P0335…to a bent valve (update...and it's not good…but it’s getting better...She's ALIVE!)

[liv2bike]

It's been a bit so figured I'd update y'all. There hasn't been any progress. She's still in Bozeman while the search continues for a donor 5.7. I am a bit concerned about her just sitting and things going stagnant. Obviously the engine is toast but I am concerned about the rest of the drivetrain and such. Or maybe I shouldn't be. It just pains me to know she's just sitting outside. I've taken such good care of her. Anyway, the thought of selling her as-is is creeping in. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet though. Anyway, more to come eventually. Cheers.

Guy

 

[tacoduck]

It's been a bit so figured I'd update y'all. There hasn't been any progress. She's still in Bozeman while the search continues for a donor 5.7. I am a bit concerned about her just sitting and things going stagnant. Obviously the engine is toast but I am concerned about the rest of the drivetrain and such. Or maybe I shouldn't be. It just pains me to know she's just sitting outside. I've taken such good care of her. Anyway, the thought of selling her as-is is creeping in. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet though. Anyway, more to come eventually. Cheers.

Guy

IDK what the market is for a LC with a blown engine. Clearly, a working truck will have a higher resale. Blows my mind that a Toyota dealer engine swap stickers for $30k. Sorry you are in this predicament.

 

[trudd]

IDK what the market is for a LC with a blown engine. Clearly, a working truck will have a higher resale. Blows my mind that a Toyota dealer engine swap stickers for $30k. Sorry you are in this predicament.

My neighbor’s ‘09 LX with 180k was recently grenaded by a broken spring + bent pin. Southern truck, no wrecks, some interior scuffs from kid hauling.

Sold it to a local mechanic for $6k

 

[linuxgod]

It's been a bit so figured I'd update y'all. There hasn't been any progress. She's still in Bozeman while the search continues for a donor 5.7. I am a bit concerned about her just sitting and things going stagnant. Obviously the engine is toast but I am concerned about the rest of the drivetrain and such. Or maybe I shouldn't be. It just pains me to know she's just sitting outside. I've taken such good care of her. Anyway, the thought of selling her as-is is creeping in. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet though. Anyway, more to come eventually. Cheers.

Guy

I think sitting is fine for a few months. If it’s going to be a while I’d have them drop a can of gas stabilizer in the tank and either put the battery on a trickle charger or be prepared to replace it, but otherwise I don’t think sitting 6 months or more will really hurt the truck.

 

[kcjaz]

I think sitting is fine for a few months. If it’s going to be a while I’d have them drop a can of gas stabilizer in the tank and either put the battery on a trickle charger or be prepared to replace it, but otherwise I don’t think sitting 6 months or more will really hurt the truck.

I'd put stabilizer it it now regardless of any current time line as the risk of this dragging out is high.

This whole situation makes me think about sourcing a replacement 5.7 now so I have one on my shelf... I wonder what I could have got for a totaled (body damaged) 200 w/o its engine/tranny and transfer? Probably near nothing. Keeping the whole wreck would have cost $20K which is $10K cheaper than the dealer's $30 engine replacement.

 

[linuxgod]

I'd put stabilizer it it now regardless of any current time line as the risk of this dragging out is high.

This whole situation makes me think about sourcing a replacement 5.7 now so I have one on my shelf... I wonder what I could have got for a totaled (body damaged) 200 w/o its engine/tranny and transfer? Probably near nothing. Keeping the whole wreck would have cost $20K which is $10K cheaper than the dealer's $30 engine replacement.

Yeah but would you want to use that engine after it sat in your garage for 5 or 10 or 15 years?

 

[trudd]

I know this is not a smart question, but I'm curious...

Is there record of anyone here replacing the 5.7 valve springs as PM? Or is this one of those jobs that has a higher probability of introducing new problems by attempting it in the first place?

 

[kcjaz]

Yeah but would you want to use that engine after it sat in your garage for 5 or 10 or 15 years?

OK, I should have just kept the running wreck and just started up monthly for 10 to 15 years. The scary part is that there is part of me that thinks doing that actually makes sense.

