2016 Motor Failure

OP. I'll be bold to offer some suggestions.

Quiz the mechanic to be specific on what parts actually failed. Then get a quote to replace the failed parts.
At the same time, get an engine replacement quoted.
Compare the two, then determine which is your better choice.

Engine dead is not a diagnosis, it is the outcome.

Kinda like finding a dead body. Yep, he is dead. The cause could be a bullet in the head, overdose, old, drowned........

The engine may be repairable for less $$$ than a new engine. It depends on what has failed.

I'll also suggest not to trade or buy another. You'll be more upside down in the finance area.

<edit>
OP....one more tip. If you are ignorant about engines and associated repairs, take a trusted friend who knows about these things. Review the options with your friend. In truth, the mechanic should be able to do this too, but some mechanics resist such dialogue.
<endedit>

 

There might be other causes, but my recollection from the few other failures reported here on TW is that some people have had a valve spring fail. That would likely result in some kind of CEL (check engine light) code, but not sure about that. That might be an easier fix than just replacing the entire motor. If all they did is start it up, listen to the noise and say, "Yep, that motor is done," they haven't done enough diagnosis.

As others have said, find out what exactly failed, how they know that, and why that means a complete motor replacement rather than fix the problem.

 

Back in 1986 the 4 banger in my toyota pickup took a dump. Was a simple crankshaft key for the lower pully that sheared. Engine ran ok but rapped like hell. The dealer called in a nj rep that verified the problem. Toyota replaced the engines crankshaft. A couple weeks later i was back on the road with my truck. They gave me a tercel rental car...don't know what sucked worse, not having my truck, or driving this car.

 

Sigh.... here comes the idiots calling the 3.5 shit again.

Op, I'm really sorry for ya man. You got a rotten bit of luck. I'd drop a reman engine in, or a junkyard motor.

To all the idiots calling the 3.5 shit: that's objectively not true. There's millions upon millions of these motors out there, not just in Tacomas, but in a load of Toyota models. One random failure on a forum /=/ shit. These motors regularly see over 250k miles.

 

As with most used cars it's called AS IS, if Carvana doesn't want to do a PPI fuck em.

 

Show us on a 3rd gen Tacoma where they regularly see 250k miles. Just because a similar motor has been used in the past doesn't mean the newest version is manufactured in the same way as it was in the past.

 

@mosesofthesouth

 

I've seen them come throigh the dealer regularly. We have one on the lot at 200k as I write this, and someone bought it. The 3.5 is not a bad motor. It may not be 2.7 level of unkillable, but it is far from bad.

 

1 truck....

The tacoma 3.5 is a bit different from the 3.5 from years earlier.

 

Take a picture and show us the odometer.

 

Will do the next time I'm in the office.

 

I'm not saying the 3.5 motor is bad at all. Its just not a robust as everyone claims.

 

Comparing the struggles of the 3.5 pushing a Highlander down the road vs. a Tacoma doing truck shit with the RPMs spun up carrying mulch home.

The engine is trash in this application, Toyota pulled an FCA and tried to make something work to save money. There's a reason why people say get a tune. There's not another vehicle on the market where you'd hear people screaming get a tune just so they can enjoy "normalcy" of what they expect in a truck.

 

To the OP yeah it might be worth a second opinion and estimate to repair, but don't listen to people telling you to get an in depth diagnosis of why it failed. That would be a waste of money to pull the engine out and tear it apart.

Dealers and independent shops aren't going to do an engine autopsy for free

 

They should be able to tell her what failed IF they are telling her she needs an engine replaced, you’re talking around $8-14k for an engine replacement. If they can not tell her what failed then even more reason to seek a different repair diagnosis.

 

Sounds almost exactly what my (first) 2016 did. It turned out to be a failed Crank Position Sensor. My (rather long) story here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/engine-issues-on-my-3rd-gen.441399/

 

What a weird argument
The 250k question is a function of time. How long did it take for the average 2nd gen with the god-tier 4.0 to reach 250k? I put 100k on my 2013 over 5 years. It's going to take me more than 10 years to answer your question with my 2020. Also, we're still in the middle of the 3rd gen production cycle.

The 3rd gen simply isn't old enough for this to be a valid argument.

 

So if it's an engine knock how far do you want dive into labor hours to have them yank the engine out and blow it apart. This is not free. I have enough common sense to know that internal engine knock means fucked and boat anchor

 

Even 150k or 200k. There are people that drive more then others lol