Hey Guys..I'm new here and I just came up with a 2003 tacoma with around 38k on it (4-cyl automatic 2wheel drive). Anyways the motor is suffering. It had some major sludge in the oil and I think I'm looking toward a re-build. My question is I've seen a rebuild kit on ebay very cheap ~200 and wondering if this is about par. I'm relatively new to the import but have quite a bit of mechanical background so I'm not too scared of the job. Just wondering if you guys had any suggestions where to get the kit from. Thanks in advance.
4 cyl woes
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I rebuilt my engine with that eBay kit and there's nothing to really say against it, I only have 4K miles on my rebuild but it seems 100%.
Anyway, would try and diagnose as much as I could before tearing the engine down--compression, vacuum, listen to noises.
What specifically makes you think you need to rebuild it?
Chipsndukes
Anyway, would try and diagnose as much as I could before tearing the engine down--compression, vacuum, listen to noises.
What specifically makes you think you need to rebuild it?
Chipsndukes
like i said before..i'm new to toyotas so what motor does this thing have? is this what I need? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/22RE...023170665QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item360023170665
here's what i put in mine, but mine is a 1996 2RZFE
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995...ryZ33620QQihZ017QQitemZ270121878455QQtcZphoto
if you have a standard Tacoma, non-Prerunner, you have a 2.4l 2RZFE.
These guys will tell you, and may be right, that you're better off buying a used engine and swapping it in.
I had fun rebuilding mine, and now I know what I have, I like that.
Chipsndukes
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995...ryZ33620QQihZ017QQitemZ270121878455QQtcZphoto
if you have a standard Tacoma, non-Prerunner, you have a 2.4l 2RZFE.
These guys will tell you, and may be right, that you're better off buying a used engine and swapping it in.
I had fun rebuilding mine, and now I know what I have, I like that.
Chipsndukes
It may BE under warranty. That's practically a new engine. Sludge at that mileage sounds unusual. Not sure exactly which ones but some Toyota engines around that time had jelling problems and if yours is one of them it might be warranted beyond the 36K limit. Might be worth looking into.
well the toyota dealer said the time was up in october. it has a 60k powertrain warranty but likt i said the 5yr was up in oct so they say they'll be no help. I'm about to call another toyota dealer and see what they say. It looked like..by the oil sticker..the oil hadn't been changed since around 15k and now has about 38k. Could this type of sludge happen in that many miles.
Joined
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101 Posts
Before you go to another dealer, have you considered contacting Toyota North America.
http://www.toyota.com/help/contactus.html
You may also want to look Recalls or Service Bulletins here for your issue in the event it is something that is a common problem.
http://alldata.com/index.jsp
http://www.toyota.com/help/contactus.html
You may also want to look Recalls or Service Bulletins here for your issue in the event it is something that is a common problem.
http://alldata.com/index.jsp
The pickup was not mine. I picked it up really cheap knowing it had issues. I'm not saying there's no reason just trying to give everyone the background. New motor looks like big $$ that's why we were considering rebuild.Unbelievable. Your motor is cooked because the oil wasn't changed in 20000+ miles. I am speechless.........................
I see them on eBay for between $500-$750 plus shipping.
kinda off topic but how does sludge happen. late oil changes? i recently got an oil change at wal-mart and the technicians told me they had to turn down an 05 tacoma because of sludge.
i didn't really care but the technicians looked kinda disappointed, i guess they love toyotas or something.
i didn't really care but the technicians looked kinda disappointed, i guess they love toyotas or something.
See Item no. 2 below.
Three things will cause unnecessary wear on an engine:
1. Not driving it often enough. When an engine sits the oil drains into the pan and off of the moving parts. 90% of engine wear occurs when it is turned on because the moving parts are unlubricated until the oil pump starts a pumpin. So it stands to reason that the longer between starts the more wear occurs. Engines that get the most miles on them are police, ambulance, transportation, and service type vehicles. They run constantly. The shorter the duration that an engine is turned off between starts, the more miles you will get on it.
2. Not driving an engine long enough when it is run. One of the by-products of the internal combustion process is H20 (water). Ever notice the puddle of water under the exhaust pipe when an engine is still running cold? When an engine is not run long enough to reach normal operating temperature the water doesn’t evaporate. It mixes with the oil and becomes...you guessed it, sludge. Sludge is a bad thing.
3. Dirty oil. No elaboration required.
One of the worst things one can do is buy a low mileage used car from a little old lady for any or all of the reasons mentioned above.
Unfortunately we can’t always know the history of the previous owner of a used car or we’d all opt for one that was driven 5 miles each way to work every day and somewhere on weekends. So, the next best thing is to get one that has a reputation for being dependable. Toyota vehicles answer that description. I’ve had most of ‘em and the trucks are no exception.
A high mileage engine is not necessarily a bad thing. One reason people use “freeway miles” as a selling point is because of no. 2 above and because of the logical minimum wear that occurs on tires, steering, suspension, cooling, exhaust (remember the H20) and braking systems.
Three things will cause unnecessary wear on an engine:
1. Not driving it often enough. When an engine sits the oil drains into the pan and off of the moving parts. 90% of engine wear occurs when it is turned on because the moving parts are unlubricated until the oil pump starts a pumpin. So it stands to reason that the longer between starts the more wear occurs. Engines that get the most miles on them are police, ambulance, transportation, and service type vehicles. They run constantly. The shorter the duration that an engine is turned off between starts, the more miles you will get on it.
2. Not driving an engine long enough when it is run. One of the by-products of the internal combustion process is H20 (water). Ever notice the puddle of water under the exhaust pipe when an engine is still running cold? When an engine is not run long enough to reach normal operating temperature the water doesn’t evaporate. It mixes with the oil and becomes...you guessed it, sludge. Sludge is a bad thing.
3. Dirty oil. No elaboration required.
One of the worst things one can do is buy a low mileage used car from a little old lady for any or all of the reasons mentioned above.
Unfortunately we can’t always know the history of the previous owner of a used car or we’d all opt for one that was driven 5 miles each way to work every day and somewhere on weekends. So, the next best thing is to get one that has a reputation for being dependable. Toyota vehicles answer that description. I’ve had most of ‘em and the trucks are no exception.
A high mileage engine is not necessarily a bad thing. One reason people use “freeway miles” as a selling point is because of no. 2 above and because of the logical minimum wear that occurs on tires, steering, suspension, cooling, exhaust (remember the H20) and braking systems.
I would seriously consider trying this before you tear it down:
Perform an oil and oil filter change with the recommended oil, but substitute a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil for one quart of motor oil. Give it a good run, like 100 continuous miles or so, then change again, and retest. The rings may simply be gummed up, and I have had success freeing them up using this technique.
My $0.02
Perform an oil and oil filter change with the recommended oil, but substitute a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil for one quart of motor oil. Give it a good run, like 100 continuous miles or so, then change again, and retest. The rings may simply be gummed up, and I have had success freeing them up using this technique.
My $0.02
Well we pulled the pan off today and there was one main bearing spun. It doesn't appear to have hurt the block suprisingly. We are going to try and get the head off this afternoon or in the morning and see what all it's gonna take. Right now we're looking at bearings for sure but they head looks decent so we'll see.
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