 

[liv2bike]

It's been a minute. No progress to report at this time. I've had a few of y'all reach out about buying her as-is. I am open to selling at this time. I will post a proper for sale ad when I have some time. I'm hoping to take some proper pictures to document interior condition etc but getting up to Bozeman right now is going to be hard with family commitments. It's been a hard decision to make and it's killing me. But we need another vehicle and I just can't keep making do without. I'm hoping to get into another 200. Time will tell.

Guy

 

[bloc]

That sucks to hear.

 

[yOHda]

A little confused on why this is the outcome vs. just sourcing a 2013+ 5.7 and keeping the vehicle. I wouldn’t be concerned about the rest of the drivetrain. Nothing but engines from those years seem to be “problematic”. I say 2013+ as the engine you would be getting is most likely from a tundra and they fixed a lot of little issues by then.

As I type this I fully realize I bought an 08 tundra last year and the motor and trans have had to be replaced. This has left a bad taste in my mouth with this truck specifically and I drove it for 6 more months and just bought a ‘13 Sequoia, so i could pull the engine and trans(shelf it @kcjaz) I just bought out of the tundra and scrap the truck.

My wife’s 08 lx570 has been flawless.

So maybe I answered my own question.

 

[liv2bike]

Outcome isn't fully determined yet. Had a great conversation with Stephen at Overland Cruisers in Bozeman this morning.

My truck has excellent bones, inside and out. Only 165k miles on her. Lots of life left in the rest of the chassis and the interior is excellent.

Option 1 - Source a rebuilt aftermarket engine (long block) from a reputable shop. There are options inclusive of warranties. Pull my blown motor, transfer all my ancillaries over. Drop it back into my truck. And life is good. Figure $15k'ish for this option.

Option 2 - We can get a new OEM short block direct from Toyota. We can get new OEM head assemblies direct from Toyota. This option, with labor, figure somewhere in the low $20k'ish range. There's more labor involved with this option. What's attractive is that it is all new and all OEM Toyota. But a cost escalation I'm not sure I can justify.

I'm leaning Option 1. Once we work up more detailed estimates, I'll make an informed decision, hopefully next week.

I've been perusing newer trucks. I can't get into anything that checks my boxes for <$45-$50k. Y'all know the market for these trucks. In my mind, it makes sense to put money into this truck. It's crazy how much my family misses it.

Guy

 

[linuxgod]

Given yours is a 2008, I’m surprised you can’t find anything you’d want for under 45-50k. I bought my 2013 in Jan 2016 with 48k on it and a Toyota CPO for $49k. Granted the market went crazy during Covid but even still I would think you could snag a much newer truck with less mileage.

As far as a new block vs used goes, is make the call based on how long you expect to own the truck. If ideally you keep it forever, I would go option 2. If you think 10 years from now you’d sell it and buy something else, I’d go option 1.

 

[liv2bike]

I reckon it's time for an update. Bringing this 200 back to life is not looking probable at this point. At least not for me. Both options above are proving to be cost prohibitive. North of $25k to rebuild my engine and the same to go with a reputable reman long block. It just doesn't make any sense to throw $25-$30k at this truck.

We're still looking at possible donor engines but we haven't found anything we like (or trust). I can get a used 3URFE long block from a Tundra or Sequoia. But history is sketch. At least everything we've looked at. Ideally it's a lower mileage truck or an engine from this community.

I'm leaning more and more towards selling her as is. And starting over with a newer 200. It might be time to move on. My 200 would be a great project for someone that can store it inside and work on it at their leisure. I don't have that capability or requisite skills.

Just wanted to update y'all. It's killing me. But it's looking like I just won't be able to get her back on the road.

 

[Bama4door]

One more data point on broken valve spring. We just had a 2009 200 in the shop that ended up having a broken valve spring on cylinder 3. Fortunately, it didn't cause any other internal damage. All lights on dash, misfire on all 8 cylinders, spitting oil out of the exhaust, excessive gray smoke. We replaced all of the springs, valve seals, all along with new chains, tensioners, slippers, guides, etc.

 

[linuxgod]

My gut says the truck is worth $20k on car-part as is, maybe a bit less. @kcjaz sold his wrecked truck on there and I think got something similar. Engine was good but body wasn’t.

