Help! My 200 Series Piston Rod broke and punched through the motor

[jjmcabee]

I am not much of a motor head but I knew enough to buy a Land Cruiser when I needed a vehicle for my family in Colorado. I love this vehicle. We've been all over the West in this thing. It has many mods from SLEE but I am at a loss as to what to do with it now. Options are 1. rebuild existing motor (~24K) 2. put in new motor (~16K) or 3. what? sell for parts?
I am leaning toward putting in a new motor and then sell it to someone who want to take it further. Please see the photos below. They are the communications from the Toyota Dealership in Lakewood.

 

[lx200inAR]

You don't mention year/mileage of your vehicle. I would definitely consider the value of your cruiser without fixing the engine vs fixing the engine. You might also look for another quote from a non-dealer to see if putting in a used engine could be more in the 7-8k range. I 100% doubt the dealer is the cheapest option. Especially if you source a Tundra engine instead of looking for another LC engine.

Without knowing the value of your truck it's hard to make any recommendations. If it's a 2008 with 250k miles, it's probably only worth 20k running and maybe 5-6k not running (no idea if this is reasonable, but I suspect you could get that much for it). If it's a 2013-2015 with 100k miles then it's probably worth closer to 35-40k, which makes fixing it a lot more viable.

 

[jjmcabee]

2011 with 216K miles

 

[ryanCA]

200k only for this kind of issue - is crazy on a toyota

if you are going to fix and dump - then dont fix - just dump it


lots of issues with the 200 - we just decide to pretend there arent any. sorry to hear you are the latest victim

good luck

 

[CanadianRockyCruiser]

I think you'll want to shop around for a new motor one way or the other (whether you keep it or sell it). Check car-part.com to see if you can find an engine in your area. I can find a lot of decent 5.7 L motors in my neighborhood for about $5-6k CAD. I'll bet you can find one in Denver for a lot less. A remanufactured engine will cost more, and a new crate is very expensive.

I'd look for a swap out of a crashed LX/Cruiser/Tundra/Seqouia.

 

[Zill]

Agreed, this is not a dealer repair. Take it to a trusted Indy shop. Find a good used motor that a junkyard backs up through their warranty, and have the shop drop in that used engine.

Keep in mind, the Tundra/Sequoia 5.7 has some slightly different bolt on components that they’ll need to swap over from the 200 series. Keeping in mind, you may need to inspect the swapped over 200 parts for any metal debris (which you may need to replace if the metal debris damaged the bolt on parts).

Hot take, if you can find a lightly used (factory sealed) engine. It will be a much better option compared to a rebuilt/remanufactured engine.

 

[Zill]

I am curious what the cause was. Were you off-roading the vehicle in 4LO and revving it fairly high?

 

[jjmcabee]

I am curious what the cause was. Were you off-roading the vehicle in 4LO and revving it fairly high?

We got about 4 foot of snow in three days up here. Super wet and the 4Lo light started blinking the Trac Off and check engine light came on. We checked the codes and reset them. P0012 and P0022. My son started out for the mechanic and on the way up to the tunnel- revving high probably- kablam - my mourning continues

 

[CanadianRockyCruiser]

Also, I think we all need to see a photo of the "piston rod broke and punched through the block".

Picture, or it didn't happen!

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

I'm still scratching my head over the thought of "rebuilding" a motor that had a connecting rod escape out the side of the block. I'd guess in this situation, rebuilding means putting in a new engine and swapping over the manifolds and external accessories.

 

[bloc]

I'm still scratching my head over the thought of "rebuilding" a motor that had a connecting rod escape out the side of the block.

Exactly.

Also, I can’t remember the username but someone parked their cruiser for months while looking for a good used engine. These things don’t seem to be as easy to find as some assume.

I’m wondering the root cause.. broken valve spring, dropped valve, snowball of destruction maybe?

 

[CanadianRockyCruiser]

If a Tundra 3urfe (non flex fuel) will work, I'd go that route. Here are a few examples in Denver, Colorado:

If I was in your shoes, I'd be looking at negotiating a deal on the second one (2011 with 93,000 miles for $4400), and possibly checking out the last one (reman for $5566.50). I believe you can also look at the flex fuel 5.7 L. Someone please chime in if I'm out to lunch, as I've never swapped a Tundra 5.7 L into a LandCruiser or LX.

 

[ryanCA]

Also, I can’t remember the username but someone parked their cruiser for months while looking for a good used engine. These things don’t seem to be as easy to find as some assume.

Right, as always!


I think that person went to 3 different "mechanics" and it think it was a year plus. Since that person, we have had 3 motor members motors go kaboom....

 

[rexington14]

$24k for what I assume is new short block, heads? That's not far off from the $30k number I've seen floated around (and condemned by many here) that the dealerships charge Toyota when V35As blow up under warranty.

Sorry man. Easy to armchair quarterback, but I'd probably take the loss, sell it as is, and just move on. Search some of the recent threads here for those who have gone with used / salvage yard 3UR engines. It hasn't particularly gone well. One guy was chasing an issue with the replaced engine for months. Who knows how much more money (and time) he spent troubleshooting after already paying for the used engine and labor to install it. Good luck.

 

[thecapedcapper]

Further reading here about a member who replaced his engine with a used one.

 

[jjmcabee]

Also, I think we all need to see a photo of the "piston rod broke and punched through the block".

Picture, or it didn't happen!

 

[bloc]

When crankcase ventilation isn’t “positive”..

 

[linuxgod]

You’ll get 15-20k salvage value on auction. I’d use that as a guide, depending on how much you’ve sunk into the truck, how long your otherwise expect to keep it, etc. assume 15k to get a low mileage used engine installed, will you get 30-35k if you fix and sell? Maybe but probably not. So fix and keep or auction it off.

don’t be afraid to call around and find a shop that will quote less for a warranties engine and have it towed there from the dealer. I wouldn’t have an Indy shop rebuild a 3UR unless I really trusted them, but an engine swap is going to be less skilled.

 

[Sandroad]

I wonder what caused the failure? Dropped valve interference with piston? Codes are related to camshaft? Oiling failure? I’m with others who question how that could be rebuilt. That would take a lot of duct tape.

 

[Zill]

I wonder what caused the failure? Dropped valve interference with piston? Codes are related to camshaft? Oiling failure? I’m with others who question how that could be rebuilt. That would take a lot of duct tape.

I heard JB weld does wonders.