After just about a month of ownership, the engine in my recently-acquired 80-series blew up yesterday. Here’s the story:
Driving from St. Louis to Rolla on I-44, in the hilly section between Six Flags and Pacific (for anyone that knows the St. Louis area), going about 80 in morning rush hour traffic. Truck starts to lose power… almost imperceptibly at first, then really noticeable, and the engine is making a racket. Lots of what sounds like valve noise. At first, I am thinking the tranny is severely slipping. I slow down and pull off in Pacific. I pull into a gas station and as I stop, it dies. Temp gauge is not overheating. I did not observe oil pressure gauge. I crank it, and it turns over very slowly, catches, and is sputtering idle. I let it run for a few seconds and shut it off when I see a few wisps of smoke coming from under the hood.
Pop the hood, and I first notice the front of the intake manifold and the PS reservoir are splattered with oil (as is the master cylinder, etc). The I notice that oil has been forced out of the left side PCV hose on the valve cover (the one that connects to the TB, not the PCV valve hose). THEN I notice the dipstick sticking up several inches out of the tube. Oil source found.
After I let it cool off a bit, I checked the coolant and oil. Coolant was full, and no signs of any leak. Oil was either full, or it was about 3/4 quart low. It was hard to get a good reading on the dipstick. But I also didn’t see evidence of much oil loss beside what was splashed around the engine bay.
No perceivable milkshake in the oil, and no perceivable oil floating in the coolant.
I had the car towed back to St. Louis and dropped at my regular mechanic, and independent Toyota specialist. While waiting for the tow, I was poking around here on several descriptions of a clogged or stuck-closed PCV valve were similar to what it experienced.
Unfortunately, my mechanic informed me this evening that there initial diagnosis is pointing to a failed piston ring or possibly a broken piston ring land. He said that they did some “vacuum testing” (I am not sure what that entailed), and it was indicating severe blow-by in at least one of the cylinders. He has not performed a compression/leak down test, nor has he borescoped it yet. He is going to do that. But his prognosis is that it needs a new engine, and he thinks it is likely that if a piston ring failed, there is bore damage.
First, does this prognosis track with what happened, in your collective opinion?
Assuming this is all correct, he said rebuilding the engine (assuming it can be rebuilt) is $8K in labor, plus any parts. He said installing a replacement engine is about $4K, and CruiserParts is advertising a rebuilt long block at $5,500, and an inspected long block is $4,500. So, about $10K for an engine replacement.
Any thoughts on all this? Engine rebuilds and replacements are not really this shop’s forte, although they are very good mechanics. I would be fine with a good USED engine as well, but I’m not seeing many/any for sale.
I’d appreciate anyone’s thoughts/opinions/recommendations on this situation, including the symptoms and breakdown, sources for a 1fz, and shops in St. Louis or nearby that could perform such work.
Thank you in advance!
Driving from St. Louis to Rolla on I-44, in the hilly section between Six Flags and Pacific (for anyone that knows the St. Louis area), going about 80 in morning rush hour traffic. Truck starts to lose power… almost imperceptibly at first, then really noticeable, and the engine is making a racket. Lots of what sounds like valve noise. At first, I am thinking the tranny is severely slipping. I slow down and pull off in Pacific. I pull into a gas station and as I stop, it dies. Temp gauge is not overheating. I did not observe oil pressure gauge. I crank it, and it turns over very slowly, catches, and is sputtering idle. I let it run for a few seconds and shut it off when I see a few wisps of smoke coming from under the hood.
Pop the hood, and I first notice the front of the intake manifold and the PS reservoir are splattered with oil (as is the master cylinder, etc). The I notice that oil has been forced out of the left side PCV hose on the valve cover (the one that connects to the TB, not the PCV valve hose). THEN I notice the dipstick sticking up several inches out of the tube. Oil source found.
After I let it cool off a bit, I checked the coolant and oil. Coolant was full, and no signs of any leak. Oil was either full, or it was about 3/4 quart low. It was hard to get a good reading on the dipstick. But I also didn’t see evidence of much oil loss beside what was splashed around the engine bay.
No perceivable milkshake in the oil, and no perceivable oil floating in the coolant.
I had the car towed back to St. Louis and dropped at my regular mechanic, and independent Toyota specialist. While waiting for the tow, I was poking around here on several descriptions of a clogged or stuck-closed PCV valve were similar to what it experienced.
Unfortunately, my mechanic informed me this evening that there initial diagnosis is pointing to a failed piston ring or possibly a broken piston ring land. He said that they did some “vacuum testing” (I am not sure what that entailed), and it was indicating severe blow-by in at least one of the cylinders. He has not performed a compression/leak down test, nor has he borescoped it yet. He is going to do that. But his prognosis is that it needs a new engine, and he thinks it is likely that if a piston ring failed, there is bore damage.
First, does this prognosis track with what happened, in your collective opinion?
Assuming this is all correct, he said rebuilding the engine (assuming it can be rebuilt) is $8K in labor, plus any parts. He said installing a replacement engine is about $4K, and CruiserParts is advertising a rebuilt long block at $5,500, and an inspected long block is $4,500. So, about $10K for an engine replacement.
Any thoughts on all this? Engine rebuilds and replacements are not really this shop’s forte, although they are very good mechanics. I would be fine with a good USED engine as well, but I’m not seeing many/any for sale.
I’d appreciate anyone’s thoughts/opinions/recommendations on this situation, including the symptoms and breakdown, sources for a 1fz, and shops in St. Louis or nearby that could perform such work.
Thank you in advance!
confused