 

[kcjaz]

My gut says the truck is worth $20k on car-part as is, maybe a bit less. @kcjaz sold his wrecked truck on there and I think got something similar. Engine was good but body wasn’t.

If the truck can move under its own power, it will get $19-20K on Copart all day long. I've seen non running fire and flood damaged 200s go for $15K. Clean body, blown engine, I don't know, but middle eastern buyers seem to snatch up US 200s no matter the condition, so there is a decent market. I'd guess $15k to 18K?? You can get a free Copart membership and watch auctions to get a feel. I would have kept my totaled 200 that I bought back from insurance for $20K if I had the space and time for another project. I think for the right buyer, if the only issue is a blown engine $15 - $20K seems reasonable. A some of guys here could probably source an engine and do the work themselves for less than $10K if they we so inclined.

 

[KDAWG97m3]

Here is my two cents..,,,you know the car.,,you love the car….it has low mileage…you aren’t going to get a newer LC for 25k, much less a car you probably want for 25k ( I do think car prices are starting to come down) instead of buying a 40k car, spend the 25 ( and I think that is on the wayyy high end) and build the motor. Sure, you will upside down in it ( cost of truck, plus new motor) but you love this thing…get another 250k out of it and you can “drive” Your money out of it…all of this is easier said than done, but it’s how I would look at it… sorry you have to deal with this…I hope it works out either way..

 

[TeCKis300]

Outcome isn't fully determined yet. Had a great conversation with Stephen at Overland Cruisers in Bozeman this morning.

My truck has excellent bones, inside and out. Only 165k miles on her. Lots of life left in the rest of the chassis and the interior is excellent.

Option 1 - Source a rebuilt aftermarket engine (long block) from a reputable shop. There are options inclusive of warranties. Pull my blown motor, transfer all my ancillaries over. Drop it back into my truck. And life is good. Figure $15k'ish for this option.

Option 2 - We can get a new OEM short block direct from Toyota. We can get new OEM head assemblies direct from Toyota. This option, with labor, figure somewhere in the low $20k'ish range. There's more labor involved with this option. What's attractive is that it is all new and all OEM Toyota. But a cost escalation I'm not sure I can justify.

I'm leaning Option 1. Once we work up more detailed estimates, I'll make an informed decision, hopefully next week.

I've been perusing newer trucks. I can't get into anything that checks my boxes for <$45-$50k. Y'all know the market for these trucks. In my mind, it makes sense to put money into this truck. It's crazy how much my family misses it.

Guy

Sorry to hear and it sounds like a frustrating experience.

Personally, I would look at wreckers for a good factory sealed engine, that is lower mileage, and rated in A condition from car-parts.com. $6-8k. Plus $2-4k of labor to drop it in and done. Every engine on the road today is a "used engine". It is a leap of faith, but honestly, in my mind, I would do that way before any rebuilt aftermarket engine that has less historical provenance (other than it's built from a core that has suffered as part of some engine failure requiring the rebuild), and slapped together by a shop and crew of unknown quality.

While I like the idea of sourcing new blocks and heads, it's still potentially less desirable for me, because again, you're trusting some general mechanic to do the due diligence in assembly, to get all the bearing clearances, procedure, and stuff right. Mechanics in dealerships aren't engine builders and they don't do internal procedures often.

 

[bloc]

Sorry to hear and it sounds like a frustrating experience.

Personally, I would look at wreckers for a good factory sealed engine, that is lower mileage, and rated in A condition from car-parts.com. $6-8k. Plus $2-4k of labor to drop it in and done. Every engine on the road today is a "used engine". It is a leap of faith, but honestly, in my mind, I would do that way before any rebuilt aftermarket engine that has less historical provenance (other than it's built from a core that has suffered as part of some engine failure requiring the rebuild), and slapped together by a shop and crew of unknown quality.

While I like the idea of sourcing new blocks and heads, it's still potentially less desirable for me, because again, you're trusting some general mechanic to do the due diligence in assembly, to get all the bearing clearances, procedure, and stuff right. Mechanics in dealerships aren't engine builders and they don't do internal procedures often.

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I'd generally suggest the same strategy but I believe @Bryanmc had a lot of trouble sourcing an engine that actually looked good when it landed in the shop.