rebuild engine?

I have a 1997 V6 4x4 Tacoma and during Summer of 2006 I sank it in about 4-5' of muddy water, there was about a foot in the cab. When we got it out of that it need a new timing belt (it slipped off in the mud some how?). After the timing belt was put on it ran fine for about another year. August 2007 I went on vacation for a long weekend and when I got back I had left the cab light on and it needed a jump. I jumped it and drove it up to my house which was 1 mile up the road and parked it. Next morning woke up and went to start my car, NOTHING! The starter would click but it wouldn't turn over, tried and tried had now idea how it would of siezed. We brought it to the same mechanic and he said engine siezed and it would be 1700-2000$ to do an engine swap. Now it has been sitting in my driveway due to no money. Now with summer coming up I want to start working on it but don't know where to start. Is the mechanic right did the engine sieze and I have to rebuild? or could it possible be something else and he was mistaken? its just so weird i drove it 1 mile and it died. It only has 140000 miles on it and it ran fine before this?

I'm just looking to meet people and try and get some help this summer, and just want some ideas right now to start researching and saving for. So analyze and get back to me haha! And great to meet people who love Tacomas as much as me.

 

Wow. Too bad about your truck. Ummm. Welcome to TacomaWorld.

 

I don't doubt what the mechanic says, dunking a truck in the water with a hot engine is bad, but it usually dumps the engine then and there, maybe this is the weakening effects of the engine and it's time just came up, you could look at it this way, normal engines would have died immediately, and it took over a year to kill a Toyota engine. I would rebuild it, but you have to treat it like a flood car, you have to build EVERYTHING !! engine & transmission & pumpkins & wiring. I know this is a lot of extra money, but why spend 1700-2000 dollars and a year from now have it start rotting out from under you, i hope this helps.

 

Welcome! Sounds like it's time for a V8! I have a buddy that shoe-horned a Camaro TPI V8 into his Tacoma. I forget the year, but he uses it for mud bogs with 35" Iroq's (sp?) so he uses the extra power.

Any junkyards nearby you could pull a motor from for less? Or have them pull it for you? I know I have a couple near me, side by side. One is a you-pull, the other will pull it for you.

 

Seems like I would want to pull the plugs and try to turn it over myself manually before launching into a huge repair.