart every 50 miles runs low, as capacity is only ~3.5 quarts, and spins a bearing). The only times I've thrown a rod was KNOWING it was going to happen - meaning I could hear the spun bearing and just wanted to get it/drive home.
I've never experienced, nor heard of, a good Toyota engine throwing a rod after spinning a bearing in a short period of time without a load.
Completely, the original issue is from a foreign object, unless part of the story is not told...
- Thread starter
- #105
Nope, full story told...truck ran great before starter died...
These engine don't really blow up when they get hot/overheat they just warp the heads really bad... but engines are so plentiful and inexpensive and easy to swap... I'd never consider doing the heads on one vs swapping the engine... I have torn down engines that have over heated and found the following.. hone marks still there on q 300k engine... crank end play (thrust) still well within acceptable limits, no signs of bearing failure rod or main... I don't remember any collapsed rings or any piston damage... I would think the short block was 100% still servacable ... but why put rebuilt heads on a 200k bottom end... when you can buy a 80k complete engine for less than 1k... I usually pay $600 for a 70k engine and spend another $250 on "stuff" water pump, timing belt, radiator ect..
