Tacoma may get a 4cyl Turbo

That's relative, but for me it's because I spend a large portion of my life in my car, and how it makes me feel is more important that a couple mpgs. A turbo 4 isn't better to me. It's more complex, sounds worse, and likely the driving dynamics aren't going to be drastically different.

Some people think about vehicles as math equations - that's fine - I don't.

 

That's also a lighter and more aerodynamic vehicle that doesn't bear as much load as a comparable truck engine.

 

I change modern turbos around twice a week. Your article was written by someone who types for a living.

 

Could you tell me what are the top couple of reasons these turbos are failing?

 

I doubt sound is truly an important factor but... it did take me a few months to get used to the buzzy sound out of my 2.7. My old gutless 3.0 V6 while slower sounded better and more powerful and V8s just sound amazing.

Best V8 sound I feel is from Maseratis they aren't fast but I'll lower the window and turn off my stereo just to listen and enjoy.

 

Shot bearings

 

Are they coked up with black deposits or just overheated? Curious as I work in engine oils so I'd love to know how to stop them from failing. Aren't modern turbos also water cooled?

 

If the Tacoma gets turbos say goodbye to the resale value and long term reliability the Tacoma's have enjoyed in previous generations. No more 400,000 minimal maintenance trucks. If this happens might as well buy a full size Ford.

 

Yep, we have coolant lines routed to our turbos. But materials haven’t caught up to duty demands IMO. You can only route so much coolant to a small area in the turbo. It helps, but it doesn’t solve the problem, which are very high temps, sustained, to a spinning component that is just dying to break apart.

Both. Carbon fouling and overheating.

 

Don't put a fart can on it and it'll be fine. The turbo is a muffler in itself. I don't think mine sounds like a blender at all. Before I turbo'd it it sounded like a Honda with the headers but now it's quite.


We've had reliable turbo diesels since the beginning of time. Not sure why it's taken gas engines so long to catch up.

 

This. They tried it for a minute, the whole turbos in Toyota pickups thing. And then they stopped.

 

From my understanding using water to cool a turbo is mostly for after shutdown. If things are plumbed correctly water should still continue to be pulled through the turbo keeping it cooler and preventing the oil from coking.

 

Can't say I've ever heard someone call a 2jz unreliable. I'm confident Toyota knows how to make a turbo'd engine.

 

It’s used to cool it during operation.

 

You keep mentioning how reliable the engines are. The engines (diesel or 2jz) are plenty reliable. It’s the turbo that’s a consumable.

 

Never heard of any failures from Precision Turbo

 

Info on water cooled turbos

• https://gcg.com.au/component/rsticketspro/view-article/18-water-cooled-turbos-they-need-water

 

Like many other items on vehicles.

 

Sure. Like tires, except you can predict when you will need to replace them. And unlike other things, like a fuel pump, these goes through an insane amount of heat stress. Heat stress is whatever on a static component. Heat stress on something spinning is a whole different story. When it fails, which it will, you are strapped with the cost. For some, the cost makes sense. Like racing. Or freight. But for a daily driver, or someone who depends on the vehicle to operate in the wilderness, turbo is a bad idea.

 

More aerodynamic? Possibly.
Lighter? Doesn't appear so. Curb weight Tacoma 4445 lb vs. 4740 lb for the Lexus.
Bear as much load? I would guess the average Taco does bear a heaver load. But by the book. GVWR Taco 5600 lb vs. 5997 for the 450h.