Sounds like a bad Pulley - Wish it was

Did you know that Toyota has documented cases of the oil pump being faulty in the 4.0L 1GRFE? How do I know? I’m one of them. The outcome…engine damage.
I first took my truck to the dealership because it was making a noise that sounded like a bad pulley or slipping drive belt. They thought the same and replaced those parts for $325. Minutes after I left the dealership, the sound returned but louder. Took it back to dealership.
Next they thought it was the VVT module on the drivers side of the engine. They were not sure because the engine ECU was not giving fault/error codes or warning indicators. They had me listen to each side of the engine by placing a long flat-blade screwdriver against the head and put my ear to the handle. It did sound like the driver’s side was considerably different than the passenger side. They proceeded to disassemble the top half of the engine and remove the timing cover.
Once they were in, they found stretched timing chain, damaged timing gear, worn chain tensioners, and dark burned oil residue on all internal surfaces and valve train components on the driver side of the engine. The passenger side was pristine. Still not sure of the problem, dealership opened a case with Toyota Corporate.
Toyota responded that the issue was known and documented as a faulty oil pump on the 4.0L 1GRFE engine. They stated that although the oil pump was still circulating oil, it was not delivering enough oil to the drivers side of the engine as described by known cases from Toyota corporate. As a result, lack of lubrication generated excessive heat and resistance to the moving parts on the driver side of the engine. Because of this strain and resistance, the timing chain, tensioner, timing gear, and VVT module were damaged and needed to be replaced. A new oil pump was also required.
Cost to repair, $2700. I was concerned so I opted to not make a decision on the reported diagnosis and recommended repairs at that time and sought second opinions from independent mechanics. All mechanics I consulted reported that if the strain and resistance on the drivers side of the engine was enough to stretch the timing chain, damage the timing gear, tensioners, and VVT module, while coupled with visible evidence of burned oil residue, additional damage was done to the engine that was not being addressed or acknowledged by Toyota. Lots of other moving parts in there – a couple cams, the head, etc… I asked the dealership the cost to replace the entire engine, I was verbally quoted $7000.
I requested that Toyota take a closer look at this situation. At this time I expressed that this may be a manufacturing defect or a bad run of oil pumps. Toyota’s are known to run thousands of miles when maintained properly. I knew my Tacoma had been maintained well above what the average owner would do. I was given the Toyota Customer Service 1-800 number to escalate my concerns. To date, Toyota has done nothing about the issue and has said its between me and the dealership.
Unfortunately, this issue is not detectable until it is too late. According to the service staff, the oil pump was still delivering some oil to the drivers side of the engine, just not enough. The drivers side valve train is the farthest location from the oil pump routing of oil. There were no warning lights or indications of excessive heat or lack oil pressure detected by sensors on the engine. However, with the engine disassembled, the signs of excessive heat and wear are clearly identifiable by the damaged parts and discoloration of components and surfaces. My Tacoma has 86K miles on it. I have meticulously performed my own oil changes with Mobile1 Synthetic Oil at the prescribed 5000 mile interval.
Upon review of the scheduled maintenance tasks outlined in the owner’s manual, I found there was no item that called for inspecting the oil pump during any scheduled service from 0 to 125K miles. I verified the scheduled maintenance tasks at each service interval on the Toyota website. Oil pump inspection is not there. Nor are there any indicators that oil is not being sufficiently routed to all areas of the engine until severe internal engine damage is occurring.
If you are an owner of a Toyota vehicle that has the 4.0L 1GRFE engine, be very careful. Any sounds coming from your engine that resemble a screeching pulley or slipping drive belt should be checked out as soon as possible. Based on my experience, I recommend you immediately turn off your engine and have it towed to the location where you will have it examined.
If you have exercised your right to perform your own oil changes, I recommend you have good records of that maintenance. Even if you are under the 50K miles for normal drivetrain warranty, you may be required to produce maintenance history in order to make a warranty claim. The same would apply for extended warranty claims. Out of warranty, usually means out of luck.
If you or anyone you know has experienced similar issues with their 4.0L 1GRFE, please contact Toyota using their 1-800 number or online form.

 

You've said there are documented cases... plural... do you know how many? How widespread of a problem is this?

 

damn

 

I dont know the number of cases. Check out the pics in my profile.

 

Damn indeed.

 

Yeah, you can see the difference between the driver side and passenger side of the engine in the pictures. Crazy. Sorry to hear about this hassle... sounds like it's going to be a headache for a while...

 

WTF

So did they ask to see the maintenance records and what did they require?
Just wondering if I need to make copies of mine and file them away in my deposit box.

 

Hmm. Was it only low volume at the end of the oil run, or would an oil pressure gauge pick up a low-pressure condition?

 

this is getting absolutely ridiculous.

 

What can the dealer do to check this ahead of time before there is a problem. Would a oil pressure test be required?

 

@Snipe

The message the dealership made was, even if your vehicle is under warranty, if you have engine problems, they want to see maintenance history and can deny a warranty claim if they dont believe proper maintenance was performed. Save your recipets and keep a log if you are not having service done by the dealer.

 

@JKD

My understanding was it was low volume - not enough - at the end of the run. What is certain is the positioning of current oil pressure and temp sending units does not detect the condition.

 

@ OffroadToy

From my experience you can clearly tell the difference in the condition and color of valvetrain components, so removing valve covers would be one way. Compare the color from the left and right sides of my motor.

 

If anyone is interested, I'll be selling my current engine. I figure the long block is easily worth $1K since a rebuilt 1GRFE sells for $2500 and up. I'll be removing it from the truck this weekend.

 

lucky... you may have run into bad luck

 

I knew it was only a matter of time before the "lucky" comments would show up. Its all good. I'm still pretty dang lucky.

 

Hahahahaha

 

I wanna know how many cases were found of this problem? Because I have never heard of this before, or any major problems with the 1gr-fe engine.

 

Sound anything like this?

http://s674.photobucket.com/albums/vv106/taco05trd/?action=view&current=DSCN3364.flv

 

^ Omg dont tell me that the 05+ are about to have faulty oil pump's to!?